They also had to wear a badge which was individually numbered.
On 10th April 1917 Harry was admitted to hospital in Cardiff for 9 days with debility after malaria.
He returned to the Front once again after this and was involved in all the major battles of France &
Flanders. Harry Essery was killed in action on 26th September 1917.
Harry would certainly have been involved in the Third Battle of Ypres and buoyed by the success
of the Battle of Messines, General Haig was of the belief that the German Army was weak and
would not withstand an attempted breakthrough in the north-east of Ypres Salient. Once the
breakthrough of the German front line had been achieved, thr British would be in a good position to
continue to the German-held ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge on the Belgian coats. Not only were
both ports being used by the Germans for light shipping traffic, but Zeebruggee was the location for
pens of German submarines, which were attacking Allied shipping.
The preliminary bombardment before the battle lasted 10 days during which time 3,000 guns fired
4.25 million artillery shells. Along an eleven mile front the infantry attack continued. Within hours
of the start of the battle rain began to fall and crucially did not stop, carrying on into the following
weeks. The constant rain produced conditions completely unsuitable for the continued movement of
men, animals and heavy equipment. The battle continued through the summer, the autumn and into
the inter until the final phase of the Battle of Passchendaele, which became synonymous to the
British nation with mud, blood, horror and terrible human loss; over 300,000 casualties
Harry Essery is buried at the Divisional Collecting Cemetery & Extension.