Harold Maurice Warford

A Private with the 61st Battalion, Harold died on 21st of March 1918 at the age of 19. 

Harold was born at Pakefield on 6 May 1898, a son of William Tyrrell and Annie Laura Warford. He was baptised at All Saints’ Church, Pakefield, on 10 July 1898.  In 1901 his family lived at The Avenue, Pakefield. In 1911 his family lived at Ferndale, 25 The Avenue, Pakefield. Later they lived at 2 Trex Road, Pakefield. 

Harold attended Kirkley School and, on 18 June 1901, became a pupil at Cunningham School. He left school on 27 July 1911.  

Harold enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Army Service Corps, service number T/261551. Harold was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), service number 123708, and posted to France where he served with the 61st Battalion. 

In March 1918 the 61st Battalion were based at Vaux. At 4.40 a.m. on 21 March the enemy began a very intensive bombardment that hist the battalion’s forward and rear areas. The day was very foggy. The men were ordered to battle stations at 4.50 a.m. The battalion war diary has ‘Owing to the thick fog little is known of the fighting in the front lines but Ellis and Enghein redoubts were still holding out at 11 a.m. and Fresnoy redoubt was surrounded and being attacked from all sides at that hour. When the fog lifted about noon large numbers of the enemy were seen advancing over Manchester Hill and were effectively engaged by [the battalion’s] guns and took cover behind Round Hill.’ About 3 p.m. the battalion’s gunners engaged the enemy moving in a column along the Holnon-Savy Road and inflicted heavy casualties. The attacks died down around 5 p.m. and the night was quiet except for a little shelling. During the day men of the battalion reserve were sent to Marteville to assist in a counter-attack and late in the day two guns were attached to the 2/7th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment for counter-attack purposes.       

The battalion’s casualties on 21-22 March were:
Officers: 14 missing 
Other ranks: 320 (approximately) missing

Harold was reported missing on 21 March 1918 and later was presumed to have been killed in action on that date. His family placed several ‘In Memorium’ notices in local newspapers which state that he was ‘missing supposed killed near St. Quentin.’