One hundred years ago today, just over a month after the start of the Great War, the British Army was fighting the Battle of the Aisne. During that battle, sometime between the 14 – 16th of September, Private Harold Strange, number 14117, 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards, aged 20 years, was killed in action (his date of death is recorded as 14 – 16th September in his Army records, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has it between 11 – 16th September. Based on the battle and his army records the 15th seemed the best date).
Harold was a Porthill Scout, and was the first of eighteen of our Scouts, that we know of, that were killed in the Great War.
Harold was not a local lad, he was in fact born in York in 1894. His mother was widowed and married William Hockett who was in the army at that time & based in Yorkshire. William left the army and settled in Porthill in 1908, becoming the Troop’s first Scoutmaster. Harold also joined the Troop at the same time when he was aged 14. However, he didn’t stay with the Troop for very long as he joined the Grenadier Guards as a boy drummer in December 1908.
You can read his full story here.
Sadly, Harold was forgotten over time and his name is not on our Memorial in St. Andrew’s Church. However, his connection to our Group has now been re-established and we remember him as the first of our Scouts killed in conflicts.
James Harold Strange b. York 1894 – d. France 1914.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
