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2nd Lieutenant Henry Percy WEBER
3rd (Reserve) Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment attached to the 7th (Service) Battalion Date of birth: 27th September 1885 Date of death: 16th November 1916 Killed in action aged 31 Buried at Martinsart British Cemetery Plot II Row B Grave 6
Henry "Harry" Percy Weber was born at Georgetown in British Guiana on the 27th of September 1885 the youngest son of Arthur Weber, merchant and Prussian Consul at Demerara, and Magdalena Johanna (nee Verwayen) Weber of Georgetown, Demerara, British Guiana. He was educated at Malvern Wells, Chesterfield Grammar School and at Lancing College where he was in School House from September 1900 to April 1902. He was a member of the Cadet Corps and of the 2nd Cricket XI in 1901. He was a member of the Football XI in 1901/02 and was awarded his football colours on the 30th of November 1901. The Lancing College Magazine wrote the following in March 1901:- "A very useful half and of great assistance to the team, but fell off towards the end of the Christmas term. Keeps his head and passes well to his forwards, but dribbles too much. Is inclined to be slack, especially in club games." He was admitted as a law student in 1905, was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1909 and later practiced in Demerara where he became Acting Resident Magistrate at Essequibo in British Guiana. He enlisted in the Georgetown Section of the 1st British West Indian Contingent in October 1915 where he was granted the rank of Sergeant and commanded the 4th Detachment. He arrived in England with his unit on the 3rd of December 1915. He applied for a commission in the infantry on the 16th of December 1915 while he was based at Seaford Camp. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment on the 28th of December 1915 and was posted to the Officer Training Corps at Cambridge University on the 1st of January 1916. He was attached to the 7th Battalion of his regiment for war service. At 8pm on the 14th of November 1916 the 7th Battalion King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment began moving into recently captured German trenches known as the Hansa Line near St Pierre Divion. The trenches had been captured in an attack in which they had been in support the day before. They completed the relief at 4am the following morning and spent most of the 15th under accurate and sustained enemy artillery fire which started at dawn and continued sporadically through the late afternoon and into the evening, collapsing a number of dugouts and causing casualties. During the 16th of November the battalion consolidated a line some 60 yards in front of the Hansa Line and an advance post was established in Hansa Road consisting of one platoon and a Lewis Gun. Another post of two sections of men with a Lewis Gun was also established at Beaucourt Mill. Henry Weber was killed during this operation. The battalion was relieved the following day. His father received the following telegram dated the 19th of November 1916: - "Deeply regret to inform you 2Lieut, H.P. Weber 3rd attached 7 Royal Lancaster Regt. was killed in action on the 16th of November, The Army Council express their sympathy." His Colonel wrote:- "His death was a real loss to the battalion, as he was in every way a brave, good officer-always ready and more than ready to do his duty in every way possible. He was liked by both his men and his brother officers. I know that I personally lost a good hard working , brave officer when he was killed." His Adjutant wrote:- "He was one of the bravest officers we have had and I have known them all and been with them in every action since July 1915 (sic). We all miss him greatly. He had a fine control of men. The men of his platoon were terribly upset when he died. His Sergeant saying "We shall never get another like Mr. Weber". " He is commemorated on the war memorial at Chesterfield Grammar School and on the memorial at Grays Inn.

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