Henry John Feary

Henry John Feary

There are two entries in the St Ives WWI Roll of Honour for H Feary. One was with the Bedfordshire Regiment, the other the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Both are for Henry.

Henry's records are further muddled up. Commonly called Harry and registered as such at birth, his official name was Henry John Feary. All his military records appear under that name. And yet he's shown as Harry in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, then Henry John in the 1921 census. For a final twist, the 1911 census records Henry as born in Hemingford. All other records show St Ives.

Born in 1897 in St Ives, Henry's father was John, a general labourer. Henry was the last of five children. His mother, Sarah (née Francis), was 46 years of age when she gave birth to Henry. In 1901 the family, parents, two siblings and Henry, lived in Eight Bells Yard, near The Waits. This was one of the forty-nine yards housing the poor of St Ives. By 1911, Henry was the only child still at home. They lived in three rooms at Dog Kennel Garden, St Ives. This was near Darwood's Pond, in an area once frequented by dog kennels.

Bedfordshire Regiment in training for WWI at Ampthill, Bedfordshire.

Henry enrolled with the Bedfordshire Regiment, aged 17 years, at the start of WWI. Serving in France, after eight months he received a serious gunshot wound in his left leg. Henry returned to England for treatment. He then transferred to the 5th Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers.  He received another wound while serving in the Balkans. The Regiment moved to Palestine, then Egypt. He finally served at Salonica.

In 1919 Henry joined GNR to work on the railways. He went from cleaner to fireman. In 1921, Henry boarded at 533 Lincoln Road, Peterborough, with another GNR fireman.

Newspaper reports say he contracted either malaria or tuberculosis while serving in Egypt. Henry spent the last thirteen months of his life confined in Papworth Sanatorium. It is most likely his illness was tuberculosis. Established in 1918. Papworth specifically treated tuberculosis patients, most former soldiers.

Papworth Sanitorium, 1918.

Henry died in July 1924, aged 27 years, and is buried at St Ives. The Peterborough and Hunts Standard reported his death.

Two of Henry's brothers served in WWI. His eldest brother, James Charles Feary, died in the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. James is named on the St Ives War Memorial. John Thomas Feary survived the War, despite being wounded by shrapnel in his side and spine. The Hunts Post published John's letter vividly describing his experience on 5 March 1915.