I was sent the following by Michelle Flanaghan, great granddaughter of Henry Livingston Davenport.  I have supplemented Michelle’s information with some details from Henry’s service record held at Kew.

Photo of Granezza cemetery Photo of Henry & brother Richard Entry in Battalion diary for 15th June 1918 Original wooden cross over Henry’s grave

Henry Davenport was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1891.  On 30 march 1913 he moved to Yorkshire to work in the mines and married Beatrice Annie Hill in Mexborough.  Henry and Beatrice had one child, Florence May Davenport (Michelle’s grandmother) born 14 September 1913. Beatrice had a brother, John, who was killed on the 3rd January, 1917. His story is very interesting and has been added on a separate page.

Henry enlisted in Mexborough on 16 November 1914 as Private 17211 in ‘D’ Company of the 9th Battalion York & Lancaster regiment, which he joind in Pontefract.  After training at Harrogate and Franley Camp he was drafted to France on 15 March 1916.

As far as I could tell from his service record, they can be difficult to read, he was also with 11 Battalion during training before joining 9th Battalion. On 16 September 1915 he was appointed as Lance Corporal (unpaid) and then posted to 9 Battn. on 30 September 1915. He then reverted to his permanent rank of Private on 28 October 1915.

During his time in training before moving to France he did get into a little trouble, but no more than many other soldiers.  According to his conduct sheet on 21 May 1915 he was “absent from 9.30pm till apprehended by civil police at Mexborough at 2pm (16hrs 30mins)” for which he was awarded “3 days CB [confined to barracks]”  This penalty was awarded on 27 May, and he was also told to “forfeit 3 days pay”. Unfortunately Henry compounded his ‘crime’ in that on the 28 May he was “Drunk at 10pm on Staff Parade whilst a defaulter”; for this he was “Admonished” and awarded another 3 days CB. I think we can say that Henry was typical of many of the recruits of the day.

Michelle says that Henry was wounded in the right arm by gunfire on 19 September 1916 and was admitted to No. 1 Northumberland Field Ambulance. After a period of recuperation he returned to duty with his unit on 11 October.  On 25 February 1917 Henry was promoted to Corporal with ‘D’ Company and transferred with his battalion to Italy where he was killed in action against Austrian troops on 15 June 1918 during the battle of Asiago. 

Henry is buried in Granezza British Cemetery Plot 1, Row D, Grave 15.

This photo shows Henry behind his brother Richard who went to Australia. Photo courtesy of Michelle Flanaghan.

The picture below shows Henry 2nd from left in the front row (by the ‘X’); the photo is not dated, nor is there a location. Apart from the three officers in the centre, all the rest are NCOs.

The following is taken from the Battalion War Diary for June 15, 1918; the day Henry was killed.

3am.   Enemy opened bombardment on our front system, lachrymatory gas being used.  Our patrol of one officer and twenty other ranks were surprised by the enemy, only two men escaping to our lines.

5.30 - 7.30am.   Enemy advanced to the attack, but only succeeded in getting within 100 yards of our wire, where he was disorganized and checked. Enemy bombardment was continued.

8.30am.  Enemy in artillery formation, advanced between s.w. of ASIAGO and EDELWEISS SPUR forming up in line on reverse slope of GUARDINALTI ridge.  M.G’s were pushed well forward and opened rapid fire at intervals.

10.30am.   Situation became normal, reciprocal artillery fire was maintained.  Enemy casualties were apparently heavy, stretcher bearers carrying back their wounded during the day.

6.0pm.   Enemys, numbering more than one thousand, advanced in artillery formation between RODIGHIERI and OBA, forming up under cover between ASIAGO and SILVEGNAR [little difficult to interpret this spelling].

9.0pm.   Approximately 200 enemy retired in scattered parties from GUARDINALTI ridge.

10.0pm.  Up to this hour, forty of the enemy were brought in to our lines.  Desultory artillery fire throughout the night.

It was quite normal for a summary to be provided at the end of each month in a battalion diary to show figures for those killed, injured and missing in each month, unfortunately this was not the case with the 9th Battalion in June 1918. As there is no other mention of any men killed on the 15th June it might be a reasonable assumption that henry was one of those killed in the patrol mentioned at the beginning of the diary entry

The photo below shows the cross erected close to the time of Henry’s death; alongside him is Pte. J. Crosby, 19 years old killed on the same day.