WWI POW Pair. Harris. KRRC. Canterbury. Captured Operation Michael, 1918.

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Correctly named A205334 Pte EJH Harris KRRC

Eric Joh Henry Harris was born to John and Louisa in 1899 in Canterbury.

We find the family with Eric, a scholar, in 1911, living at 11 Burgate Lane in Canterbury.

At the time of his enlistment, Eric was working as a coal carter.

Eric served with the 4th, 6th and the 7th Bn of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps having enlisted in April 1917 and was sent overseas to France in early 1918.

Operation Michael, March 1918.

The German Spring Offensive. Codenamed Operation Michael, the first day of the attack saw the second worst day of losses in British military history with more than 38,000 casualties. 

Operation Michael was a German attack against the British Army on the Western Front in France. It was the first German offensive against the British Army in France and Belgium since 1915.

When the offensive began at 4.40am on 21 March 1918, the battlefield was blanketed in thick mist which covered the advance of German soldiers through no-man’s land.

The attack began with one of the most intense bombardments of the war thus far. More than 6,600 German artillery guns bombarded 46 miles of British front for five hours, firing more than 3.5 million shells.

The British were heavily outnumbered at first ─ 65 German divisions took part in the initial attacks against just 26 British divisions.

On 21 March 1918 British casualties numbered 38,500, including almost 21,000 soldiers taken prisoner. It was the second worst day for the British Army during the First World War, surpassed only by the number of casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

The offensive lasted only 16 days. The Germans took 1,200 square miles of ground and captured several important French towns including Bapaume, Albert and Pèronne.

Both sides suffered terrible losses. German casualties numbered 240,000 killed, wounded and captured while combined British and French casualties were 250,000 killed, wounded and captured.

On the morning of the 21st of March, Eric was with the 7th Bn when the barrage started. The barrage lasted for 5 hours.

During this time, Eric was captured at St Quentin uninjured.

We see from records that Eric rejoined the KRRC after his release and went on to serve until 1920 which included the return to France post war.

He was to marry Ena Hukins in 1924.

In 1939, he is living at 5 Hawks Lane, Canterbury and is working as a labourer for the local council.

Eric died in 1980.

The medals both have original silk ribbons.

WWI POW Pair. Harris. KRRC. Canterbury. Captured Operation Michael, 1918.
£65.00

Availability: 1 in stock

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