Current Information:

Age-35

42, Millfield Road, Silver Street, Edmonton

Enlisted-Tottenham

Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cmetery, France

The exact circumstances of the death of Henry Betty on 2nd August, 1917, are not known but artillery men faced many dangers and during the course of the war nearly 50,000 of them were killed. Their gun batteries were targeted by the enemy’s guns which accounted for many of their casualties. Others were sent forward to act as ‘spotters’ which meant going forward to the front line and signalling back to the guns necessary changes in target and other vital information. Keeping the batteries supplied with ammunition was a dangerous task as the enemy guns would target the known supply routes, especially at night. Brigade Diaries rarely shine any light on casualties sustained, unless of course they were officers and even then information is sparse.

72 Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery was part of 15th Division that had arrived on the Western Front in July, 1915 but in January 1917, they left the division and became an Army Brigade, not attached to any particular division and during the summer of that year saw action during the Third Battle of Ypres.