Henry and Eliza (née Blomfield) were married at St John's Church in Woodbridge on 20th June 1880. They set up their home on The Street in Melton, by which time, Henry was working as a groom and their first child, Elsie had already been born. By 1891, the family had moved to Plantation Place in Melton with five new additions: Ettie, Allison, Frank, Kate, and Edward. Another son, Arthur, died shortly after he was born. Ten years later, in 1901, the Lloyds were living in the same house and two more children had been born: Charles and Henry. Over the next few years, Allison, Henry, Kate and Elsie left the family home and, by 1911, the rest of the family had moved to Wilford Place.
All of Henry and Eliza’s sons served during the First World War, but only two, Allison and Edward returned. Charles and Henry both died during the Battle of The Somme in 1916 and Frank, at the Battle of Loos in 1915. They are remembered on the Melton War Memorial. In 1915, Henry and Eliza received a letter from the King’s Private Secretary in recognition of them having five sons on active service:
Buckingham Palace, S.W., 24th July 1915
Sir – I am commanded by the King to convey to you an expression of His Majesty’s appreciation of the patriotic spirit which has prompted your five sons to give their services at the present time to the Army. The King was much gratified to hear the manner in which they have so readily responded to the call of their Sovereign and their country, and I am to express to you and to them his Majesty’s congratulations on having contributed in so full a measure to the great cause for which all the people of the British Empire are so bravely fighting.
I have the honour, etc.,
F. M. Ponsonby