Henry BYRCH (1892-1978)

Henry Byrch (1890-1984), known as Harry, was the son of a prominent Evesham solicitor who was friendly with the Sladden family.  When the Byrch family emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, the two families kept in contact.  May Sladden stayed for a few days with the Byrches on a visit to New Zealand in 1906 and wrote about it in her diary.

Harry Byrch was born at Evesham in 1892, the ninth of ten children of Albert William Byrch, a solicitor, and his wife, Constance (née Bremmer).  He grew up at The Elms, Bengeworth.

In 1902, Harry emigrated with his family to the South Island of New Zealand.  They lived firstly at a sheep station at Mount Brown near Amberley, which was where May visited them in February 1906.  Soon after the Byrches moved to a sheep station at Motunau near Canterbury.  Harry was educated at Christ’s College, Christchurch.

On the outbreak of the First World War, Harry enlisted and first went overseas with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 16th October 1914.  He was wounded in the Dardanelles on 17th June 1915 and 10th August 1915, after which he was sent to Walton-on-Thames to recover.  He was wounded again in France in September 1916.

Harry died on 1st September 1978, aged 86; he was buried at Glenmark Cemetery, Canterbury.