L/Cpl. Henry Boyd Hodge was born in Clontibret, Co. Monaghan, Ireland, in November 1880.
A student at the time of signing on in Toronto, on January 20th, 1915, Henry attested into the 4th CMR's original intake.
One of 14 serving Chaplains in the 4th CMR, Henry was the first to lose his life - indeed, he was only the 3rd man to die in service of the regiment, being killed by an air burst over his billet - on December 1st, 1915.
He is mentioned but once in S. G. Bennett's 4th CMR History, of 1926, where it says of him, for the period when the 4th CMR took up its first responsibility for a part of the British front line at Hill 63, Ploegsteert, from November 23rd, 1915:
"With this tour the Regiment began to experience its first serious casualties. On December 1st, while in the forward area a shell burst over "A" squadron billets killing Private W. I. Fulford and wounding five men. L.-Corporal H. B. Hodge died of wounds and was buried at St. Omer. He had been acting as Chaplain to the Regiment and was one of fourteen clergymen who served in the ranks of the 4th C. M. R."
He is mentioned just the once directly in the 4th CMR's War Diary, on November 13th, 1915:
"Clear and cold. Muster parade at Regimental Hqrs 9:30am followed by divine service by L/Corp. Hodge."
and indirectly on December 1st, 1915:
"Grey and rainy. Heavy enemy bombardment. Shell burst over "A" squadron billets HILL 63 killed two men." [Pte. W. Fulford and L/Cpl. Hodge]
L/Cpl. Henry Boyd Hodge is one of 8 men of the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles known to lie at rest in the Berks Cemetery Extension, Commines-Warneton, Hainaut, in Belgium.
It is interesting to note that the date of death cited on the Varsity Magazine article for the University of Toronto is inaccurate. The War Diary, the Regimental History, the CWGC database, as well as Henry's headstone, are very clear on the date as being December 1st, 1915.
Image credits and biography details: the Henry Boyd Hodge entry, The Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM), Veterans Affairs Canada.
Service detail extracts from the 4th CMR Regimental History, S. G. Bennett, 1926 and the Regimental War Diaries, Library and Archives Canada.
Additional biography details from L/Cpl. Hodge's attestation papers, Library and Archives Canada.
Biography excerpt courtesy of 4cmr.com
This biography forms part of a series on 4th CMR Chaplains. Please click on this Chaplains link to jump to the Chaplains Home page.