Bryant, Harvey

Harvey was the only son of Wilfred and Martha Jane (nee Eversden) Bryant of Vina Villa, and The Elms, Ashwell, Hertfordshire. Harvey was a pupil at the Merchant Taylors School in Ashwell.

Harvey enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment, Regimental Number 15990, in 1914 and served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders until 1917. He then returned to England and after a period of training at Trinity College, Oxford was gazetted 2^nd Lieutenant with the Hampshire Regiment. He served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Egypt and Palestine from January 1918. In May of 1918 he proceeded to France where he was killed in action at Havrincourt, France on 12 September 1918.

Harvey was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in action on 26 August 1918. He was also awarded the 1915 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. His Commanding Officer wrote “We looked upon him as one of our finest officers”.

Harvey is buried in the Hermies Hill British Cemetery, Havrincourt, France, and commemorated on the St Mary’s Church Honours Roll and on the Ashwell Village War Memorial.

On the 1911 census he is living with his grandfather, (his mother’s father), Joseph William Eversden. Before joining the army he was a wheelwright in Ashwell.

Military Cross Harvey Bryant, as an owner of the Military Cross, is entitled to use the letters M.C. after his name. Instituted on 28th December 1914 the Military Cross (M.C.) is the third level military decoration awarded to Officers. This decoration was awarded to Harvey Bryant for an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy. Citations for the M.C. were published in the London Gazette during the Great War. However if the M.C. was a King’s Birthday or New Year award, details were not published and in most cases will not be available.