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Born-Walworth

Ploegsteert Wood Military Cemetery, Belgium

On 1st June, 1916, 11th Royal West Kent of 122 Brigade, 41st Division, were manning the front line trenches in Ploegsteert Wood in Belgium, close to the French border. At 6pm their Stokes Trench Mortars started firing on the enemy positions which in turn provoked a retaliation with rifle grenades. Shortly after a British observation balloon broke free of its moorings and passed over the front line where it was fired on by both sides. Luckily the two observers aboard managed to parachute to safety in the British lines but it was not such a fortuitous result for Henry Sims who was one of the four men from 11th Royal West Kent who was killed when the rifle grenades were fired.