Henry Souter was born in Thornaby, Yorkshire, on 10th August 1887 and was the youngest of four children. His father, John, died when he was just a year old, leaving his mother, Jane to raise the family single-handedly. To do this she found piecemeal work as a charwoman, sharing their home – 3 Edward Street – with two other families.
Henry is absent from the 1901 census, but his mother had moved to Willesden, Middlesex. His sister, Isabella, had married the year before, and she and her husband had relocated to London, presumably for work, taking Jane with them.
By the 1911 return, Henry was boarding with his brother James and his family. The siblings were living at 44 Spring Street, and both were working at a local iron works, James as a pipe moulder, Henry as a rolling miller.
When war came to Europe in the summer of 1914, Henry was called upon to play his part. His service records are long since lost, but he was attached to the Royal Naval Reserve as a Stoker, suggesting previous employment in the navy.
By the end of the year Stoker Souter had been assigned to the battleship HMS Formidable. A key vessel in the Channel Fleet, her role was part of a convoy patrolling the seas of the southern coast of Britain.
Early on the morning of 1st January 1915, while off the Dorset coast, the battleship was torpedoed by a German submarine. Other ships in her convoy came to her aid, but it would prove fruitless. After a couple of hours – and another torpedo strike – she sank, taking more than 540 officer and crew – including Stoker Souter – were lost. He was 27 years of age.
Henry Souter’s body was recovered, and was able to be identified. He had been brought ashore in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and he was laid to rest in a communal grave in the town’s cemetery.
Henry’s next-of-kin were identified as his sister, Annie, who was living in Thornaby, and his mother, Jane. Her address was given as 25 Melville Road, Stonebridge Park, London: she was still living with Isabella and her family – husband George and their six children.
Death and Service 