BORN HULL 1899. SON OF WILLIAM AND THE LATE MARY JANE SKELTON. HE WORKED BEFORE ENLISTMENT AT THE BRITISH OIL & CAKE MILLS. HE ENLISTED IN HULL AND SERVED WITH THE 12TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT, (3RD HULL PALS BATTALION). SERVED IN EGYPT AND FRANCE. HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON 19/08/1916, AGED 17. HIS DEATH AND PHOTOGRAPH APPEARED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL ON THE 16TH SEPTEMBER 1916. HIS WAR PENSION WAS LEFT TO HIS FATHER WILLIAM SKELTON (BORN 1850) AT 6 SHORT STREET, SPENCER STREET, HULL. (PENSION LEDGER ADDRESS)
HIS ELDER BROTHER, PRIVATE, ALBERT SKELTON, 25654, SERVED IN “B” COMPANY, 7TH EAST YORKSHIRE REGIMENT. HE LIVED AT 1 MELROSE STREET, HULL AND WAS KILLED IN ACTION, ON 08/06/1918, AGED 31.
Hull Pals Memorial Post. PRIVATE, HARRY SKELTON 12/1215. Born in Hull, but details are sketchy so I can only trace the path of his life from enlistment as that is the same path followed by all of The Originals. They trained at barracks in Hornsea, Beverley and Ripon before moving south and sailing from Devonport bound for Alexandria, Egypt on 8th December 1915. The journey was a rough one and there’s a particularly graphic account of soldiers fighting each other for deck space to throw up over the side, with many not making it that far. They arrived just after Christmas and spent the next two months garrisoned as part of the Expeditionary Force there to defend the Suez Canal from potential attack by the Turkish Army. On February 29th they sailed from Port Said bound for Marseilles and then took the train north to Armentieres entering the trenches late in March. They were back-up during the first days of the Somme campaign though were thankfully not needed. Harry Skelton was killed in action on 19th August 1916 and is buried in Le Touret Military Cemetery.
