Harold was born 1895 in Alford, Lincolnshire. He lived there in West Street with his older sister Ethel, mother Harriet and father John, a cyclemaker and repairer. All four were born in North Lincolnshire but in the summer of 1901 Harriet died. This signalled the break-up of the family. Ethel went to work away from home and John gave up his cycle business. He brought Harold to Stamford to live with his late wife’s younger sister, Annie White, at 40 Burghley Houses, Ryhall Road. Although she was a single lady, aged 33, her 14-year-old daughter Marian, also lived with them. John worked as a fitter at a local engineering works and Harold became an apprentice retailer in an ironmonger’s shop.

In 1915, aged 20, Harold volunteered for military service but by then he had left Stamford to work in Coventry. His address was 20 Coundon Road, Coventry although his father, cited as his next-of-kin, was still living in Ryhall Road. On 10 November 1915 Harold became Gunner 119032 in the Royal Field Artillery, 66th Battery, 55th Brigade. He fought in Mesopotamia and Palestine and had two spells in a Field Hospital, from 2 Sep 1916 to 28 Jan 1917 and 13 Oct 1917 to 26 Oct 1917.

Back in service he was promoted on 8 November 1917and served for another eighteen months. On 28 May 1919 he was medically examined and declared fit with ‘no malaria’ and on 14 June 1919 he embarked at Alexandria in a troopship for Britain. He was finally discharged at Ripon on 17 June 1919 with no disability pension.

There is no record of Harold ever marrying but he returned to Coventry where his death was registered in 1977.