Gundry | Henry James
Biography
Henry James Gundry (Service No.14558915) was killed in action on 29 September 1944 near Oploo. He was aged 19 and a Private in the 3rd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment. He was initially buried near the water mill at Oploo and re-interred on 18 July 1946 in Grave I. D. 7 at the CWGC Cemetery in Overloon. His inscription says “Rest in Peace.”
Henry James Gundry’s Birth Family
Henry James Gundry was the son of William Gundry and Ethel Frances Gundry (nee Durrant).
William and Ethel had married in 1918 in the Hampstead district of London.
In 1921, William and Ethel were living with Ethel’s parents, Frank and Edith Durrant, at 48, Royal Oak Road, Woking, Surrey. William was 28 and had been born in Addlestone, Surrey. He was working as a Night Watchman, reporting to the Officer in Charge of records for the Royal Army Medical Corps at their records office in Woking. Ethel was 23 and had been born at Maybury in Surrey. With William and Ethel were their first two children, Ethel Frances, who was born on 6/8/1918 in Marylebone and Sidney Frank who was born on 25/2/1921 in Guildford in Surrey. Ethel’s father was 49, from Wonersh in Surrey and was a Printer Stereotyper for Unwin Bros Key & Whiting Ltd (Printers) Publishers. Her mother was 46 and born in Binstead, Hampshire. Present too was Ethel’s 25 year old sister, Edith with her husband, Ernest Davies and their baby daughter Mary. Ernest was 37, from Shropshire and working as an Engine Driver for Accumulatore Ltd, Woking (Electric Battery Works).
William and Ethel went on to have two more children, both in the Chertsey district of Surrey: William George on 13/8/1923 and Henry James himself on 28/10/1924 – who was known as Jim.
Sadly, Jim’s father, William Gundry, died unexpectedly of an abnormal heart condition on 2 February 1925 aged just 32. He was living at 21 Kirby Road, Horsell, Woking at the time. He had been working as a news vendor. At the inquest his wife said that he had suffered from heart trouble for a long time. He had enlisted in1912 and was discharged from the Army in 1916. The post mortem confirmed that the heart condition had caused his death.
It may be that Ethel was expecting another child at the time as a fifth child, Norman, was registered in Spring 1926, again in the Chertsey district. It is possible that, with the trauma of her husband’s death, the birth was registered late. Sadly, this child died in 1930 aged just 4.
It is likely that Ethel found it difficult to cope following the death of her husband as the family was no longer together by 1939. Ethel herself couldn’t be found at that time. Her eldest child, Ethel Frances aged 20, was working and living in as a House Parlourmaid at St Marys Hill School, Seaton, Woking. Her second eldest, Sidney aged 18 was working as a Boot & Shoe Salesman and living with two other young single men in the household of Henry and Grace Walters at 97 Lawn Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.
Henry James Gundry’s Adopted Family
William and Henry (Jim) had been adopted by William Henry and Rose Strong.
William Henry Strong, aged 38, had married Rose Knight, aged just 22, on 25 October 1904 at Lambourn Woodlands near Hungerford in Berkshire. She was living nearby at Woodlands St Mary while he was living at Upton Gray near Basingstoke and working as a gardener. In both 1911 and 1921 they were living at Woodlands St Mary. William had been born in Stockbridge, Hampshire while Rose had been born in Newbury, Berkshire. William was working as a gardener for David Claude Trier, a land agent for a landowner based at Camberwell Park in London. They do not appear to have had any children of their own.
It isn’t known how they came to adopt William and Jim. However, Ethel Gundry’s mother’s maiden name was Knight – and both of Rose Strong’s parents also had that same surname, so they may have been related in some way.
By September 1939 William and Rose Strong were living at The Haven, Hall Lane, Upper Farringdon, Alton R.D., Hampshire. It may be no co-incidence that this is close to Binstead where Ethel’s mother was born. William was now described as an old age pensioner. Present too was Rose’s sister, Nellie Knight, born 31 July 1884. Rose was working as a Part Time Child’s Nurse as well as undertaking domestic duties while Nellie was just doing the latter. There was one closed record indicating the presence of a child. It is odd that only one child is indicated. Jim would have been just under 15 years of age while William would be 16 and may have left home.
Military Career
Jim’s eldest brother, Sidney, joined the Royal Artillery in 1941 and William also served in WW2 as a Corporal in the Army. However, they both survived.
Jim completed his basic training with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment and it seems that he saw active service with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire TA Battalion – the 2nd Hertfordshire Regiment. This Battalion had an important role on D-Day, the 6th June 1944. It formed the main part of No. 9 Beach Group with responsibility to follow in behind the initial assault in order to secure and make safe the beachhead while the main attack pushed inland. They then had to organise the smooth transit across the beach of later waves of the invasion and subsequent reinforcements and supplies. A major task was clearing mines and obstacles and setting up the first storage dumps. The Hertford’s task was completed in mid July when proper port facilities became available to the Allied forces.
In August, the battalion was broken up with the troops being drafted as reinforcements to other units. It is known that the 3rd battalion, the Monmouthshire Regiment, was resting at Antwerp in August to refit and absorb reinforcements. It is likely that this was when Jim was transferred to the Monmouths. Here, he met up with Dennis Andrews who was also from Farringdon and a year younger than him.
The Monmouths were engaged in fighting in the Netherlands in September 1944 on the right flank of the Allied thrust north towards Arnhem in an attempt which failed to link up with the airborne forces which had landed on the north Bank of the Rhine. The Monmouths were supported by tanks from 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and helped to clear the enemy from villages and woods in the flat low lying country, but progress was slow as they were hampered by the many bridges that the Germans had blown up across the canals.
They had reached St Anthonis by 25 September, but plans were changing following the Allied failure to take the bridge at Arnhem. They withdrew to Westerbeek just south west of Oploo on the 26th. It was while the battalion was resting here, a mile behind the front line, that Jim was killed by a shell that hit the billet where he was quartered. Sadly, Dennis Andrews had arranged for him to move to his house, but not in time. He was able to attend his funeral. Dennis himself was killed two months after Jim.
The Aftermath
On the 1st anniversary of his death, the local paper published the following:
“Gundry – In proud and loving memory of (Jim) Pte HJ Gundry the Monmouth’s and Late of the Beds. and Herts. Regt. killed on active service in N.W. Europe, September 28th, 1944. Aged 19. ‘He died that we might live’ from Mum and Dad the Haven Upper Farringdon and from Bill serving in Germany.”
Jim’s adopted father, William Strong, died aged 79 in 1946 and was buried on 31 October 1946 in Farringdon.
It isn’t known whether Jim’s birth mother or his sister Ethel or brother Sidney will have known of Jim’s death. Ethel had married Willliam Basque in Surrey in 1943 and no more is known about them. Sidney married Rose M Hamerton in 1945 in Brentford, Middlesex and had three children. He died in Newbury, Berkshire in 1983.
His brother William married Elfried E Ehlers in Glinde in Germany in 1948 when he was still in the Armed Forces. She was known as Freda. He returned to Upper Farringdon and they lived in Parsonage Close. They had four children, the eldest of which was named Henry J Gundry. William died there in 1992 and is buried there. Some of his children still live in the area.
Jim’s adopted mother, Rose Strong, died in 1972 in Farringdon and is also buried there. His birth mother, Ethel Frances Gundry, died in Brighton, Sussex in 1987.
Jim is commemorated on the war memorial in Farringdon village along with other men from the village, including Dennis Andrews.
