Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Heinrich (Henry) Arthur Ihms was born on 18 March 1895 in Stockwell, South Australia. He was the son of Julius Ihms and Elizabeth (nee Lange). He had 4 brothers and 2 sisters,

·      Johannes Bernhard, born 1891

·      Herbert Alfred, born 1893

·      Heinrich Arthur (himself), born 1895

·      Hilda Selma, born 1897

·      Dorothea Elisabeth, born 1900 (my Great, Great Grandmother)

·      Gustav Reinhold, born 1901

·      Walter Martin, born 1904

Henry was a baker by trade, but gave that up to join the Home Service Unit of the Australian Expeditionary Forces in September 1915. It was here that he spent 238 days, before being discharged a ‘Private’ on 15 May 1916 at his own request, so that he could enlist for active service.

Two days later on 17 May 1916, Henry enlisted for active service at the age of 21 years and 5 months. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall with brown eyes, dark hair and medium complexion. He was given Service Number 2173.

By November 1916, having left Australia and arrived in the United Kingdom for final training, Henry was on his way to fight in the war. Some of his early encounters include:

·      Nov 16, spent training how to throw grenades.

·      Nov 19, spent training in 2 inch thick snow at the rifle range, before getting home for dinner at 5pm, then bed.

·      Nov 20, issued with a gas mask, bullet proof helmet and remaining clothes.

·      Nov 22, packed up camp at Larkhill before marching to Amesbury Station. Caught the 2pm train to Southampton, arriving there at 4pm. Boat left Southampton at 5.30pm, headed across the English Channel. Henry managed the trip quite well, but many others were seasick 

·      Nov 23, and having arrived on France’s shores, Henry carried his backpack weighing 125 pounds (ie. 57kg) and marched for 3.5 hours, a distance of between 6-7 miles to their group’s first rest camp, where they stopped for the night. They mixed with the local French people, who they found to be very nice people even though they weren’t able to understand their language. With just two blankets to sleep on from that day on, they rested. It was very cold, and Henry “wished he was in a nice warm bed”

·      Nov 24, marched to Station Point 3 where they were taken by horse trucks to the train, which they then caught to Baillent. They were now 12  miles from the firing line, they could hear the guns. A village cowshed became Henry’s sleeping quarters in Baillent

·      Nov 26, Henry went to bed but before long, he and others were called to guard some roads a distance away, so there was no sleep for them that night

·      Nov 28, marched further on to Armentieres, where they were now very close to the firing line, just a 20 minute walk away 

·      Nov 30, Henry was picked as a Guard, to permanently guard a bridge in Armentieres. Guard duty was 2 hours on, 6 hours off all through both day and night. Henry liked this job.

By Dec 11, Henry wished he was home with his wife. He was getting sick of the wet, cold weather and the snow. He was feeling very lonely 

By 27 January 1917, Henry had written and sent 20 letters to his wife back in Australia, and many more to other family members. He enjoyed sending and receiving letters.

On 18 March 1917, Henry wrote in his diary “My birthday, I wish I were home with my wife. Feeling tip top”. On Easter Sunday April 8, Henry had a narrow escape from shells. By 22 April, Henry had written 40 letters to his wife. Between 26 April and 28 May, Henry left his guard job and spent time in Bayonet Training. Again on 18 August, Henry started more training in the General Training School for NCO’s, Brigade Headquarter.

Henry served in both France and Belgium for both the 38th and 43rd battalion (3rd reinforcements).

On 15 August 1918, literally 9 days before his death, Henry wrote a letter of reply to his wife Murrie, who had some time earlier written to him “asking for her freedom”. This was a polite way of asking for a divorce, which Henry reluctantly agreed to. He also agreed to her wishes of keep this from her parents, who greatly admired Henry.

Corporal Henry Arthur Ihms was killed in action by a German bomber at 9am on 24 August 1918, "which dropped bombs amongst a number of them, when they were in a little cutting on the Sunken Rd near Bray. He was very badly knocked about on the body and head” and was killed instantly. He was buried a short distance down the road from where he fell, in an “isolated grave 1 mile north of Bray-Sur-Somme and 4.5 miles south east of Albert. Private T.E Delaney (864) assisted in burying him and put a stick up with a card on it, this being later replaced with a cross. This initial grave was near Bray and Chalk Pit, but official records now indicate he is buried at Bray Vale British Cemetery, Bray-Sur-Somme I B 5, France.

Henry showed the ANZAC spirit when fighting in war by fighting for Australia in the war. This quality was also shown by the thousands of other Australian soldiers. The ANZAC spirit, defined by Arthur Bourke OAM, is "a powerful driving sensation that can only be felt. It is a feeling that burns in the heart of every Australian and New Zealand countryman. A warm, tender, fiery, even melancholy ideal that nurtures intense patriotism in the innermost soul of every body."

Bibliography:

• Van Tol, D 2016, Pearson History 9, Rachel Ford, Melbourne.
• RSL Virtual War Memorial Database n.d., Henry Arthur Ihms,  <https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/projects/15017/edit?t=1521171952755>.
• The AIF Project n.d., Henry Arthur Ihms, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=149015>.

• Training Areas in Britain n.d., Map, New Zealand History, <https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/nzef-england-1916-19-map>.

• (Personal Diary Entry)

Author: Henry Arthur Ihms
Publisher and Place of Publication: N/A
Year: 1917-1918

• Henry Arthur Ihms n.d., Photograph, RSL Virtual Memorial Database, <https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/projects/15017/edit?t=1521171952755>.

• (Personal Letter from Henry)

Author: Henry Arthur Ihms

Publisher and Place of publication: N/A

Year: 1916-1918

• (Personal Diary of Henry)

Author: Henry Arthur Ihms

Publisher and Place of Publication: N/A

Year: 1916-1918

• The AIF Project n.d., Henry Arthur Ihms, <https://aif.adfa.edu.au/aif/>.
• The Australian War Memorial n.d., The Australian War Memorial, <https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search>.