PHILLIPS, W Henry

Henry Phillips was born in Kingswinford but before 1914 he had moved to Oldswinford, attending Oldswinford C of E School and had married. He was employed at the Brierley Hill ironworks and volunteered for service on the 30th October 1914. He joined the 10th (Service) Battalion of the Worcesters. After training they went to France on July 15-16 as part of the 57th Brigade in the 19th Division and were stationed for front line experience in the trenches around Festubert. They were in reserve at the battle of Loos on the 25th September but not called upon during this hard fought and expensive battle. The Worcesters remained in the Loos area in the marshy and low lying ground between Richebourg and Festubert. Although there were no set piece battles in November 1915, there was much in the way of shelling, sniping and patrolling into no-man’s land. Even worse was the rain and bitter cold. Private Henry Phillips was one of many who died in these conditions and he is commemorated on the Le Touret, Stourbridge, Oldswinford church and Oldswinford C of E School Memorials.