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Pte. Henry James JOHNSON - 2nd Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment
1890 - 9th October 1916

Henry was born in Foots Cray in 1890, the youngest of eight children born to farm labourer
George Johnson and his wife, Julie, living in Epsom Cottages, Cray Road. Like many other
local lads, he decided to join the regular Army whilst still in his teens and signed on at New
Cross, South London. By 1911 he was serving in India with the 2nd Battalion, Royal West
Kent Regiment.

When war was declared the Regiment was stationed at Multan, India moving to
Mesopotamia and then on 6th February 1915 the 2nd Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment
arrived at Basra where it came under the command of the 12th Indian Brigade. They were
soon engaged in several battles with the Turks and at first were very successful. But the
tide turned quickly at the Battle of Ctesiphon (22nd-26th November 1915) which it was
thought by the military was going to be a trouble-free prelude to the final march on
Baghdad. But General Townshend's depleted troops sustained heavy casualties and he
decided to retreat to the Barracks at Kut-al-Almara where the well-equipped and well-
trained Turkish troops lay siege to the beleaguered British troops which desperate state of
affairs lasted until April 1916.

Extracts from a non-combatant's diary entry, which was hand written in ink:
"4th Feb. 1916: Unable to write up diary for some days now. On 2nd February I had
another attack of colic and stopped in bed all day, except to take Holy Communion which
one soldier attended as he was out from hospital and had to go back to the trenches at
once. He was looking terribly ill and thin - no clothes but what he stood up in - not even an
overcoat. Bitterly cold.
5h Feb 1916: We had more heavy shell fire .
7th February 1916: Took evensong in hospital which was very jolly and the hymns were
splendidly sung."

Thousands of men, from both the British and Indian Armies, died during those awful
months when they were under constant bombardment and desperately short of food and
medical supplies. When they eventually surrendered, largely because they were literally
starving to death, those that had survived were all taken prisoner.

Henry (known as "Jimmie") and his Army pals, then suffered a most traumatic and terrible
journey of many miles duration which was undertaken on foot in extreme heat, without
water, food or medical help, followed by months in captivity of unbelievable cruelty and
hardship. The British Army did eventually rescue the men in March 1917, but the number
was down to almost half of those who had originally been taken into
captivity. Unfortunately, Henry was not one of them. He died on 9th October 1916 "of
disease whilst a prisoner of war". The disease could have been cholera, typhoid, dysentery
- any one of them would have been fatal to a man who had been through such a traumatic
time.

How Henry Johnson managed to survive in captivity by such an extremely cruel and
barbaric regime is almost beyond comprehension. We can only begin to imagine what he
endured, and perhaps it is better that we don’t know. It is certain that he suffered a great
deal. But he must have had a strong will, even to survive for that long, and perhaps the
thought of returning to his home in England helped his determination, but the stark reality
is that death may well have come as a welcome relief.

In Memoriam Private Henry James Johnson was buried in the Baghdad (North Gate)
Cemetery which was begun in April 1917.

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