Stone, Harold George

STONE,

HAROLD GEORGE

BORN 2 SEPTEMBER 1898

Harold George Stone was born

2 September 1898, only son of George Stone (b 1867 in Taunton, Somerset) and Maria Leach Stone (née Densham, b 1868 in Morchard Bishop, Devon). George and Maria were married on 1 September 1897 in Bishopston, Bristol.

In 1901 they were living at 16 Tyne Road in Bishopston. His sister Edney Florence was born in 1903. On the 18 September 1911 Harold joined School, form Shell, aged 13. The School’s admission register records he was living at 11 Kent Road St Andrews Park. His father was a commercial traveller for a printing company. Harold appears in the school lists for Midsummer 1912 and 1913 but is absent after that. This suggests he left at about the age of 15 and records him starting work with the British American Tobacco Company.

The publication Bishopston at War gives a very detailed account of his military service summariesed as follows:

Harold’s medal record suggests that he enlisted while under age with the 2/1 North Somerset Yeomanry shortly after it was formed in September 1914.

He transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry, 8th Battalion and proceeded to France on 8 December 1916. He gained a field commission as a 2nd Lieutenant shortly afterwards which was duly reported in the Bristol Times & Mirror on the 9th and 13th of January 1917.

He took part in the 1st and 2nd battle of Scarpe in April 1917 followed by the battle of Pilkem Ridge (July – August 1917). Further fighting in the battles of Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcapelle, and the 1st Passchendaele (September – October) led to 100,000 casualties for little gain.

After a spell in reserve, 1918 saw him see action in the battle of Ancre. Heavy fighting took place in Rossignol Wood and part of the village of Bucquoy was lost. At this point, Harold was serving as Battalion signals officer.

By the end of 5th April 1918 little had been gained. About this time Harold, accompanied by Corporal Strawbridge, ran out of the trenches with a telephone line and relayed messages back to Battalion Headquarters until he was killed by shellfire and the line cut.

He was just 19.

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CONT. STONE,

HAROLD GEORGE

BORN 2 SEPTEMBER 1898

In all 4 officers were killed that day and another 6 were wounded or captured.

Sadly Harold’s body was never recovered and his name was listed on the Arras Memorial, Bay 4, which commemorates the 35,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the sector between the Spring of 1916 and the 7th August 1918 and have no known grave.

His death was later reported in the Bristol Times & Mirror on 13 April 1918. His sister Edney died around March 1923, aged 20. His father died in February 1926, aged 59, followed by his mother in January 1928, aged 58.

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