No. 5530, Sergeant, John Henry ARGENT
Aged 34
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Born in Cambridge on 23rd October 1880, [Cambridge Q4-1880 3b:468] to John and Sarah Ann ARGENT (née CROSS) of 135 York Street, Cambridge. 1881 census...At 135 York Street, Cambridge were John H [5 months], born Cambridge; his father John [30], a coal porter born Carlton; his mother Sarah A [27], born Ely and sister Harriett [4], born Cambridge, and brother George [3], born Cambridge. 1891 census...At 118 York Street, Cambridge were John H.[10]; his parents; his sisters Harriett [14] and Katie [7], Jessie [4] and Beatrice [2], with brother George [13], an errand boy, and Harold [1 month]. All the children were born in Cambridge. 1901 census...John Henry was not found, his parents and sisters Jessie and Beatrice were at 125 York Street, Cambridge. His grandson tells me the Suffolk Regiment Gazette of 1906 shows John to be a Corporal in 'H' Coy, 2nd Battalion, in India. As his regimental number indicates enlistment between January 1900 and July 1901 this would explain his absence from the census. At some time before October 1908 he left the Army. He married Harriet May HARRIS (b. 13-5-1886) on 13th March 1910 and their marriage certificate gives the address of 58 Ainsworth Street, Cambridge and his occupation as coal porter. 1911 census...At 4 Mineral Cottages, Granby Street, Newmarket were John Henry, now a platelayer on the railway; his wife Harriett May [24], born St.Pancras, London; their daughter Stella Hope [2], born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and son Douglas John [10 months], born in Cambridge. The pension card has his widow ( re-married) at 54 Young Street, Cambridge with daughter Stella Hope Harris (29-10-1908) and sons Douglas Jon (8-5-1910) and Arthur George, (25-9-1912) It is possible he was the J. Argent, travelling alone, from London to Sydney Australia on the 'Orotava' on 3rd April 1908. A search of Australian archives has so far failed to find his daughter. |
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Since regular soldier are always enlisted for 12 years split between the Colours and the Reserves it seems he could have been with the colours for 7 years and 5 on the Reserve. Hence he would have been immediately mobilised on 5th August 1914. At that time the 2nd battalion were in Ireland and the 1st battalion in Egypt. Not reaching the BEF until March 1915 he may well have been retained in UK to train new recruits as the 2nd battalion were in France by August 14th 1914 and the 1st battalion in January 1915. At dawn on the 8th May 1915 the 1st Battalion were greeted by a heavy barrage of shells as the Ypres Salient burst into flames again. About 10 o'clock a determined attack was launched against the point in the salient and the Battle of Frenzenberg Ridge was well under way. High explosive shells rained down, machine gun fire swept the land and clouds of poison gas floated through the British lines, men reeling back choking and blinded. All communications by wire had been cut for up to two miles behind the lines and getting in touch with higher authority was almost an impossibility. The only roads up to the salient ran through Ypres itself, now enveloped in flames. Supply companies, unable to get through, had to dump their supplies as near as possible to the support trenches and hope for the best. For days the Battalion had struggled, most of the senior offices had become casualties, HQ had been destroyed and the full flood of the attack had swept over them. By noon the battalion had been completely overwhelmed. The casualties on May 8th exceeded 400. When the remnant collected in Balloon Wood the following day to greet a draft from Felxistowe, the re-inforcements were met by Lts Venning and Hoggan and QM Godbolt and 27 survivors from the trenches. Of the 94 dead of the 1st Battalion that day, not one has a known grave, the Menin Gate in Ypres being their Memorial. He died the same day as another Newmarket man also in 1st Battalion, Tom Nicholls |
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