DOCKING [ASHLEY], Henry [Harry] James


No.200190, Private, Harry James DOCKING
Aged 24


1st/4th Battalion, Norfolk Regiment
formerly No.2035, Norfolk Regiment
Killed in Action presumed on Saturday, 19th April 1917



Henry James ASHLEY was born in Brandon in 1893(Thetford Q1-1893 4B:376) son of Eliza Ann ASHLEY.
His mother married Henry James DOCKING (Thetford Q2-1894 4B:607)

1901 census...Aged 8, he was at Thetford Road, Brandon with his mother Eliza DOCKING [27] a fur puller (married); brother William [6]; sisters Mildred [4]and Florence [3]; aunt Beatrice ASHLEY [15] and 2nd cousin Gertrude WILBY [17]. All were born in Brandon. His father has not yet been identified in this census.

1911 census...Aged 18, general labourer, he was at Thetford Road, Brandon with his parents (father Henry Docking [46] labourer); brothers William (labourer), Donald [9] Albert [7] and George [3]; sisters Mildred, Florence and Irene [5]. All born in Brandon.


His brother Robert William D.C.M. was killed in France in 1916. see here




He enlisted in Brandon on 20th March 1914, No.2035 in the Territorials, Norfolk Regiment. He had been in the Militia previously. He gave his age as 21 years 2 months, born in Brandon. A farm labourer for Mrs Halls in Weeting, he lived at 97 Thetford Road, Brandon. He was 5 feet 6 inches (165.1 cm)tall, chest 32.5" to 34.5" (82.6 to 87.6 cm). Next of kin father Henry James, brothers William, Donald, Albert, George..
He was embodied in 4th Battalion on at the outbreak of war on 5th August 1914. on 29th July 1915 he left Liverpool aboard HMT "Aquitaine" for Mudros. From there, on smaller vessels they went via Imbros, landing eventually at Suvla Bay on the 10th August 19l5.
On December 7th and 8th, what was left of the battalion (11 officers and 199 other ranks) left Gallipoli for Mudros and then embarked on the HMT "Victorian" on 15th, arriving in Alexandria, Egypt on 19th.
He was reported missing on 19th April 1917 after the attack on Khirbet-el-Bir and presumed dead.

His mother had explained to the Army that his full name should have been Henry James Ashley DOCKING. On the "living relatives" form on 1920, his mother entered that his father had died (1918) and still living were his sister Irene and brothers Albert and George. His brother Robert (known in the family as William, had been killed in 1916 and the whereabouts of brother Donald and sisters Mildred and Florence is not recorded. Brother Donald seems to have survived until 1967.

The 1st/4th Norfolks were on the left, the 1st/5th BNorfolks on the right for the 19th August 1917 attack of Khirbet-el-Bir. Ready at 5 am for zero at 7:30 after a bombardment. The Turks made little response but as soon as they moved forward "a perfect hell of artillery and machine gun fire" met them. The British barrage had seemingly had little effect. Our artillery could do little to assist now as they had fired most of the ammunition and the range was excessive in any case, 6,000 yards. They had to cross about a mile of open undulating country in full view of the Turks who were waiting in trenches and well wired redoubts beyond the Gaza-Beersheba road. Their supporting tanks were knocked out.One company of the 1/5th Norfolks did capture a redoubt but with no support coming forward, when their ammunition ran out all 60 that remained were captured. The 5th Suffolks arrived to assist but no advance was possible, all they could do was dig in and wait for nightfall and then withdraw. The losses were considerable, 460 casualties (killed,wounded or missing) for the 1/4th and 643 of the 1/5th. Consequently for two months they formed a composite battalion, 1 and 2 companies being from the 1/4 Norfolks and 3 and 4 companies from the 1/5th Norfolks.

Many of the missing must have been killed since CWG puts the dead of the 1st/4th Norfolks alone as 154, 58 are buried in Gaza war Cemetery, the rest are named on the Jerusalem memorial.

click here to go to the Brandon at War website for more information




photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission



Harry Docking is commemorated on the Jerusalem Memorial, panels 12-15

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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