Harrogate Herald - 8th December 1915

Other portraits we reproduce today in our picture page are Private James Elsworth, of the 13th West Yorks Regiment, with the BEF in France; his brother, Private Ernest Elsworth, of the Army Service Corps, who is at Thornhill Labour Camp, Aldershot; they are the sons of Mrs Elsworth, Denmark Street, Harrogate; Private R Cooper of the 26th Provisional Battalion, who is at Donna Nook, North Somercoates, Lincolnshire; Trooper A Annakin, who joined the Yorkshire Hussars in February, and was assistant signalman at the station, is now in France; Saddler F Annakin, Yorkshire Hussars, who is stationed at York, father and son, of 4 Nydd vale Terrace, Harrogate; Private B Dickinson, 1/5th West Yorks Regiment; Private Harold Leyland, son of Mr Fred Leyland, of New Park, Harrogate; Gunner J Herrington, Royal Field Artillery, son of Mrs Herrington, Denmark Terrace, Harrogate; Private A V Taylor, Royal Army Medical Corps, of 4 Grove Street, Starbeck; Bombardier E Whincup, Royal Field Artillery, 11 Grove Street, Starbeck.

Harrogate Herald - 8th December 1915

Private James Elsworth, writing home to his wife, 16 Willow Grove, relates his experiences in the trenches, where they had been employed building them up, the heavy rain having caused much damage, and they were up to their waist in water. It appears he was in the Battle of Loos, where so many of the Harrogate boys were wounded. Coming out of the trenches the other day, they got in the range of German shell fire for over half-an-hour, though, luckily, no one was hurt. The ends of several houses were, however, blown in, and he saw women and children running in all directions, almost frightened to death, which troubled him to the quick. It was a awful sight, he said, to see the havoc caused in the town by the Germans, who sent shells in every day; and could the single men of Harrogate witnessed what he had, the poor thing screaming about the town - nothing, he was sure, would prevent them enlisting and having their revenge on the Germans.