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Lance Corporal Henry Withers
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TitleLance Corporal Henry WithersSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionHenry was born at Southbridge on 1 December 1895, son of Drummond and Mary Jane Withers. Before enlisting he was working as a stable-hand for N. Price at Sockburn. He was 5ft 7in tall with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and black hair. He also had a scar on his left side. The medical examination noted that his chest expansion was below the required as he was a jockey and thought this would improve at camp, so he was passed fit.
Henry enlisted at Trentham on 5 April 1916 and was assigned to C Company, 15th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion. He embarked with them for England on 26th July 1916 as a Lance Corporal. He arrived in England and Sling Camp where he reverted to the ranks on 3rd October. He left for France on 20 October and arrived at Base Depot in Etaples on 21st. He was posted to No.12 Company, 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment and joined them in the field 8th November 1916. He suffered one of the problems of the close living conditions when he was admitted to No 1 Field Ambulance with scabies. He was treated at the casualty clearing station on the 29 January and was discharged on 2nd February. He re-joined the Battalion 2 days later. But all was not well for on 15 April he got in trouble for disobeying a lawful order by a superior officer and was sentenced to 91 days of Field Punishment No.2. This involved being shackled in irons for up to two hours a day although it would not have been for more than 21 days. He was later detached to the school of instruction on 29 July for two weeks. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 12th October and sent to Brigade School for a week. Sadly he was back in time to take part in the attack on Polderhoek Chateau. On 3 December, the 1st Canterbury and 1st Otago Battalions of the 2nd Brigade mounted an attack at midday in an attempt to surprise the Germans holding the Chateau. It proved a relative failure for although some ground was taken, the Chateau remained in enemy hands. A court of enquiry found he was killed in action that day, aged 21, just two days after his birthday. Another soldier reported that “In the attack on the Chateau when he had gone about 25 yards Lance Corporal Withers was hit in the back of the leg by a piece of shell and obviously wounded. He evacuated into a shell hole where I was and asked me to dress his wound. He was very bad and I do not think he could have lived.” His commanding officer reported that soldiers from the Bedfordshire Regiment had found his body and forwarded his pay book. His body must have been found and identified after the war for he is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres. In New Zealand Henry is remembered on the Prebbleton War Memorial.
Hooge Crater Cemetery is 4kms east of Ieper town centre on the Meenseweg (N8), connecting Ieper to Menen. From Leper town centre the Meenseweg is located via Torhoutstraat and right onto Basculestraat. Basculestraat ends at a main crossroads, directly over which begins the Meenseweg. The cemetery itself is located 3.5kms along the Meenseweg on the right hand side of the road. Historical Information: Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September. Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and the following smaller cemeteries:- Bass Wood Cemeteries No.1 and No.2, Zillebeke, on the East side of the Bassevillebeek, 1 Km South of Herenthage Chateau. They contained the graves of 48 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in December, 1917-March, 1918. Koelenberg German Cemeteries, Gheluwe, close together on the south side of the Menin Road, in which were buried ten soldiers from the United Kingdom. K.O.S.B. Cemetery, Gheluwe, on the Menin Road, 1 Km west of Gheluwe. Here were buried, after the capture of Gheluwe by the 34th Division, in October, 1918, 18 soldiers from the United Kingdom, of whom ten belonged to the 1st/5th K.O.S.B. La Chapelle Farm, Zillebeke, between Chester Farm and Blauwepoort Farm, where 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in February and March, 1915. Menin Road Pillbox Cemetery, Zillebeke, between Herenthage Chateau and Gheluvelt, where 20 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in October, 1917. Nieuwe Kruiseecke Cabaret Cemetery, Gheluvelt, on the south side of the Menin Road, where 21 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada were buried in October, 1918. Pillbox Cemetery, Zonnebeke, 500 metres North-East of Westhoek, which was used in October, 1917; there were buried in it 34 soldiers from Australia, 26 from the United Kingdom, two from Canada and one of the British West Indies Regiment. Sanctuary Wood Old British Cemetery, Zillebeke, within the wood and north-east of the present cemetery; there were buried in it, in 1915-1917, 50 soldiers from the United Kingdom (of whom 30 were unidentified) and four from Canada. Tower Hamlets Cemetery, Gheluvelt, between Gheluvelt and Bass Wood, on the west side of a row of "pillboxes" called Tower Hamlets; it contained the graves of 36 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in the winter of 1917-1918. Westhoek Ridge Small Cemetery, Zonnebeke, in Westhoek village, "near the Area Commandant's pillbox and the A.D.S."; it was used in the autumn of 1917, and it contained the graves of 16 soldiers from Australia and six from the United Kingdom. There are now 5,923 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,579 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.First NameHenryLast NameWithersFamilySon of Drummond and Mary Jane Withers, of Prebbleton, Christchurch.Date of Birth1 December 1895Place of BirthSouthbridgeDate of Death3 December 1917Place of DeathYpres, BelgiumCause of DeathKilled in actionAge at Death21
Henry enlisted at Trentham on 5 April 1916 and was assigned to C Company, 15th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion. He embarked with them for England on 26th July 1916 as a Lance Corporal. He arrived in England and Sling Camp where he reverted to the ranks on 3rd October. He left for France on 20 October and arrived at Base Depot in Etaples on 21st. He was posted to No.12 Company, 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment and joined them in the field 8th November 1916. He suffered one of the problems of the close living conditions when he was admitted to No 1 Field Ambulance with scabies. He was treated at the casualty clearing station on the 29 January and was discharged on 2nd February. He re-joined the Battalion 2 days later. But all was not well for on 15 April he got in trouble for disobeying a lawful order by a superior officer and was sentenced to 91 days of Field Punishment No.2. This involved being shackled in irons for up to two hours a day although it would not have been for more than 21 days. He was later detached to the school of instruction on 29 July for two weeks. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 12th October and sent to Brigade School for a week. Sadly he was back in time to take part in the attack on Polderhoek Chateau. On 3 December, the 1st Canterbury and 1st Otago Battalions of the 2nd Brigade mounted an attack at midday in an attempt to surprise the Germans holding the Chateau. It proved a relative failure for although some ground was taken, the Chateau remained in enemy hands. A court of enquiry found he was killed in action that day, aged 21, just two days after his birthday. Another soldier reported that “In the attack on the Chateau when he had gone about 25 yards Lance Corporal Withers was hit in the back of the leg by a piece of shell and obviously wounded. He evacuated into a shell hole where I was and asked me to dress his wound. He was very bad and I do not think he could have lived.” His commanding officer reported that soldiers from the Bedfordshire Regiment had found his body and forwarded his pay book. His body must have been found and identified after the war for he is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres. In New Zealand Henry is remembered on the Prebbleton War Memorial.
Hooge Crater Cemetery is 4kms east of Ieper town centre on the Meenseweg (N8), connecting Ieper to Menen. From Leper town centre the Meenseweg is located via Torhoutstraat and right onto Basculestraat. Basculestraat ends at a main crossroads, directly over which begins the Meenseweg. The cemetery itself is located 3.5kms along the Meenseweg on the right hand side of the road. Historical Information: Hooge Chateau and its stables were the scene of very fierce fighting throughout the First World War. On 31 October 1914, the staff of the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled; from 24 May to 3 June 1915, the chateau was defended against German attacks and in July 1915, the crater was made by a mine sprung by the 3rd Division. On 30 July, the Germans took the chateau, and on 9 August, it and the crater were regained by the 6th Division. The Germans retook Hooge on 6 June 1916 and on 31 July 1917, the 8th Division advanced 1.6 Kms beyond it. It was lost for the last time in April 1918, but regained by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions on 28 September. Hooge Crater Cemetery was begun by the 7th Division Burial Officer early in October 1917. It contained originally 76 graves, in Rows A to D of Plot I, but was greatly increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of Zillebeke, Zantvoorde and Gheluvelt and the following smaller cemeteries:- Bass Wood Cemeteries No.1 and No.2, Zillebeke, on the East side of the Bassevillebeek, 1 Km South of Herenthage Chateau. They contained the graves of 48 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in December, 1917-March, 1918. Koelenberg German Cemeteries, Gheluwe, close together on the south side of the Menin Road, in which were buried ten soldiers from the United Kingdom. K.O.S.B. Cemetery, Gheluwe, on the Menin Road, 1 Km west of Gheluwe. Here were buried, after the capture of Gheluwe by the 34th Division, in October, 1918, 18 soldiers from the United Kingdom, of whom ten belonged to the 1st/5th K.O.S.B. La Chapelle Farm, Zillebeke, between Chester Farm and Blauwepoort Farm, where 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in February and March, 1915. Menin Road Pillbox Cemetery, Zillebeke, between Herenthage Chateau and Gheluvelt, where 20 soldiers from the United Kingdom were buried in October, 1917. Nieuwe Kruiseecke Cabaret Cemetery, Gheluvelt, on the south side of the Menin Road, where 21 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one from Canada were buried in October, 1918. Pillbox Cemetery, Zonnebeke, 500 metres North-East of Westhoek, which was used in October, 1917; there were buried in it 34 soldiers from Australia, 26 from the United Kingdom, two from Canada and one of the British West Indies Regiment. Sanctuary Wood Old British Cemetery, Zillebeke, within the wood and north-east of the present cemetery; there were buried in it, in 1915-1917, 50 soldiers from the United Kingdom (of whom 30 were unidentified) and four from Canada. Tower Hamlets Cemetery, Gheluvelt, between Gheluvelt and Bass Wood, on the west side of a row of "pillboxes" called Tower Hamlets; it contained the graves of 36 soldiers from the United Kingdom who fell in the winter of 1917-1918. Westhoek Ridge Small Cemetery, Zonnebeke, in Westhoek village, "near the Area Commandant's pillbox and the A.D.S."; it was used in the autumn of 1917, and it contained the graves of 16 soldiers from Australia and six from the United Kingdom. There are now 5,923 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 3,579 of the burials are unidentified, but special memorials record the names of a number of casualties either known or believed to be buried among them, or whose graves in other cemeteries were destroyed by shell fire. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.First NameHenryLast NameWithersFamilySon of Drummond and Mary Jane Withers, of Prebbleton, Christchurch.Date of Birth1 December 1895Place of BirthSouthbridgeDate of Death3 December 1917Place of DeathYpres, BelgiumCause of DeathKilled in actionAge at Death21
Connections
Military Service
Memorial or CemeteryHooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres, BelgiumPrebbleton War MemorialOccupation before EnlistingStablehand / JockeyRegiment or ServiceCanterbury Infantry Regiment Enlistment Details5th April 1916Service Number15628Rank Last HeldLance CorporalEmbarkation26th July 1916Place of EmbarkationWellingtonTransportWaitemataUlimaroaTheatre of WarWestern FrontNominal Roll37/7CountryNew Zealand
Attribution
Taken FromPhoto taken from Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph. Please refer to this site for the photo’s copyright license.
Lance Corporal Henry Withers. Selwyn Stories, accessed 17/11/2025, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/454
