Harrogate Herald - 20th January 1915

The following is a list of members of the Harrogate Cricket Club who have joined some branch of His Majesty's Forces, as referred to by Mr Idle at the last meeting of the Yorkshire Cricket Council :

A A Alderson, R Alderson, G Alderson, Lieutenant H E Appleyard, Lieutenant O J Addyman, A W Adams, H Blackburn, J Butterworth, J Brassington, B E Brown, H Bush, P J Barker, Dr A L Bastable, Captain A B Boyd-Carpenter, O Bastable, C Chippindale, W Crust, D H Drake, G L Dimmock, Lieutenant W H Brennan, A G Fraser, E H Gomersall, T W Green, A Gofton, W F Gibson, S Holmes, J Houfe, Rev D Hoole, S A Harrison, W Langley, Lieutenant W E L Lapham, Major W F Leader, G H Lamb, C A Mantle, Hon. R Captain Moreton, K L Newstead, Lieutenant R G Raworth, H W Rymer, S Royce, T W L Strother, J M Strother, Captain F H Shaw, G B Simpson, Alex Stott, A A Thomson, G E Topham, W Voakes, Hon E Major Wood, Military Police, K Wesley-Smith

Total of 51, of which 8 are from the 1st XI

Harrogate Herald - 14th April 1915

Mr D H Drake, the Harrogate Old Boys football player, and cricketer, has been granted a commission in the 10th Lancs and Yorks Regiment, and goes to Harrow tomorrow for further training. He has been since the war broke out with the Leeds University Officers' Training Corps.

Harrogate Herald - 30th June 1915

Lieutenant Gibson, of the 7th West Riding Duke of Wellington's Regiment, is a son of Mrs Gibson, of Ripon Road, Harrogate. Lieutenant Clubb was gazetted to the 2/5th West Yorks Regiment in September, and is the son of Mrs Clubb, of Rydal, Kent Road, Harrogate. Second Lieutenant D H Drake is a son of Mr Fred Drake, West End Avenue, and the town cricketer and Harrogate Old Boys' forward. He received a commission in the 10th

........................ to finish

Claro Times - 8th October 1915

Photo - Lieutenant Douglas H Drake, son of Mr F Drake, of Harrogate, and of the York and Lancaster Regiment, is suffering from the effects of gas poisoning. He is well-known as one of the forwards of the Harrogate Old Boys' Football Club, and a player with the Harrogate Cricket Club. He took part in the final when the Old Boys met Headingley at Otley. He went to France about three weeks ago, and was placed second in command of the bombing party of the battalion. Writing on September 27th, he says he has been slightly gassed, and a communication from the chaplain of the battalion is also to the same effect. On Monday morning a further postcard was received stating that he had been sent down to the base hospital.

Curiously enough, his father had on Saturday a telegram from the War Office to the effect that Lieutenant Drake had been missing from September 25th, but the confusion will doubtless have arisen from the fact that he had been sent to the hospital, and would therefore not be present to answer the roll call of the regiment.

On the day of the great advance, Lieutenant Drake and another officer captured seventeen Germans in a village through which they were passing. It was night, but they saw a man coming out of a house who aroused their suspicions, and they took him prisoner. This led to an examination of the house, and by the use of bombs, Lieutenant Drake, who is attached to a bombing section, had about him, they drove out seventeen Germans, including an officer, who was found in one of the cellars, and took them prisoners. It is though that the Germans were a sniping party who were to be distributed along the Front for sniping purposes.

Lieutenant Drake was originally with the Leeds University Officers' Training Corps. In one letter he wrote he stated that they had been experiencing very wet weather; everything was soaked through, and he had lost all his equipment. It is possible that he may shortly be returning home.