Aubrey Harris was the son of William and Mary Elizabeth Harris, of Oak Bank Villa, 72, Alexandra Rd. Wrexham. While William Harris was Stationmaster at Buckley Aubrey attended St. Matthew’s School and later Hawarden County School. He later gained a BA at Manchester University before becoming Senior Language Master at Merchison College, Edinburgh. Aubrey was not originally names on the Hawkesbury Memorial but was added in 2020.
Lieutenant Aubrey Harris was the Bombing Officer for 21st Battalion Manchester Regiment “A” Company. He was killed on 4th September 1916 on the Somme. He was buried in Delville Wood, but after the war his body was not found and he is remembered among the missing on the Thiepval Memorial.
Aubrey’s story was told in the North Wales Coast Pioneer;
September 21st 1916
LIEUT. AUBREY HARRIS, BUCKLEY (KILLED)News has been received at Buckley that Lieut. Aubrey Harris, of the Manchesters, has been killed in action. Lieut. Harris was one of the cleverest scholars to leave Buckley for the front. He was educated at St. Matthew’s School, Buckley, Hawarden County School and Owens College, Manchester, and prior to joining the Army was a professor at the Edinburgh University. He was 23 years of age, and son of Mr. W.H. Harris, for many years stationmaster at Old Buckley, but now in charge of the Wrexham G.C. Station.
September 28th 1916
LIEUT. AUBREY HARRIS, BUCKLEY (KILLED)
Mr. William Harris, master of the Central Station, Wrexham, and formerly of Buckley, has received a letter giving details of the death of his son, Lieut. Aubrey Harris, whose career was related in the last issue of the Pioneer. Lieut. J.H. Miller writes:- “My very best pal, your son, Aubrey, was killed by a shell on the evening of September 4th. We had gone forward together to find Capt. Cunliffe and his company and to discover what the situation was like. I left them together, and returned to the brigade with the news we had gathered. He remained behind doing more than his duty in helping Capt. Cunliffe. Two hours later some of his men came back and reported to me that both he and Cunliffe had been killed instantaneously by the same shell. The news quite broke me. I pray that you may be able to take it.”
Sympathetic messages have also been received by Mr. and Mrs. Harris from Capt. Douglas Reid (Medical Officer), the Rev. B.D.T. Smith (Chaplain of the Manchesters) and the Rev. H. McMann (chaplain of the Division). Lieut. Harris was held in the highest esteem and respect by all who knew him, and the deepest sympathy prevails with the parents on the death of their only son.
