HIGGINS, Horace

Horace Higgins attended Halesowen C of E School and by 1914 was living with his wife at 63 Hill Street, Halesowen. He enlisted in the Worcesters and was sent to the 10th (Service) Battalion in France. They fought hard on the Somme in 1916 and were rebuilding during the Spring of 1917. They moved to Flanders and were in reserve for the opening day of the Third Battle of Ypres on the 31st July. After four days they relieved the surviving men in the front line trenches, although heavy rain and atrocious mud hindered their night-time arrival. German shelling was severe and mere survival was difficult. Private Horace Higgins was severely wounded and died in a military hospital on the 5th August. He is buried in La Laiterie Cemetery (XII B 3) near Kemmel and commemorated on the Halesowen and Halesowen C of E School Memorials.