Henry Wagg

The photograph and documents are shared with the Trust following research by the 11th Armoured Division Facebook Group and its Black Bull Research Team.

Remembering Henry Wagg, who died of wounds, 19 July 1944.

The Rev Henry Wagg was the son of Mr and Mrs J H Wagg of 1 Grifitths Avenue, North Lancing.  His father had been killed in the First World War.

The Rev Henry Wagg was ordained Deacon in September 1934 in St Paul's Cathedral. Between 1934 and 1936 he was Curate at All Saints Church, Hillingdon, Middlesex and then became the Curate of St James' Church, North Lancing. He spent much of his time working with youth groups like the Boy Scouts, the Church Lads' Brigade and the St James' Youth Group. He was also Secretary of the Lancing and Sompting Youth Advisory Committe.

In 1938 he married Katherine Hemmersley and they had a son.

He joined the Army as a Chaplain in September 1943 and was posted to 7th Field Dressing Station, Royal Army Medical Corps. On the 18th July they moved to Ranville. "The Saga of The Seven", an account written by one of their members after the war picks up the story:

That morning we were awakened by the drone of many planes - Lancasters, liberators, Forts, Mitchells and Typhoons - which to the number of 3,000, blasted the enemy from his positions north east of Caen. This was Monty's 'left hook' coming into action. Our Light Section, harboured under the Horsa gliders which had been silennt witnesses of the Airborne Division's heroism since D-Day, had a ringside seat of the assault. The tanks followed close behind the air bombardment, and reached south east of Caen as far as Cagny by the evening of the 18th. The unit had meanwhile moved over the bridge and harboured  in the glider-strewn fields behind Ranville. Here we had our first taste of air attack. Enemy bombers coming over in the evening dusk dropped flares, one of which set fire to a glider in our field. Concentrating now on what he fancied to be an airfield, we were the target of bombs, anti-personnel and H.E., and machine-gunning from the force of bombers. For an hour the attack lasted, until all round us were flames from burning tanks, lorries and gliders. When the roll was called it was found that we had lost our cheerful and popular Church of England Padre, Reverend Wagg, our Dispenser, Sergeant Thomson - both killed...

Report of Henry Wagg's death in the Worthing Herald, 28 July 1944

A tribute was paid to him in the Worthing Gazette's Chatsworth's Sports Gossip column on 26 July 1944:

With the passing of the Rev. H. T. Wagg, Lancing loses one of its most energetic workers who, although not an active aportsman himself, was a keen and popular worker for Youth in the distict.

Lancing has probably never had a more popular Curate than Mr. Wagg, who was leader of the flourishing St James Youth group, a sporting and social club that was well supported at the time Mr Wagg left for the Army. As Secretary of the Lancing and Sompting Youth Advisory Committee, Mr Wagg did a great deal towards running the Lancing Youth Sports when they were held a few years ago and by his death Lancing Youth , and indeed the Youth of the disctrict, have lost a great friend.