Henry Francis Thundercliffe, from Hull, was one of ten children. He worked as a Tanner's Labourer and was a keen footballer for Goulton Athletic FC.
Henry first enlisted as a Territorial in the East Yorkshire Regiment, before being transferred to the West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales Own) at the outbreak of the First World War. He served from the beginning of the war until his death in Belgium in 1917.
Henry was wounded on 9 October 1917. He was found the following day and brought to a shell hole near a first aid station by the Red Cross.
The official letter sent to his family on 20 November 1917 reads:
"I regret to inform you that a report has been received from the War Office to the effect that Henry F. Thundercliffe was wounded and posted as "missing" on the 9th October 1917.
"The report that he is missing does not necessarily mean that he has been killed, as he may be a prisoner of war or temporarily separated from his regiment."
An official letter on 22 November 1917 acknowledges an enquiry from Mrs Thundercliffe, who was desperate for news of her son, and assures her any information about Henry will be sent on.
In January 1918, the British Red Cross and Order of St John wrote to Mrs Thundercliffe to inform her of the last known contact with Henry.
"We found Thundercliffe about 24 hours after our first advance at Passchendaele on 9th October. He was lying in a shell hole about 30 yards from the bottom of the ridge. This was at night. He called out to us. We went to him and two of us took him back about 60 yards towards the Dressing Station. There we had to leave him in a shell hole. We could go no further because of the mud and firing. He was wounded but quite cheery. The spot we left him at was about 800 yards from the 1st Aid Post. I knew him well. He came from Hull."
No more news arrived.
In July 1918, nine months after first learning of Henry's injuries, his family received a letter stating that the Army Council "have been regretfully constrained to conclude that he is dead..."
The last letter Henry's family received from the War Office stated that they were owed four pounds, nineteen shillings and three pence – the balance of Henry's pay.
Thank you to Henry's family for sharing his story.
You can discover more Passchendaele stories from areas across the UK and find out more about our Commemoration plans to mark the Centenary at https://passchendaele100.org/.
