Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Henry Barker, known as Harry was born 1886 at Usworth, a colliery village near Gateshead, County Durham, one of 7 known children, 4 sons and 3 daughters of whom only 5 survived. Hugh Jnr died in 1883 aged 3 years, his sister Elizabeth born 1878 had died by 1891. His father Hugh Barker native of Mount Moor was born in 1852 and married his wife Mary Ann (Marian) Foster born 1854 at Ayton Castle, Northumberland in 1873 at Chester-le-Street. Hugh Barker worked as a coal miner, in 1881 the family were living at 31, Light Pipe Row, Usworth, they later moved to Heworth where their youngest son James was born in 1884.
Henry’s mother died in 1892, aged 38 years, when he was only 6 years old. The family survived with the stipend of his father and his eldest sister Jane who worked as a dressmaker. Hugh Barker remarried at Gateshead in 1895 to 41 year old widow Isabella (Bella) Richardson, native of Lamsley, County Durham, who had two children of her own, Thomas (20) and Dinah (12). By 1911 only Henry (25) and his youngest brother James (21) were still living with their father and step mother at Miner’s Hall, Wardley, working as shifters at the colliery, their father was now a check weigh-man. The following year, 1912, Hugh Barker aged 60 years died at Gateshead.
January 18th 1915 aged 28 years and 4 months Henry enlisted at Felling as Harry Barker, having left his employment as a miner, stating he lived at 5, South Parade, Bill Quay. He was assigned the following day at Newcastle-upon-Tyne as Private 23295 to the 17th Battalion Durham Light Infantry and sent for training to Deerbolt near Barnard Castle by the 29th. July 26th, the first draft of trained 17th Battalion DLI soldiers left Deerbolt for active service overseas with other battalions. Other drafts followed until September 2nd 1915 Private Barker was transferred to the 11th Battalion and departed to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force joining the 20th Pioneer Division in the field already deployed draining front line trenches and reinforcing barbed wire defences. In 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, they often worked at night, repairing old and dug new trenches. In early September, two companies fought as infantrymen to capture the ruins of Guillemont, before another winter was spent working in the mud-filled trenches.
Private 23295 Harry Barker was killed October 5th 1916 and buried on the battlefield where his grave was found after Armistice map reference 57.c.n. 22. A 8. 4., identified by a cross baring his military details, along with that of Private 32866 W. Jackson and Sgt, 25199 J. Griffen also of the 11th Battalion. Their bodies were exhumed and brought into Bancourt British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France, along with that of 2 other identified British soldiers, 4 unidentified British soldiers and 1 unidentified Australian soldier from various other areas of the battlefield around Bapaume. Private 23295 Harry Barker Durham Light Infantry was reburied with all honour and reverence grave V. E. 5. He was 30 years old and single.
The money owed to him by the Army was divided equally between his step mother Bella and surviving siblings, sisters Jane and Barbara Ann and his brother Corporal Thomas Ridley Barker serving with the 7th Corp. Royal Army Medical Corp, Military Docks, Plymouth. His awards of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were retained by the War Office until the end of the conflict at the request of his brother and eventually sent to him at his home address of 18, First Street, Wardley Colliery, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Henry Barker is remembered at Heworth on H92.03
