Harrogate Herald - 21st March 1917

To Gordon Topham : 

We haven't a Christmas Annual left.

Letters

Gordon Topham says : 

I wrote you in the first week of the New Year, but my letter must have gone astray owing to our friends the Huns having such grievous objections to our boats travelling safely on the water, but I think they will get as bad a smack on the seas as they have already had on land, and then they will be done.

Harrogate Herald - 24th October 1917

Roll of Honour

The family of the late Mr T W Topham, of King's Road, Harrogate, and Mrs Topham, 3 Grove Terrace, Bradford, have been exceedingly unfortunate, Sergeant Major Christopher Topham being killed in action on October 9th. He joined the Harrogate Territorials in 1904, and was at Scarborough in training when the war broke out. He immediately went into training for the war on the Continent, and was drafted to France in April, 915. Before the war he was employed by Mr F Jackson, builder, Harrogate. His officer, writing to Mrs Topham, expresses his sorrow at her loss, and says : "Your son was sent to us as sergeant major, and he pulled the company together wonderfully, and made a very fine body of men. He is a greater loss to the battalion than any other man who lost his life that day. I had the greatest personal liking for him, and know all the other officers had the same. As far as I can make out he was killed while bravely leading the company, when all his officers were knocked out. I am sure it is the kind of death he would have chosen".

Corporal Arthur Topham (West Yorks), his brother, was wounded by shrapnel on Messines Ridge in trying to save a trench mortar, and has just returned to his battalion. Private Fred Topham, another brother, was wounded by gunshot in the right arm on June 5th, and is now an inmate or the Jericho Military Hospital, Berwick. Another brother, Staff Sergeant Gordon Topham, late of the West Yorks, is with the AVC in Egypt. The above are the grandsons of the late Mr W Topham and the late Mr Christopher & Mrs Hodgson, of West Park, Harrogate.