Henry was born in Crewe (Nantwich) on 22 November 1897, the eighth child of Arthur and Elizabeth (née Yarwood) Moss, with three elder brothers and four sisters. His mother had three more sons and one more daughter of whom all twelve survived to adulthood. Between leaving school and joining the Royal Navy on 19 May 1914 Martin had been employed as an engine fitter but preferred and qualified in boys training to become a telegraphist.

Henry joined the Royal Navy when at 16 years and six months old he climbed the gangway for the first time of the converted cruiser HMS POWERFUL in Devonport dockyard as a Boy Second Class for basic training. In December POWERFUL had a name change and became HMS IMPREGNABLE though it continued in the role of “Boy Training Ship” and on 14 January 1915 Henry was advanced to Boy First Class, and two months later on 20 March he was selected for Boy Telegraphist. On the 9 April 1915 he was drafted to Portsmouth and onto the hulks that made up HMS VERNON for five weeks of branch training before joining the battleship HMS QUEEN MARY on 14 May 1915 as Boy Tel, though  still with an under training draft order for 4 months,

Finally on 21 September 1915 he was drafted as Ordinary Telegraphist to a ships company billet in the cruiser HMS ROYAL ARTHUR, the designated submarine support vessel in Scapa Flow. On the first of June 1916 Henry had another advancement to Telegraphist, and on 21 April 1917 a draft to HMS LUCIA for HMS  C34 of the 10th Flotilla based in Scapa Flow. On the 16 July 1917  C34 left the harbour for a patrol area North of the island of Fair Isle. It is reported that about midday on the 17 April she was spotted on the surface and stopped in the water by the German submarine U52.

U52 was able to manoeuvre into an attack position and one torpedo released by U52 hit C34 just aft of the bridge causing a large explosion and C34 sank very quickly. The German submarine surfaced and found one crew member swimming in the wreckage – he was recovered and taken back to Germany where he was interred as a POW for the rest of the war.

Henry Moss is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Panel 25.