Harry was the son of James and Mary Jane Vickery who lived at Oddislake, (Edgelake) East Worlington. He was the 5th of 6 children born in 1898. At some stage the family lived at Moor End Cottage East Worlington.
James worked as a carter and on a local farm. The 1911 census records Harry working for Frederick Webber of Lutworthy farm as a cow boy aged 13.
His death is recorded in the Parochial Diocesan Magazine of April 1915 where he is described as a smart young soldier and along with his brother William one of the first from Worlington to enlist in Kitchener’s army.
His resting place is marked by a Commonwealth War Grave headstone. He was just 17 years old.
| In Memory of: | Private Henry (Harry) Vickery 10848 |
| Regiment: | 8th Battalion Devonshire Regiment |
| Enlisted: | Morchard Bishop |
| Died: | Wounded in Action and died of disease in Military Isolation Hospital Aldershot 22nd February 1915, aged 17 |
| Served: | The Western Front |
| Remembered with honour: | East Worlington Churchyard (St Mary), buried on 27th February 1915 |
The Devonshire Regiment
In the Great War, a total of 25 battalions were raised in the Devonshire Regiment, which fought on the Western Front, in Italy at the battles of the Piave and Vittorio Veneto, Macedonia, Egypt and Palestine, and Mesopotamia. The 9th (Service) Battalion was one of the few British units to reach its initial objectives on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, albeit at the cost of 463 dead or wounded of the 775 men who went ‘over the top’, with only one officer remaining unwounded. The 8th (Service) Battalion, part of 29th Brigade reserve, was committed within 3 hours of the beginning of the attack and suffered 208 casualties. (Wikepedia)
