Coulson, Harold

BORN HULL 1896. ELDEST SON OF GEORGE & ADA COULSON, 24, ALFRED STREET, HESSLE ROAD (CWGC ADDRESS & THIS AUSTRALIAN ARMY ADDRESS). SON OF A HULL DOCKER. HE EMIGRATED TO AUSTRALIA, LIVING C/O MRS EVANS, IN EMERALD, VICTORIA. EMPLOYED AS AN ORCHARD HAND. ENLISTED AT BROADMEADOWS, MELBOURNE, ON 02/03/1917, AGED 20 YEARS AND 7 MONTHS. DESCRIBED AS 5 FOOT 8 INCHES TALL, 32 INCH CHEST, 115 LBS WEIGHT, BLUE EYES, BLACK HAIR, SCAR ON FOREHEAD. ARRIVED IN FRANCE, ON 06/07/1917. JOINED THE 59TH AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE. KILLED IN ACTION, ON THE SOMME, ON 04/07/1918, AGED 21. A SINGLE MAN. HIS ARMY EFFECTS WERE LEFT TO HIS MOTHER IN HULL. HIS ARMY RECORDS CONTAIN AN AFFECTIONATE LETTER FROM HIS MOTHER, DESCRIBING HOW HARD HOME LIFE IS IN HULL, THAT HIS BROTHER GEORGE IS AT THE FRONT AND HIS SISTERS, NELLIE AND ANNIE ARE HARD AT WORK. SHE DESCRIBES HER HOPE FOR THE FAMILY TO JOIN HAROLD IN AUSTRALIA AFTER THE WAR. SHE ALSO MENTIONS THAT THERE IS NO FISH ANYMORE IN HULL AND IT IS BECOMING A HARD PLACE TO LIVE. NINE MONTHS AFTER HIS DEATH HIS MOTHER WRITES TO THE AUSTRALIAN AUTHORITIES SAYING THAT SHE IS “A POOR WOMAN”, WITH A BAD HUSBAND AND STILL HAS NOT RECEIVED ANY PENSION FOR HER DEAR SON. SHE SAID HER BOY WAS HER ONLY HOPE OF A BETTER LIFE AFTER THE WAR.
HAROLD COULSON IS BURIED AT MERICOURT-L’ABBE COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, SOMME, FRANCE. THE GRAVE INSCRIPTION, READS, “IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR SON”. HE WAS 21.