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Son of Henry Daniel and Eliza Bance; husband of Mary Ellen Bance, of 32, Little Grey St., Durban, South Africa. Henry Daniel Bance was born on 25 January, 1866 at Lambeth, Surrey one of five children of Henry Daniel Bance Sr, and his wife Eliza. The younger Bance was serving in the 4th Volunteer Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment when he enlisted with the West Riding Regiment at Hounslow on 12 November, 1885. He was employed as a poultry man at the time although his father was in the bookmaking business. Bance stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed a mere 122 pounds. Bance was appointed Lance Corporal on 30 June, 1888 and promoted Corporal on 16 August, 1890. Appointed Lance Sergeant (unpaid) on 1 November, 1892, he received his promotion to Sergeant 26 August, 1893. He extended his service to complete 12 years on 20 July, 1894 and re-engaged to complete 21 years with the colours on 1 February, 1896. On the same date he was posted as Sergeant to the 3rd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment). Bance received 2nd, 3rd and 4th Class Certificates of Education and attended Mounted Infantry School in 1894. His postings included:
Home: 12 November 1885 - 4 October 1886
Bermuda: 5 October 1886 - 21 September 1888
Halifax, Nova Scotia: 22 September 1888 - 9 March 1891
West Indies: 10 March 1891 - 2 April 1893
South Africa: 3 April 1893 - 31 January 1897
Home: 1 February 1897 - 26 February 1900
South Africa: 27 February 1900 - 10 May 1902
Home: 11 May 1902 - 31 March 1904
Henry Daniel Bance took his discharge with pension at his own request on 31 March, 1904 after 18 years of service. He saw active service in South Africa during the Matabele Campaign while volunteering with the Bechuanaland Border Police (18 October 1893 to 21 March 1894) and again with the Matabeleland Relief Force (1 May 1896 to 21 December 1896). He was entitled to the British South Africa Company's Medal for Matabeleland with the clasp "Rhodesia". Bance returned South Africa during the Anglo-Boer War and earned the Queen's South Africa Medal with the clasp "Cape Colony" and the King's South Africa Medal with the "1901" and "1902" clasps.
During his first tour of duty in South Africa Bance married Miss Mary Ellen Dalton of Rondebosch, near Cape Town on 6 August 1894. The Union produced at least two children; Mary Elizabeth, born at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on 12 August 1895 and Henry Daniel Bance III, born at Halifax, Yorkshire on 22 July, 1900. Bance took up residence with his family at 1 Dartrey Terrace Kings Rd, Chelsea (his father's home) after his discharge and was listed as boot maker in the 1911 Census. Two additional sons were also mentioned here; Richard Earnest aged 5 and Alexander Jordan aged 2.
Henry Daniel Bance rejoined the West Riding Regiment during World War One and then transferred to the Royal Air Force with the rank of Company Sergeant Major. He was entitled to the 1914-1915 Star and the British War and Victory Medals. |
