|
|
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Site Home
Help & FAQs
Features
Submissions
Information
Advertisements
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Sgt. Harold A. Earridge
British Army 2nd Btn. Worcestershire Regiment
from:Plumstead
Harold Earridge was my Great Grandfather. I was lucky enough to know him during my childhood. He lived on the same road as his daughter, my grandmother, right opposite my school gates where he would wait for me and my big brother to give us fluffy sweets from his pocket.
I knew he'd been in the war as I remember him showing me his medals but had no idea of what that really meant. Strangely my mum doesn't remember seeing them or even going into his house as a child as he appeared to her to be quite distant from the family even though he lived on the same road. Sadly this seems to be a bit of a theme with soldiers of the Great War. Apparently, I went missing as a small child and after frantic searching of the neighbourhood, I was found safe and sound with Great Grandad which came as a total surprise to my grandparents and parents because they didn't know I knew him that well and spent time with him (early 1970's). I was only 4. I probably knew more about his war than anyone else at that time and maybe since.
Harold was a career soldier who signed up in 1905. In 1911 he was a stationed at Western Heights Dover in 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment which is where he would have met my Great Grandmother Ellen Carter. They married in December 1911.
By the time WW1 began he was with the 2nd Battalion. He is named as having been in Gheluvelt 31st of October 1914 and remained in France and Flanders until the end of the war having seen action in many battles.
My grandmother was born in 1919 and spent part of her childhood in India where her brother, (sadly he died in infancy), and sister were born. This must mean he was back with 3rd Battalion as the 2nd didn't go there when my grandmother told me she was there. They had 4 daughters and another son. Ellen died in 1935 of TB. Apparently Harold would cycle from Dover to Canterbury to visit her in the sanatorium every week whatever the weather. He married again to Florence but she passed away from tetanus not long after. Harold married a third time and had another son at age 57. Harold never really spoke of his experiences during the war and certainly never complained. Harold passed away in 1977 having had a long and fruitful life. I remember him extremely fondly and have immense pride in him.
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
The Wartime Memories Project Website
is archived for preservation by the British Library
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.
