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Private Harold Edmond of the 12th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment was killed in action on the front line east of Arras on 14 May 1917. His body was not recovered and he is remembered on the Arras Memorial, Faubourg D’ Amiens, Arras, France.
Harold enlisted at the Central Recruiting Office in Hull 18 Sep 1914, joining the 3rd Hull Pals Battalion (12th East Riding), referred to as the “Sportsmen and Enthusiasts”. After training in the UK they set sail for Egypt in Dec 1915 for guard duties along the Suez Canal. In early Mar 1916 they were transferred to France.
Harold was a survivor of two actions that cost the lives of so many men in the four Hull Pals Battalions, almost certainly taking part in the final battle on the Somme at Serre on 13 November 1916 and on May 3rd and 4th 1917 in the Battle of Arras the assault on the heavily defended Oppy Wood. According to the regimental historian, E Wryall, the 12 East Yorkshires attacking strength there was 15 officers and 474 other ranks; their losses were 10 officers and 307 other ranks. They then moved to Gavrelle. Wryall notes that “for the remainder of May there was little of interest to record” but it was there that Harold was killed. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star and the War and Victory Medals.
Harold was born in Beverley 2 Jan 1895 and baptised at St Mary’s Church 16 Mar 1895. Harold, recorded as a “Wesleyan” on his army record, seems to have had links with the Keldgate Mission. He came from a large family of eight children. His father, John Bryan Edmond a tanner’s labourer, was from Driffield; his mother Sarah Fenwick was local to Beverley. They had lived latterly St Andrew’s St and then Minster Terrace, before moving to the Wilmington area of Hull. Harold was a farm labourer. In 1911 he was a “horselad” at York Ground Farm in Swanland; later he worked in the North Dalton area. He was unmarried.
Harold is remembered on the Hengate War Memorial and on the East Riding Memorial in Beverley Minster.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |