More about Henry Caulfield

Henry has no known grave but is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.

S/15681 Pte Hendry Caulfield 2^nd Bn A&SH

This was a name that struck a chord with me as when I enlisted at the beginning of the 1970’s one of my contemporaries throughout our time at the Army Medical College was also named Caulfield

There is some confusion as to the spelling of this forename.  The GWD RoH and the CWGC  lists him as Henry whereas his service records including his casualty form completed by the family at home list him as Hendry.  An understandable error born of times when most documentation was in manuscript rather than typescript form.  Using his entry in the Register of Births as an arbiter it seems that Henry is the correct entry as he is listed as Henry in the register of births for Nineteenth Dec 1894

Prior to his enlistment he was employed as a Carter and resident at the family home in Charles Street,  Dundee with his mother Lily and 5 siblings,  Robert and Archibald older brothers,  Maggie a younger sister and 2 older married sisters Mrs Hardcastle and Mrs Carrie  all of whom were resident in the family home or in adjacent streets in the same area of Dundee.

Henry enlisted on 2^nd December 1915 being immediately placed on the reserve then subsequently mobilised in Late January 1916.  He arrives at the Depot of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on 22 Jan 16 and is posted to the 4^th Training Bn A&SH on 24 Jan.  On completion of his training he embarks for the BEF at Folkestone on 7 July 1916 arriving in Boulogne  the same day and then on to 19 Inf base Depot Etaples on 8 July 16.  From this depot he is posted to join the 2^nd Bn A&SH on 20 July 1916,  where,  like so many other Dundonians,  his war was tragically short where he made the final sacrifice in the unsuccessful attacks on High Wood on 19 August 1916,  only a matter of weeks after joining the Battalion.

His body not being recovered Henry is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.