Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Herbert was one of six children, John, Charles, Henry, William and Isabella, born to one-time bookseller John Guy and his wife Mary Isabella. Born in Bishop Auckland on 23rd September 1888 he was baptised in December 1890 at the same time as his younger brother William. By 1901 the family were all living in George Street, Bishop Auckland, but ten years later only John, the oldest sibling and the two youngest, William and Isabella were still living with their parents in Witton Park. Herbert had left for Canada in 1910, but returned to England two years later returning to Canada with his brother John after a few months.

On 18th September 1914 Herbert enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force at Valcartier Camp near Quebec. He named his mother, now living in Witton Park, as his next of kin, his job as a freight handler for the Canadian Pacific Railway and he became Private 27343 of the 15th Battalion, which embarked for England on 4th November 1914 on the SS Megantic. After training on the south coast April 1915 saw Herbert and the Battalion in France where he remained unscathed until the Battle of Messines, when on 28th November he received a shot in the left leg which fractured his tibia. Initially treated at a Casualty Clearing Station and then hospital in Boulogne, he was invalided to England where he underwent an operation to remove the bullet which had penetrated about 2 inches into his leg, and left him with a three inch long scar. Finally discharged from hospital in May 1916 he was posted to the 92nd Battalion at East Sandling, then the 5th Reserve Battalion where he was admitted to hospital in March 1917 seriously ill with pneumonia and septicaemia. On his release from medical care he was posted to the Central Ontario Regimental Depot, and then returned to the 15th Battalion in April 1918 and another posting to France.

Whilst in Corps Reserve June 1918 saw him being punished for insolence to an NCO whilst on a working party after preparations for the fighting at Amiens. The Circumstance of Casualty report on the death of Private 27343 reads “whilst taking part in an attack against Crow’s Nest and Chateau Wood near Hendecourt at about 5am on the morning of 1st September 1918 and when just in front of the “jumping off” point in Hans Trench he was hit through the body and instantly killed by a piece of enemy shell”. The war diary for that date reads “casualties were fairly heavy owing to the fact that the enemy shelled our position a great deal”.

Herbert Guy is remembered in Bishop Auckland on B140.04 in South Church on S144.01and S144.05 and in Witton Park on W125.02 and W125.04

He is remembered in Canada on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Guy