1911 Census (Oakley, ref 098)
Name Henry Higgs
Address: The Cowleys, Oakley
Building Cottage
Age: 16
Born 1895, Little London, Bucks
Status Single
Occupation Domestic Groom
Other people on census
Father (Head): Edwin John Higgs (62, married, occupation – unemployed farm labourer, born 1859, born Oakley, Bucks)
Mother: Laura Higgs (56, married (38 years, 9 children all living), occupation – charwoman, born 1855, Wardington, Oxon)
Brother: Frederick Higgs (20, single, unemployed farm labourer, born 1891, Little London, Bucks)
1901 Census (Oakley, ref 090)
Name Harry Higgs
Address: Cowleys Cottage
Age: 6
Born 1895, Little London, Bucks
Relation to head Son
Other people on census
Father (Head): John Higgs (50, Married, Agricultural Labourer / Farm worker, born 1951 Oakley, Bucks)
Mother: Laura Higgs (45, Married, born 1856, Wardington, Oxon)
Brother: Fred Higgs (10, born 1891, Little London, Bucks)
Sister: Nellie Higgs (12, born 1889, Little London, Bucks)
1891 Census (Brill, ref 091)
Head John Higgs
Relationship: Father
Address: Little London Green Lane
Age: 40
Born 1851, Little London, Bucks
Status Married
Occupation General Labourer
Other people on census
Mother: Laura Higgs (36, Married, born 1855, Wardington, Oxon)
Brothers: Alfred Higgs (15, Single, General Labourer, born 1875, Oakley, Bucks)
James Higgs (5, Scholar, born 1886, Little London, Bucks)
Frederick Higgs (4 months, born 1891, Little London, Bucks)
Sisters: Emily Higgs (12, Scholar, Born 1879, Oakley, Bucks)
Amy Higgs (10, Scholar, Born 1881, Tetsworth, Oxon)
Fanny Higgs (7, Scholar, Born 1884, Little London, Bucks)
Eliza Higgs (3, Born 1888, Little London, Bucks)
1881 Census (Brill, ref 086)
Head John Higgs
Relationship: Father
Address: Little London
Age: 31
Born 1850, Oakley, Bucks
Status Married
Occupation Agricultural Labourer
Other people on census
Mother: Laura Higgs (25, Married, born 1856, Wardington, Oxon)
Sisters: Sarah A. Higgs (4, born 1877, Oakley, Bucks)
Emily Higgs (2, born 1879, Oakley, Bucks)
Annie M. Higgs (4 months, born 1881, Tetsworth, Oxon)
Private Henry (Harry) John Higgs
Personal information
Known as Harry John Higgs
Born: 24th April 1894, Little London, Bucks
Baptised: 15th Oct 1894, Oakley Church
Pre-War Occupation Domestic Groom
Rank Private
Died: 10th February 1916
Cause of Death Died of wounds
Age at death 22
Buried Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Family
Father: (Edwin) John Higgs (born 1850, Oakley, Bucks; baptised 29th Sept 1850, Oakley Church; married 28th Nov 1875, Oakley Church; died July 1918, aged 68 Cowleys, buried 2nd August 1918, Oakley Church)
Mother: Laura Higgs nee Watts (born 1856, Wardington, Oxon; baptised 26th Oct 1856, Wardington, Oxon; married 28th Nov 1875, Oakley Church; died Jan 1925, aged 68 Cowleys, Oakley; buried 17th Jan 1925, Oakley)
Brothers (3) Alfred Thomas Higgs (born, 1875, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 4th June 1876, Oakley Church, married 1899. to Rose Elizabeth Gubbins in Aston, Birmingham; died 23rd Nov 1929, 54, Birmingham)
(Edwin) James Higgs (born 1st Aug 1885, Little London, Bucks; bapt. 15th Nov 1885, Oakley Church)
Frederick Harold (Fred) Higgs (born 21st March 1891, Little London, Bucks; bapt. 1st Apr 1891, Oakley Church; died Sept 1916, aged 43. School Lane; buried 13th Sept 1934, Oakley Church)
Sisters (5) Sarah Ann Higgs (born 1877, Oakley, Bucks; bapt. 5th Jan 1878, Oakley Church)
Emily Ruth Higgs (born April 1879, Oakley, Bucks; married October 1899 at Tetsworth to Richard Brown (Browne) )
Annie Maria (Anna Maria) (Amy) Higgs (born, 1881, Little London, Bucks; bapt. 3rd July 1881, Oakley Church)
Francis Jemima (Fanny) Higgs (born 16th June 1883, Little London, Bucks; bapt. 26th June 1883, Oakley Church; received into the church 7th Nov 1888, Oakley Church)
Ellen May (Eliza) (Nellie) Higgs (born 8th Sept 1888, Little London, Bucks; bapt. 7th Nov 1888, Oakley Church;)
Nephew William Henry Higgs (born 4th Nov 1896, Oakley, Bucks son of Albert Hawes and Rose Gubbins; bapt. 1st Jan 1897, Oakley Church; died 8th August 1916, aged 19, Ypres, Belgium)
Paternal Grandfather: Thomas Higgs (born 11th Aug 1805, Oakley, Bucks; married 3rd Sep 1836, Oakley Church; March 1869 age 64, Oakley, Bucks; buried 21st Mar 1869, Oakley Church)
Paternal Grandmother: Elizabeth Higgs nee Kirby (born 1809, Oakley, Bucks; married 3rd Sep 1836, Oakley Church; died Nov 1885 age 76; buries 29th Nov 1885)
Maternal Grandfather: Alfred Watts (born 1828, Wardington, Oxon; married 24th Mar 1856 chapel of Barford St John, Adderbury; died 2nd Dec 1904 aged 76, Wardington, Oxon)
Maternal Grandmother: Ann Watts nee Castle (born 1839 Barford St John; married 24th Mar 1856 chapel of Barford St John, Adderbury; August 1869, Wardington, Oxon; buried 15th Aug 1869, Wardington, Oxon)
Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919
First Names: Henry
Surname: HIGGS
Birth place Oakley, Oxon
Residence Brill, Bucks
Date of death: 10th February 1916
Death Place France and Flanders
Enlistment Place Willesden, Middlesex
Rank: Private
Regiment Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex) Regiment
Battalion 13th Battalion
Service Number: G/2002
Type of Casualty Died of wounds
Theatre of War Western European Theatre
Age 21
Cemetery Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery
Grave Reference 11. D. 39A
Additional Information Son of Edwin John and Laura Higgs, of Cowley’s Cottage, Oakley, Brill, Bucks.
Military background
BRITISH ARMY
Service number G/ 2002
Duke of Cambridge’s Middlesex Regiment, 13th (Service) Battalion, during World War 1 (24th Division)
Sept 1914 Formed at Mill Hill as part of the Third New Army (K3), then moved to South Downs and joined the 73rd Brigade of the 24th Division.
Dec 1914 Moved to Hove, East Sussex.
May 1915 Moved to Shoreham, Kent.
June 1915 Moved to Pirbright, Surrey.
02.09.1915 Mobilised for war and landed at Boulogne.
They were then engaged in action on the Western front including;
During 1915 The Battle of Loos
During 1916 The German gas attack at Wulverghem (30th Apr), The Battle of Delville Wood (11th-31st Aug), The Battle of Guillemont (3rd Sept).
During 1917 The Battle of Vimy Ridge (9th Apr), The Battle of Messines (7th Jun), The Battle of Pilkem Ridge (31st Jul), The Battle of Langemarck (16th Aug), The Cambrai Operations (30th Nov)
During 1918 The Battle of St Quentin (21st Mar), The Actions at the Somme Crossings (24th Mar), The Battle of Rosieres (26th Mar), The First Battle of the Avre (4th Apr), The Battle of Cambrai 1918 (8th Oct), Battles of the Hindenburg Line (8th Oct), The pursuit to the Selle (9th Oct), The Battle of the Sambre (4th Nov).
11.11.1918 Ended the war in France at Le Louvion, East of Bavai. The 24th Division suffered the loss of 35362 killed, wounded and missing.
From War Diaries of Middlesex Regiment
10th February 1916
There was some shelling of Y wood F6 and X1A, no damage done. In the early morning 12 rifle grenades were fired at the enemy’s trenches opposite H15, the enemy replied with rapid rifle fire. Casualties 1 other ranks wounded. “At Duty”. Colonel L.G. Oliver from leave.
248 British and Empire soldiers died on 10th February 1916. Harry Higgs and H.W. Millman were the only two members of the Middlesex regiment to die on that day, both are buried Lijssenthoek Memorial Cemetery.
Medals
Middlesex regiment: Roll of Individuals entitled to the Victory Medal and British War Medal granted under Army Orders
Victory Medal G/3002 Pte. HIGGS, Henry John – G/3002, 13th Middx
British Medal G/3002 Pte. HIGGS, Henry John – G/3002, 13th Middx
Regiment (when decoration was earned: Middlesex
Roll of Individuals entitled to the Decoration under Army Order 20 of 1919.
1914 Star G/2002 Pte. HIGGS, Henry John,
Date of embarkation 23/Sept/1915 – Died of Wounds