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2nd Lieutenant Henry Gordon SIMPSON
9th (Reserve) Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry attached to the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers Date of birth: 14th June 1896 Date of death: 6th June 1915 Killed in action aged 18 Commemorated on the Helles Memorial Panel 117
Henry Gordon Simpson was born at Balham in South London on the 14th of June 1896 the only son of Harry Simpson OL, a wholesale seed merchant, and Amy (nee Booty) Simpson of “Ennerdale”, Cedar Road, Sutton in Surrey. He was christened on the 24th of July 1896 at St Mary's Church in Balham. He was educated at Northdown Hill School, Margate and at Lancing College where he was in Seconds House from May 1910 to July 1914 and where he was a Corporal in the Officer Training Corps where he achieved Certificate A. In his four years of service with the Corps he attended two annual camps. He also won 2nd XI Colours for both cricket and football despite missing an entire academic year (1911-12) due to illness. Instead of returning to Lancing for the autumn term of 1914 he enlisted at Duke's Road, Euston Road as Private 2591 in the 28th (County of London) Battalion (Artists Rifles) on the 8th of September 1914. AT a medical examination, which was held on the same day, it was recorded that he was five feet nine and a half inches tall. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 9th (Reserve) Battalion Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry on the 5th of November 1914. He took the musketry course at Hayling Island where he obtained a 1st Class Certificate and on the 19th of May 1915 he left Falmouth with a draft of officers for the Dardanelles. He landed at Gallipoli at the end of May where he was attached to the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. His father received the following telegram dated the 14th of June 1915: - "Deeply regret to inform you that 2nd Lieut. H.G. Simpson Duke of Cornwall's LI is reported from Alexandria killed in action. Lord Kitchener expresses his sympathy." The following account of his death was written by Captain A.G.G. Price, DCLI:- “On the 4th of June an advance had been made with somewhat varying success. In some of the trenches then taken, was a sort of dual control the Turks holding one portion and our men another, of the same trench. On the 6th of June in one of these trenches on our right centre another battalion was hard pressed and applied for assistance which I was detailed to afford with two platoons of my company of the Inniskillings. We had been fighting all the previous day and also during the evening and were somewhat tired; after a march through the communication trenches of about one hours duration we arrived in the advanced trench about 6am and found the garrison in a bad way. I at once organised a bomb attack which your boy led on three separate occasions to drive the Turks back to a respectable distance. This succeeded. During the remainder of the day until about 5pm we were occupied in building traverses to stop enfilading fire, blocking up trench ends and generally strengthening the position and in all this work, which was the more difficult owing to the enemy being able to fire into our front and rear and also to enfilade us, I was helped most loyally by your boy, who was the only officer with me. About this time the machine gunners were killed and I had to work the gun myself for a while. During this period your boy held the approach trench almost single handed under very adverse conditions, and I really do not care to think of what might have happened but for his support and plucky example. After about an hour I got some gunners and was able to supervise matters personally. We were then being much annoyed by, and suffering some loss from, enemy snipers in our right rear. These were firing into us at about 50 yards range. While trying to locate them your boy and I rather incautiously exposed our heads, and although I was fortunate enough to escape, the boy was shot clean through the head and expired in a few minutes. I think I may safely say that he had no pain, and his end was just what any soldier would desire. Almost immediately afterwards I was ordered to leave the trench and rejoin my battalion. That same evening a Lance Corporal and two men volunteered to go and find the trench again and bury the boy. As I told you previously I considered the boy’s help so valuable and his conduct so gallant that I sent a written report to that effect to the Officer Commanding 1st Inniskilling Fusiliers. Whether or not the report went any further I am unable to say, but I can honestly assert that no officer ever earned or deserved mention for gallant work more than “Boy Simpson” (as he was affectionately known) did on the day of his death. If either of my own three boys had been at my side I could not have felt it more keenly than I did.” The Battalion Adjutant, Captain M Reilly also wrote:- "Dear Sir, In reply to your letter of the 17th June, I think I am the only one now in the regiment who knew your son; but unfortunately, owing to our short acquaintance, I fear the information I can give you is very scanty. I only returned (on recovery from wounds received earlier in the campaign) just a few days before your poor son was killed, but during those few days he was in the Company which I commanded, as I took a particular fancy to him. I got to know him during those few days far better than any other subaltern in my Company, and only the day before his death was asking if he had made any definite plans as to his future profession after the war, and trying to persuade him to take a permanent commission and come to this regiment. He seemed very keen indeed to do this, and would have been a very valuable officer and good comrade to us. He was an intensely keen and very smart soldier, and on account of his nice manners and cheery disposition was equally well loved by all officers and men who met him. I earnestly assure you that personally I felt his death very deeply, as did all who knew him, I am sure, and I shall always regret that our acquaintance was all too short. I would have written to you at the time of his death but Captain Price DCLI, who knew him far better than I did, and was actually with him at the tim of his death, expressed a wish to write. I regret to say that I was at the other end of the trench at the time he was killed, but Captain Price, my second in command, witnessed his death, and assured me that he was hit straight through the head and that death must have been instantaneous and painless, which I was very thankful to hear. I think he (Captain Price) gave you a detailed account of your poor son's gallant doings all of that morning, of which you will feel , as you justly may, very proud. I assure you that you have my very deepest sympathies, and I regret that the only consolation I can give is that he died fighting to the last minute like a true British soldier, doing great credit to his King and country; indeed the finest and most glorious death any man could wish for. When you bear this in mind it will I hope, help to console you and Mrs. Simpson in the great loss you have been called upon to bear." He was mentioned in despatches. He was commemorated on the war memorial at St Peter and St Paul's Church at Bromley in Kent. The memorial was later destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.

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