Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of James Munns a foreman porter with the Great Northern Railway Company, born 1863 in Cambridgeshire, and his wife Ann Kezia Munns (nee Bilson), born 1863 in Southam, Warwks. Herbert was born in 1897 in Melton Mowbray, Leics., his siblings were, Albert E., born 1888, Ethel M., born 1890, Lottie E., born 1892, Ernest Alfred, born 1892, May, born 1895 and Charles John, born 1901, all his siblings were born in Melton Mowbray, Leics., in March 1901 the family home was at G.N.R. Cottages, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leics. In April 1911 Herbert was residing in the family home at 2, Great Northern Cottages, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray, Leics., together with his parents and siblings, May and Charles. On Friday August 17th 1917 The Melton Mowbray Times & Vale of Belvoir Gazette published the following article under the heading. “MELTON AND THE WAR” – MELTON MACHINE GUNNER KILLED. On Saturday morning Mr J. Munns, 2, Great Northern Cottages, Melton Mowbray, who for over 37 years has been a porter at the Great Northern Station, received a letter from an officer of the Machine Gun Corps stating that he regretted to inform him that his son, Pte. H. Munns, was killed instantaneously by a shell on August 1st, and suffered no pain. He was very much respected by all officers, non commissioned officers, and men of his Company. Deceased was a fine soldier, and they deeply regretted his loss. Pte. H. Munns was 20 years in March of the present year, and when he enlisted shortly before last Christmas he had been a porter at the Great Northern station for about four and a half years. He has not been out at the front quite three months. Mr Munns lost another son at Gallipoli two years ago this month, and has two other sons serving, Arthur being out with the Motor Mechanical Section of the A.S.C., and Albert in the Royal Navy. The last named served for two years on the Queen Elizabeth.