231978 Capt. Harold James Page MBE.British Army 106 Battery, 22nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery from:Surrey Harold James Page born 1890 joined up in 1914 and fought in Ypres and then in France. By July 1916, he was fighting in France as a Captain of 106 battery of 22nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery in the lead up to and during the Battle of Mametz Wood
On 10th July 1916 he was acting as a Forward Observation Officer (FOO) on top of Caterpillar Wood, south of Mametz Wood, looking out towards Flat Iron Copse and positioned south of the Hammer Head part of Mametz Wood. Caterpillar Wood had been occupied in the weeks before by the Germans who had left piles of ammunition there as they retreated. On 10th July 1916, the German guns were firing towards Caterpillar Wood and at about 9.50 pm on the evening of 10th July 1916, a shell fell near where Harold Page was observing, blowing up a pile of ammunition. A sliver of red hot shrapnel pierced Harold's left lower jaw passing straight through and out the other side exiting just under his left ear.
Although it shattered his jaw and teeth, it did not kill him. He was treated initially at a dressing station near Caterpillar Wood and then evacuated via The Loop, The Triangle and Minden Post to the village of Morlancourt where he remembers waking up in an old church which was being used as a Main Dressing Station. He was sent back to England immediately to Guys Hospital, London and took no further part in military operations.
Despite his dreadful wounds he resumed working for the war effort in London and was awarded the MBE for his services in July 1917. He became one of the earliest of Dr Gillies patients having his face reconstructed.
He made a full recovery and went on to live a full and happy life , he married and had 4 children - I am his granddaughter. Harold died in January 1972.
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