Pte 52219 Harold Hart

• Age: 23
• From: Cloughfold, Lancs
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Saturday 23rd June 1917
• Commemorated at: Perth Cem Zillebeke
  Panel Ref: I.B.5

Harold Hart was born in 1894 in Cloughfold, Lancashire. He was the son of the late James and Maria Hart (nee Skerratt), of Cloughfold, Manchester.

The 1901 Census shows the family living at 6, Heys Street, Rawtenstall, Haslingden, Lancashire. His father, James, is aged 52, born in Bury in 1849 is a foreman in a stone quarry, his mother, Maria, is aged 50, born in Stockport in 1851 with no occupation listed. They have seven children declared in the household;, Margaret is aged 26, born 1875 in Edenfield, Lancashire, Edith is aged 24, born 1877 in Bacup and Emily is aged 22, born 1879 in Stacksteads, Lancashire and are all employed as weavers in a cotton mill. John is aged 19 born 1882 in Stacksteads is a clerk in a cotton manufacturers office, Lena is aged 15, born in 1886 has no occupation listed, Ethel is aged 12, born in 1889 and is a sciver in a slipper mill and both were born in Lancashire, and Harold is aged 7, born 1894 in Cloughfold, Lancashire.  

The 1911 Census shows Harold living at 199 Bacup Road, Cloughfold, Rawtenstall, Lancashire. He is living with his brother, John now aged 29 and employed as a secretary in a cotton spinning and manufacturing company and his sister, Lena, is aged 25 with no occupation listed. Harold is aged 17 and working as a junior clerk for a cotton spinning and manufacturing company.   

He enlisted in Manchester and was formerly 3443, Manchester Regiment and was serving in the 19^th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment as Private No 52219 when he was killed in action on the 23^rd June, 1917 aged 23.

By June 1917 the 19^th Battalion was in the Ypres salient, in the front line south of Hooge. On the 10th, the 19^th is relieved in the line and marches back to Brandhoek.  The Battalion War Diary for 23^rd June records:  

 “At night practically all the battalion were out on a working party digging an assembly trench and suffered casualties:  7 OR killed, 13 OR wounded, 1 OR missing.” 

Harold was one of the 7 other ranks the others being George Ashbrook, Norman Garside, Andrew Harron, Harold Mathison, Frederick Owen and Joseph Spencer mentioned in the Battalion diary.

His death was reported in the Rossendale Free Press dated 14th July 1917: 

"Pte Harold Hart, King`s Liverpool Regiment from Higher Cloughfold. Died aged 23"

KILLED IN ACTION

Former Assistant Librarian in Burnley

News has been received of the death in action of Private Harold Hart, formerly assistant librarian at the Burnley Mechanics Institute. The deceased whose home was at Cloughfold, was formerly in the Rawtenstall library under Mr H. Wilkinson, and he came to Burnley in March 1914, remaining until February 24th 1915 when he voluntarily entered the army. He went to France last year and was killed on June the 23rd.

He now lies in Perth Cemetery, Zillebeke, Belgium. The Inscription on his headstone reads:

”FONDLY REMEMBERED”

The cemetery was begun by French troops in November 1914 (the French graves were removed after the Armistice) and adopted by the 2nd Scottish Rifles in June 1917. It was called Perth (as the predecessors of the 2nd Scottish Rifles were raised in Perth), China Wall (from the communication trench known as the Great Wall of China), or Halfway House Cemetery. The cemetery was used for front line burials until October 1917 and contained 130 graves. It was not used again until after the Armistice, when graves were brought in from the battlefields and smaller cemeteries around Ypres.  There are now 1,426 WW1 Commonwealth burials in the cemetery.

He is also commemorated on the Haslingden Secondary School Roll of Honour and Borough of Rawtenstall Methodist War Memorial, Cloughfold.

Soldiers Effects to brother John, sisters Margaret Kershaw, Edith Addison, Emily Ormerod, Lena and Ethel.

Grateful thanks goes to Burnley in the Great War website for permission to use the photograph of Harold.

We currently have no further information on Harold Hart, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.