Christ College Remember Second Lieutenant Howard Locke Harries

REMEMBRANCE DISPATCH No. 21 HAS BEEN POSTED IN HOUSES TO COMMEMORATE SECOND LIEUTENANT HOWARD LOCKE HARRIES (SCHOOL HOUSE 1901-1905) WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON 13th NOVEMBER 1916.

Howard Locke Harries was the son of Frances Harries and David Harries, a Pharmacist in Newport. He joined School House in September 1901, and received an honorary mention for his work in Mathematics and Arithmetic in the following Speech Day.

After leaving school Howard became a clerk in a coal shipping company and was all set for a career in business. Soon after the outbreak of war, however, he joined the Glamorgan Yeomanry and was later commissioned into the 18th (Reserve) Battalion, 2nd London Welsh, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The following year he was attached to the 10th Battalion and entered France on 7th October 1916.

After less than six weeks at the Front, Second Lieutenant Howard Locke Harries was killed during an advance on the German trenches at Serre that had begun at 06.46 hrs on November 13th. By 08.30 hrs on the same day it was obvious that the attack had failed but the 10th Battalion had sustained 238 casualties: 9 officers killed, 3 wounded and 1 missing; 17 other ranks killed, 102 wounded and 156 missing.

In The Breconian Second lieutenant Howard Locke Harries was remembered as “a boy of many solid and manly qualities, for whom respect and affection grew as acquaintance developed”. He is buried at the Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps and is remembered on the War Memorial at Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery as well as on the Christ College War Memorial.