244588 WO1. Henry Davison MC, MM.British Army 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders My grandfather Henry Davison was born on 8th May 1882 in Canterbury before the family moved to Faversham where he worked as a Printer Engineer for the local newspaper.
On the 8th May 1905 he joined the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards in London with the army number of 6047. He was attached to the Lincolnshire Regiment and the Royal West Kents as a gymnastic instructor. This was just prior to the outbreak of WW1 and he held the rank of L/Sgt. Whilst in Maidstone with RWK he married Alice.
They prepared for war and on 1st June 1915 sailed for France. He served with 2nd Battalion until 17th January 1917 when he transferred to the 6th Gordon Highlanders with the number 2865546.
On 27th of October 1916 he was gazetted having been awarded the Military Medal and was gazetted on 1st of January 1917 having been awarded the Military Cross. He returned with his regiment to the UK on 23rd of March 1919 having served on the Western Front for 3 years and 296 days. In August 1918 he came home on leave to get divorced (I have a copy of his divorce papers from the High Court in London).
Upon returning to Glasgow with 2nd Battalion he met and married my grandmother and soon after my father was born. By this time he was RSM of the depot in Aberdeen. He retired on the 7th May 1926 having completed 21 years service. The family returned to Faversham where he worked at a local printers.
During WW2 he was the Senior ARP warden for Faversham. He passed away on 12th September 1953.
Two of his younger brothers both served, Alfred with South Lancashire Regiment and Frank with 332 Seige Battery RGA who died of wounds on 26th September 1917 and is buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery in Belgium. With my 2 sons and my youngest brother we went to his grave 100 years on from his death and shared a drink with him (well poured it over his grave).
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