Henry Etridge Wilkinson (1893-1915) of Martham

Henry is listed on the War Memorial as one of those who gave his life during the First World War.

Henry was born on 20th July 1893 in Martham. His father was a vet from Newcastle and had an identical name and his mother was Mary Ann, nee Womack. Henry was baptised on 5th September 1893 at St Mary’s.  He was listed in the 1901 census when he lived with his parents in Repps Road. He attended the village school from 8th September 1902 until 22nd December 1905 having gained a County Scholarship. By the time he was 17, in 1911, he was an apprentice marine engineer living at Martham with his parents.

He enlisted at Woolwich and served as a fitter with the 10th Battery Royal Horse and Field Artillery and was a staff sergeant in 1915. His military service number was 51770. He died of wounds he received fighting at the Balkan Theatre, Gallipoli*, aged 21, on 6th June 1915 and was buried in Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles, Greece at plot III, row B, grave 6. He is commemorated on Martham War Memorial and with a gravestone in the graveyard at section H, plot K11.

Pink Farm Cemetery, Helles, Greece
War Memorial north side
Commemorative gravestone at St Mary’s
*The Balkans Campaign, or Balkan Theatre of World War I was fought between the Central Powers, represented by Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany and the Ottoman Empire on one side and the Allies, represented by France, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and the United Kingdom on the other side.

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