More about Hendry Brown Powrie

Henry’s father and brother William died in 1892 with his mother remarrying William Whitton Robertson. Henry enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery in Dundee in 1906. At the outbreak of war Henrys Artillery battery embarked for Gallipoli March 1915 and went via Malta and Alexandria, Egypt with Henry being promoted to Sergeant, they landed at Cape Helles, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.

Whilst serving in Gallipoli Henry was awarded the Military Medal, Citation

” Sergeant H. Powrie 44209 superintended the communication of his battery with the greatest skill and devotion to duty, frequently laying and mending telephone wires under fire and in the face of great difficulties”.

Henry’s division were then evacuated from Gallipoli 7/8th January 1916 initially to Egypt before embarking for France 25.02.1916 arriving at Marseilles before moving on the the Somme. Henry was wounded (Shell Contusion) during the fighting and wounded a second time 17 October 1917. Henry continued through the remainder of the war fighting in many battles until the Armistice was declared.

Following the Armistice Henry was serving as a Bombardier as part of the British Armies occupation of the Rhine. In 1921 a peace-keeping force of various countries armies were deployed to Upper Silesia in southern Poland of which Henry’s Regiment was part. This had tragic consequences as on 29 December 1921 Henry committed suicide “while temporarily insane” (according to the official report) In his will he left all his possessions to his half sister Mary Robertson of 8 North St, Dundee.

Sadly Henry is not commemorated on any memorial anywhere and he doesn’t appear in the records of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.