BORN HULL 1890. SON OF THOMAS MEDFORTH (1854-1925) & EDITH HORNSEA MEDFORTH(1861-1891), OF 60 VICTOR STREET, HULL. HE MARRIED AT ST MARYS, DRYPOOL, ON 26/01/1911. WORKED AS A SAWMILL LABOURER.
HE ENLISTED IN THE HULL PALS, ON 07/06/1915. SERVED WITH THE 13TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. DIED OF WOUNDS, AS A PRISONER OF WAR, ON 14/11/1917, AGED 27. BURIED AT DOUAI COMMUNAL CEMETERY. MARRIED AT HULL, ON 26/03/1911. HE LEFT WIDOW, ADA HARRISON AND THREE DAUGHTERS, AT 2 MARFLEET TERRACE, CRAVEN STREET, HULL (ARMY ADDRESS) AND 12 LILLIES AVENUE, KENT STREET, HULL (WAR PENSION ADDRESS) HE IS PHOTOGRAPHED WITH HIS BROTHER WHO SERVED IN THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS, – THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 24TH NOVEMBER 1915. *
Hull Pals Memorial. PRIVATE HARRY MEDFORTH 19410. Born in January 1890, Harry was the eldest of three children and only son of Thomas and Edith Medforth, of 60 Victor Street, Hull. A Sawmill Labourer by trade, he married Ada Harrison at St. Andrew’s Church on 26th March 1911 and the couple lived at 2 Marfleet Terrace, Craven Street, Hull with their three children. When war came it appears Harry enlisted on 8th September 1914 as 12211 but for some reason was discharged soon after. He re-enlisted on 7th June 1915 and served with the 3rd and 6th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiments before ending up in the 11th. He was not a natural soldier from the start. There are six incidences of overstaying passes and drunkenness before he left England, and again in August 1917 while in the field. He also had numerous periods of sickness which took him out of the front line for short periods of winter 1916/17. Army life did not suit him. Harry was wounded and captured during trench raids at Fresnoy on 8th November 1917, he died of wounds six days later and is buried in a joint grave at Douai Communal Cemetery, the same joint grave as Sergeant, Frank Clark. I had wondered who Frank spent eternity with, and now I know. Brothers forever.
