Private, Honourable Artillery Company
Born: July 18th 1886
Died: June 16th 1915
Age at Death: 28
Killed in action, France, June 16th 1915
Formerly Henry Hatton Schwarz, son of the late Mr Schwarz of Hampstead. Changed name to Hatton.
A donation to the memorial statue has been made in honour of this soldier by Bruce Josyfon (Le. 1986-91).
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Robert Laurence Binyon (1914)
Lance-Corporal Henry Hatton
Born just before 23rd February 1887 in Bethnal Green, London, when he was baptised, Henry Hatton was the son of Joseph Hatton and Elizabeth Hatton. Although details of his early life are sketchy it is clear that in later life he lived in 26 Daleham Gardens, Hampstead and was a pupil at Brighton College (Hampden House) between 1899 and 1902.
In 1911 Hatton enlisted with the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), a territorial regiment based in, as it is now, the City of London and which recruited its members from among the office workers of the City. On the 26th December 1914 he accompanied the Honourable Artillery Company overseas to fight with the BEF and was killed in action at the Battle of Hooge (sometimes known as Bellewarde) on 16th June 1915. Despite its name parts of the HAC were at this point fighting as infantry and the 1st battalion, of which Hatton was a member, was heavily engaged in the assault on Hooge in support of the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. Although their orders were focused on support tasks such as building trenches to protect gains against German counter attacks they were nonetheless heavily involved in combat and in the course of that combat Hatton was killed. His body was clearly never identified but he is commemorated on Panel 9 of the Menin Gate at Ypres.
Source: LEST WE FORGET PROJECT, Brighton College 2014/15