Harrogate Herald - 24th January 1917

Letters

Pioneer H A Robinson, writing from the Western Front, says it is very cold there, and adds : I was employed until joining up by Mr E Wilson, grocer, Cambridge Street [E Wilson, Grocer & Provision Dealer, 15 Cambridge Street], also at the local telephone office as a night operator, and have put "PA London" through to you many a time. I am in a billet, and have with me in the same a man named Firth. He is a cousin of Alderman W J Binns, and comes from Bradford. I also work along with a chap from Ripon named Donnison, so I have one or two friends here that don't live far from me. I am out here as a telephone exchange operator, but it is a bit harder work than at the local exchange. Thanking you for the Herald, which I look forward to.

Harrogate Herald - 25th April 1917

W H Breare letter

I have received quite a budget of news from Pioneer H A Robinson, who has just been in to see me. He is the son of the late Mr and Mrs Robinson, 20 [?] Electric Avenue, New Park. The family have had a stall in the Market nearly thirty years, so they will be well know to you. Robinson could not leave for some time, as he is a telephone operator, and there was no one to take his place. He is now on leave for ten days. Robinson has put me through to London and elsewhere many a time when he was at the Harrogate Telephone Exchange. He is located at the headquarters of his lot. I am glad to say he has never had a day's illness since he went out, and has never missed getting his Herald. My visitor had seen Stephenson, whose father is a building contractor, and lives on Skipton Road. Robinson's pal at the telephone work is Donnison, of Ripon. They relieve each other on the same job. He thinks Donnison worked for us at one time, but I do not remember him. Donnison worked at Ripon in the printing business before he went out to the Front. The Ripon firm for whom he worked bought the business of Armstrong, Harrogate, and Donnison came to manage it. another local man he had seen was Firth, of Bradford, a cousin of Alderman W J Binns. Firth is not with him now, as he got blood poisoning, and had to be sent back to the base. He saw a Starbeck last a week ago, but had forgotten his name. The man was bringing up recruits. You may remember Robinson's father fractured his ribs, and then shortly after fell downstairs and was killed. My caller's wife is the youngest daughter of ex-Councillor H Abbott, who has been living the last eleven years at Whitley Bay. I often wondered that I never saw Abbott, and am glad to know now he is very well. He sees lots of Harrogate chaps where he is. Robinson's wife's youngest brother (Gunner W S Abbott) is in the Bath Hospital now with rheumatism. He was in that push of the 1st of September, and out at the Front up to January of this year. By then his battalion had been so knocked about that the doctor ordered it out of the line. Young Abbott came on a stretcher all the way from France. I am sorry to say that his heart is bad, too bad to undergo certain treatment for his rheumatism. He will be discharged, however, before long, and then I expect it is light duty for him. By the way, the RE Signallers, to whom Robinson belongs, beat the West Riding Casualty Clearing Station at football by 4 goals to nil.

Harrogate Herald – 29th January 1919

Acknowledging the Herald, Corporal Denison, of 1 Squadron, RAF, BEF, writes : I first of all read your most newsy letter to us und see if there are any Harrogate boys near Le Hamean, where I am stationed, which is some 15 kilos from Arras; 94 Squadron has broken up, and most of us are posted to 1 Squadron on the same aerodrome. We are to receive machines, and are pilots fly them to Marquise; there the ferry pilots take them to England. I hear this will last one month, weather permitting, but I hope to be home, back to my little business in Mowbray Square; better still amongst the townspeople. During my time in this Corps I have only met two Harrogate men – Mr Thompson, the principal tenor at the Congregational Church, and Harold Robinson; his brother has a fruiterer's shop in the Market Hall. I was pleased to hear Lieutenant E Dawson had arrived home after being shot down. We as a squadron never got into action, for the morning we were to escort a bombing expedition news came through cancelling the engagement owing to the Germans pleading for an armistice. We were all up at day-break, and the machines running up ready to make a start. Most of our pilots have been out here before and are clever stunters on this type of machine, 200hp Sev. I've been making my officer a model to scale which has turned out a success. I will be pleased to make you one when I return for your kindness, not only to me, but all the Harrogate boys. I don't know of anyone who has done for us as you have.

Harrogate Herald - 30th November 1921

Memorial tablet in porch of the Dragon Road Methodist Church : Full article at War Memorials

The following names appear after the 15 names of those killed.

These are the names of members of the church who fought in the war, and returned :

A H Annakin, A B Annakin, R H Auton, E R Barf, T Barker, W Benson, W Blakey, A G Bolton, C Brown, O Chippindale, J Crossley, D Cuthbert, C R [H ?] Dawson, W Featherstone, H Foxald, P Gale, H Grant, J P Grant, T Grant, J H Halstead, R Halstead, H Hevysides, E G Hodges, E Horn (Sapper), E Horn (Trooper), G W Holland, A E Houseman, G Hood, C H Hunter, G Ince, J Ince, F Ingleson, B Joy, J W P Joy, H H King, E Long, F Lyon, H Mann, H Midgeley, R Middleton, S M Mitchell, F R Mitchell, H Naylor, H Newport, A E Pearson, H C Pilsworth, W Preston, F V Preston, C E Preston, R Rayner, B M Rayner, H A Robinson, J Robinson, E Robinson, G F Roberts, G Rowling, G Scales, H Shepherd, J G Shepherd, C E Smith, J W Suggitt, J Summerscales, J Sunderland, B A Town, N Town, G Thackway, A Ward, H Ward, F Weighill, W A Whittaker, W Waddington, V Younger.