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Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel was born on 26 July 1812 in Southampton, England. He was the son of General Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel and the grandson of Henry Shrapnel, the inventor of the explosive shell that bears the family name. His family’s contributions to military innovation were significant, yet financial struggles marked much of his own life.

 

On 19 August 1835, he married Louisa Sarah Jousiffe (born 4 November 1818) at Saint Mary the Virgin in Dover, Kent. She is the daughter of Mitchel Jousif and Sarah Ann Prosser, and grand-daughter of Francis and Harriot Joseph.

 

They had a large family, raising children across England, Ireland, South Africa, and Canada due to Henry’s various military postings. Tragically, several of their children died young, including Henry (1837–1844), Louisa (1837–1844), Emma (1840–1844), Albert (1842–1843), Claude (1858–1865), Emma Louisa (1851–1865), John (1861–1873), Arthur (1843–1876), and Lucy Edith (1862–1877).

 

The couple welcomed their first child, Emily Esther Scrope Shrapnel, in 1836, followed by Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel and Louisa Scrope Shrapnel in 1837, and Emma Scrope Shrapnel in 1840. However, heartbreak soon followed, as three of their young children—Henry, Louisa, and Emma—tragically passed away in 1844. Their son Albert Percy Scrope Shrapnel, born in 1842, also died in infancy in 1843.

 

Despite these losses, their family continued to grow. Arthur Needham Scrope Shrapnel was born in 1843, Edward Scrope Shrapnel in 1845, Edith M. Shrapnel in 1846, Helena Scrope Shrapnel in 1847, Walter Scrope Shrapnel in 1849, and Emma Louisa Scrope Shrapnel in 1851. Over the next several years, they welcomed Alfred Percy Scrope Shrapnel (1853), Esther Alma Shrapnel (1854), Francis Scrope Shrapnel (1858), Claude Scrope Shrapnel (1858), John Scrope Shrapnel (1861), and Lucy Edith Shrapnel (1862). The family moved between England, Ireland, and Canada, with several of their children being born in different locations.

 

Henry and Louisa suffered further heartbreak as they lost more children over the years: Claude (1865), Emma Louisa (1865), John (1873), Arthur (1876), and Lucy Edith (1877).

Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel followed a military career, holding several positions, including:

• Cornet in the 3rd Dragoon Guards
• Captain in the Second Somerset Regiment of Militia
• Barrack Master at various locations, including King William's Town (South Africa), India, Bermuda, Ireland, and several stations in Canada, such as Quebec.

 

During his time in Ireland, Shrapnel struggled to support his large family and sought financial assistance from the British government. In 1860, he wrote a letter to the Duke of Newcastle requesting aid to relocate his family to Canada, where he had previously served as a Barrack Master. His father had received a government pension for his contributions to military technology, but this stipend ended with his death in 1842, leaving the family in financial hardship. Despite Shrapnel’s request, Colonial Office officials dismissed his appeal, noting that employment opportunities for him were "remote."

 

Despite this setback, Shrapnel and his family moved to Canada during the 1860s, where he resumed his role as Barrack Master in Quebec. He eventually retired in 1871 and later served as an immigrant agent for the Canadian government.

 

An unusual bureaucratic mix-up occurred when two separate letters, supposedly written by "Henry Shrapnel," were sent one day apart—one from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and another from Dundalk, Ireland—both requesting financial aid. The Colonial Office speculated whether they were from two sons of General Shrapnel or if one was making a fraudulent claim. Ultimately, they decided to reject both appeals. However, archival records confirm that the letter from Ireland was indeed written by Henry Needham Scrope Shrapnel, as the military positions he described aligned with his documented service.

Shrapnel’s wife, Louisa, passed away on 26 February 1880. His later years were marked by financial struggles, and despite his long career in military service and government work, he died almost penniless on 1 June 1896 in Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. He was buried in Orillia, where his name remains linked to both military history and the hardships faced by many colonial-era officers.