Henry (Harry) Bobbin

Lance Corporal - Service No.7889 - 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade (Later - Labour Corps and Norfolk Regiment)

Henry was born in July 1881 in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, the son of William Bobbin and his wife Ann (Adcock). He was the seventh of eleven children, Geoffrey (1870), James (1872), Edith (1874), Charles (1875), Jane (1877), Gertrude (1880), Elizabeth (1882), Herbert (1884), Clara (1886) and Horace (1888). William and Ann married on 19th November 1869 in Burnham Thorpe and lived there for a number of years, William initially working as an agricultural labourer and later as a vermin killer. Around the end of 1885 the family moved to Horning, Norfolk, where Clara and Horace were born, before moving to Swardeston, some time in the 1890s, to live in a cottage by the turnpike where William worked as a warrener and vermin destroyer. Ann died on 6th November 1911 and William on 11th June 1937, both were still living in Swardeston at the time of their deaths.

Having been educated at Burnham Thorpe and Horning, Harry left school and became a butcher working for Alfred King in Swardeston but, at the age of 19 he decided to join the army. On 18th June 1900 Harry joined the Rifle Brigade, the same day as Harry Davy, signing on for a total of 12 years (7 with the Colours and 5 in the Reserves) which would have taken him up to 1912 but he re-enlisted after 12 years and was finally demobilised on 12th May 1920.

On 26th March 1909 Harry married Margaret Jarvis Taylor at St Phillips Church, Heigham, Norwich, the ceremony witnessed by Harry's younger siblings Clara and Horace. Margaret was born in Poringland in 1877 the only child of Herbert Taylor and his wife Sarah (Jarvis) who moved to Swardeston and kept a general grocery store in what is now Dairy Cottage on High Common. Herbert Taylor died in 1905 and Ann in 1910 just a few months after Harry and Margaret married and it appears that they continued to run the grocery store and Harry also did a bit of market gardening. Harry and Margaret had two sons. Herbert William, born 11th January 1910 and Charles Reginald, born 19th July 1911, both in Swardeston. The two brothers ran Roadside Nurseries together for many years until it passed to their respective sons John, now sadly deceased, and Michael.

Harry and Margaret both died in Swardeston in 1952, Margaret on 30th April, aged 74, and Harry on 10th July, aged 71, and they are buried in Swardeston churchyard.

Having joined the Rifle Brigade on 18th June 1900, and received basic training Harry was posted to Dublin in October that year where he remained until April 1902 when he was posted to South Africa. Just under six months later Harry moved to Egypt where he saw service at Cairo and, for a short while, Khartoum, before moving back to Cairo. In all he spend just over three years in Egypt and surrounding countries before being transferred to India in November 1905. He served in several places throughout India for just over two years until February 1908 when he returned to England and was placed on reserve and moved back to Swardeston. With the outbreak of war Harry was mobilised on 25th August 1914 and left for France with the British Expeditionary Force the following day. Harry continued to serve with the Rifle Brigade in France, for almost two years, until mid July 1916 with just four months back in England during 1915. On 14th July 1916 he returned to England for good, having suffered with pleurisy while in France, and was hospitalised at Epsom. Eventually he transferred to 661 Agricultural Company of the Labour Corps in Norwich in January 1918. On 15th June 1919 Harry was discharged from the army reserve but for some as yet unknown reason he re-enlisted the next day in the Norfolk Regiment. On 12th May 1920 he was finally granted a medical discharge from the Norfolk Regiment and returned to his wife and sons in Swardeston.

Harry was awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps (see picture) for his service in the South Africa campaign of 1899-1902. He was also awarded the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service during WW1.

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