Tank Corps. Regimental no. 110411.
Previously 1/6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment. Regimental number 502.
Early life:
Harry’s parents were Walter Atkinson and Frances Atkinson née Tennison, who were married at St. John’s Church in Cullingworth on the 21st of February 1888. Walter was a bachelor aged 34 and employed as a mill hand, living in Cullingworth. Frances was a spinster aged 26 and living in Manningham.
Harry was born on the 20th of December 1889 and registered at Keighley in the first quarter of 1890. He was baptised at St. John’s Church in Cullingworth on the 18th of May 1890, when he would have been about six months of age. At that time his family were living in Keighley and his father was a singer. We could not find the family in the 1891 census.
Harry’s sister Mary Ann was born on the 24th of March 1892 and she was baptised at the age of four at St. John’s Church in Cullingworth, on the 21st of June 1896. The family were living at Keighley at the time and her father was a grosser.
From the Dictionary of Occupational Terms:
grosser
a yarn bundler, who counts out hanks or skeins of yarn into bundles of a gross, and presses them together in hand or hydraulic press having slots permitting tying of yarn under pressure; lays paper wrapper, and twine on bed of press, operates press and ties yarn, cf. handler, press.
In the 1901 census Harry was living at 1, Chelsea Street in Keighley with his father Walter aged 37, a worsted yarn grosser and his mother Frances aged 39, looking after the family home. Harry aged eleven and his sister Mary Ann aged nine were both attending school and given the location of their house this was probably the nearby Holy Croft School. Also living with them was Harry’s widowed step-grandfather Thomas Priestley aged 79, he was a retired worsted yarn dyer.
Harry father Walter died at the age of 43 in 1907. His death was recorded in Keighley in the third quarter of the year.
By 1911 Harry was aged 21. He was living at 21, South Street with his widowed mother Frances who was aged 49 and a restaurant manageress. There were twelve people living at this address in the census and half were boarders. Willie Larrington was Harry’s cousin aged 13 and a painter at a loom works. Harry was a fitter at a loom works. Polly Atkinson ( his sister Mary Ann) was aged 19, Nellie Burnett aged 21 and Hannah Benson aged 23 were all waitresses at the restaurant.
The following were all boarders: Tom Harrison a single man aged 33 and Edwin Whyte a widower aged 50 were both labourers at a loom works; James O’Hara a widower aged 44, textile labourer, Jesse Leach a widower aged 42 was a fitter at a loom works; Michael Golding a widower aged 45 and a blacksmith at a washing machine works and William Bullough Thompson a widower aged 70 and a labourer at a wood works (unemployed.)
21 South Street no longer exists. It was located across the road from the Friendly Inn (recently renamed as the ‘Percy Vear’)
War service:
Harry enlisted early in the war with the 6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment.
He is named in the Keighley Town Clerk’s 1914 Enlistments as:
Atkinson, H. 21, South Street. Private. D Company, 6th Battalion, Duke of Wellingtons Regiment. Next of kin: Mother.
Harry is also named in Keighley’s Gallant Sons as:
Atkinson, Harry. (single) 21, South Street. 6th WR.
After training with the 1/6th Battalion, Harry went overseas with them on the 14th of April 1915 and is named in the nominal roll published in the book, ‘Craven’s Part in the Great War.’
The Keighley News issue for the 16th of September 1916 shows a Private Atkinson as wounded. There is no supporting text for this man and no initial, so we’re unsure if he’s our man.
We do know that Harry married Ruth Epton at Grimsby in Lincolnshire late in 1916. Their marriage was registered there in the last quarter of the year.
We don’t know how Ruth and Harry but as he was serving with the 1/6th Battalion West Riding from the beginning, it’s possible they met when the Battalion was sent to defend the coast near Grimsby before they were deployed overseas.
Harry would have been over here on leave when he got married.
At some point in his career he transferred to the Tank Corps and now had the regimental number 110411, but we have no other information about him apart from this.
From examining several similar Army Service records of Tank Corps men with regimental numbers close to Harry’s, it appears that they were transferred to either the Tank Corps or the Machine Gun Corps at Bovington Camp in the early part of July 1917. From this they were posted to the Tank Corps some time between November 1917 and April 1918. The Depot and Central Schools of the Tank Corps were based at Bovington. It’s likely that this is what happened to Harry.
Harry and Ruth had a daughter called Frances Mary, who was born on the 9th of March 1918. Her birth was registered in Keighley in the first quarter of the year.
Harry was discharged from the Army, probably in early 1919. He died in the influenza epidemic and is buried at Keighley Cemetery.
Keighley News. Saturday 8th of March, 1919, page 10:
Interments at Keighley Cemetery.
Atkinson – March 1, aged 30. Harry Atkinson. Hartington Street, Keighley.
Remembrance:
Harry is not commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, apparently because he died shortly after his discharge from the Army.
He is remembered locally in the Borough of Keighley Roll of Honour book in Keighley Library.
Post war:
Ruth would have received Harry’s War Service medals, which would have been sent to her after the war. These usually arrived in 1920 or 1921 and they were the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
She also received his outstanding Army pay which was sent in the following payments of £9 1s 3d to her on 25th of May 1920, plus £18 2s 7 on the 23rd of August 1920 and a payment made to Harry’s mother Frances of £15 18s 9d on the 23rd of August 1920.
These payments included a war gratuity payment of £28 10 0d.
It should be noted that Harry’s outstanding Army pay had not been settled when he was discharged and instead ended up being paid to his widow Ruth.
Ruth applied for a Dependant’s pension and whilst she did receive a grant of £6 on the 23rd of January 1920 there is no mention of any pension being awarded to her, possibly because he died out of service and his death was not considered to be war attributable.
There is also a note on both pension cards which says: ‘Canadian Ref. W4352.’
According to Harry’s medal roll, he died of influenza on the 26th of February 1919.
In the 1921 census, Ruth was aged 30 and boarding at 10, Hartington Street in Keighley with their daughter Frances Mary aged three. She was a charwoman for the War Pension Office at Church Street in Keighley. They were living with her mother in law Frances Atkinson aged 59 and Frances’ sister in law, Mary Ann Larrington and her family
Harry’s mother Frances Atkinson died at the age of 74 in 1936 and was registered at Skipton in the last quarter of that year.
In the 1939 register, Ruth and her daughter Frances Mary were living at 10, Park Grove in Keighley. Ruth was aged 49 and was a part time Turkish Bath attendant. Frances was a bath attendant and ticket clerk, probably for the same establishment. Also living here was Harry Walton aged 48, a core maker at a brass foundry.
Frances Mary Atkinson married Lionel Wood at Marlborough Street Congregational Mission in Keighley on the 25th of November 1941. Frances was a spinster aged 23 and a public baths attendant living at 10, Park Grove in Keighley and Lionel was a 20 year old bachelor and a discharged soldier of the York and Lancaster Regiment (no. 4747175) living at 37, Park Gate, Bradford.
We did not find a death record for Harry’s widow Ruth, but there is an Canadian obituary for a Ruth Atkinson who died at Murrayville in Canada aged 76 on the 2nd of April 1967, which also mentions her daughter Frances Wood.
With the Canadian reference already mentioned on the Dependant’s pension card, this may be Ruth and Frances.
Information sources:
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935.
England & Wales Births 1837-2006.
West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1910.
1901 England Census.
1911 England Census.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.
British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
World War I Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920.
Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, 1901-1929.
England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007.
World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
National Burial Index For England & Wales. Utley, Yorkshire (West Riding), England.
1921 Census Of England & Wales.
1939 Register.
