Name
Harry Reynolds
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Pirton School Memorial
Biography
Harry appears on the School War Memorial, confirming that he attended the school. Parish records suggest only one man of this name who could have served, and he was born on March 21st 1890 to Lewis and Mary Ann Reynolds (née Catterell). So he would have been twenty-four at the outbreak of war. In all it would appear that six brothers served, four survived - refer to George Thomas Reynolds for more family details.
By 1911, all but Walter appear to have left the family home, which was 3 Wesley Cottages - the group of cottages behind the terrace which now contains the village shop. Harry does not appear in the Pirton census, so must have been working or living away from Pirton at the time.
A newspaper cutting from very late 1917 or perhaps early 1918 provides confirmation that Harry’s parents were Mr and Mrs Lewis Reynolds of 3 Wesley Cottages. His father had a small-holding and his mother had been an invalid for several years. Harry was one of six brothers serving; the others were Walter and Albert, who both died and are listed on the Village War Memorial, and Jacob, William and George who survived. It is also recorded that they had at least one sister, whose husband was also serving.
Harry was a driver in the Royal Horse Artillery in France, but prior to December 1917 had been badly gassed. He must have recuperated because the newspaper reports him as returning to his Regiment in Yorkshire. It also reports that he was married.
A monument inscription in St. Mary’s churchyard records that Harry died on June 10th 1955, aged sixty-five. It also lists Elizabeth as his wife. She died November 26th 1959, aged seventy-four, and Francis William Reynolds, presumably their son, died in 1944 aged twenty-one.
Note: The 1911 census indicates that there is another man of this name, the son of John and Ann Reynolds; however because of the evidence from the newspaper reports he is not the Harry that served
Acknowledgments
Text from the book ‘The Pride of Pirton’ by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used with author's permission
