Harold Thompson was born on 14 November 1896 at 3, Dryden’s Entry, Salthouse Lane, Hull, the third child of William, a tugboat fireman, and Kate Thompson, of 22, Blue Bell Entry, Lowgate, Hull (War Pension address). His mother died three years later of Septicaemia and Bronchitis and by 1901 his father and the three children were sharing a property in 18 Halden Terrace in Hull. By 1911 the family had moved to 22 Blue Bell Entry off the High Street in Hull and Harold was employed as an errand boy. He enlisted in Hull with the 1st/4th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment and made. He was killed in action, on 07/12/1914, aged 19. CWGC records record that he died on 10/09/1916?
An informal handwritten will (undated) leaving all his property and effects to his father. These wills were kept by troops in their pocket service books. Harold was killed on 10 September 1916 on the Somme front line in the Mametz Wood area. The War diary of the 4th Battalion records only one person killed on that day (presumed to be Harold Thompson) with seven other people wounded. Harold is buried in the Bazentin-le-Petit Communal Cemetery Extension, to the north east of Albert.
It is not known why Harold Thompson appears on the Swanland War Memorial as nothing has been seen linking him to Swanland?
