Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Born in Darlington on 23rd August 1896 and baptised at St. Paul’s Church two weeks later, Herbert was four years older than his brother Richard. Married in 1875 iron worker William Harris and his wife Eliza (nee Johnson) had been living in Stockton-on-Tees, where Richard had also been born. By census time 1901 the family of four were living in High Boyne Street, Cockerton and were soon to be joined by another sibling, John George. Early in 1910 Richard left for Canada to be joined by his parents, Herbert and young John who arrived in July intending to travel on and join Richard in Vancouver. September 1913 saw William and Eliza, along with youngest brother John, return to England leaving the two older boys making new lives for themselves in British Columbia.

18th January 1916 saw Herbert, who had been working as a tinsmith, enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Vancouver. He gave his mother, now living in Rise Carr, Darlington, as his next of kin, and he became Private 645521 of the 158th Battalion, and mentioned the three months he had previously spent in the 6th Regiment Duke of Connaught's Own.

Reprimanded for being absent without permission for eight days in September, Herbert embarked with the battalion for England on 14th November on the SS Olympic and a posting to the camp at Shoreham in Sussex. Transferred to the 54th Battalion at the end of December, Herbert joined them in France two weeks later and would have had a few days to get acclimatised before they moved on to the front line. As part of the 4th Canadian Division the 54th took part in a divisional gas attack at Vimy Ridge at the beginning of March and when relieved joined divisional reserve at Chateau de la Haie.

Easter Monday, 9th April 1917, a wet and snowy day, saw the Battalion back on the front line at Vimy Ridge with Private 645521 acting as an auxiliary stretcher bearer. The actual circumstances of his death are unknown, but it was presumed that he was killed by the enemy shell fire, and was one of the 103 men of the 54th Battalion killed in action that day.

Herbert Harris is remembered in Darlington on D40.034 and D40.067

He is also 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 Harris