Henry Barker

Born in Gateshead, he joined the 1st Battalion DLI in 1893, aged 18 years. After several, long spells in prison for crimes including striking an officer and insubordination, he was posted in 1895 to 2 DLI in India. There he became a qualified telegraphist and served in the campaign in Tibet in 1903-4 attached to the Army Telegraph Department. He was the only soldier of the Durham Light Infantry to gain the Tibet Medal. Henry Barker took his discharge in 1908.