Name
Harold Gurney
1897
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
12/10/1977
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
2420
Hertfordshire Regiment
1st Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 (Mons) Star (with Clasp & Roses), British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Wigginton Village Memorial,
Not on the Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford.
Pre War
Harold Gurney was born in 1897 in Wigginton, Herts, the son of Edwin Gurney (B 1863 in Wigginton ) and Louisa Gurney (nee Mead) (B 1862 in Wigginton).
1901 Census records Harold aged 4, living with his parents, sisters Elsie 15, Ellen 12, Elizabeth 7, brothers Alfred 14 and Cornelius 9, in Wood Row, Wigginton, Herts.
By 1911 now aged 14, Harold had left school and was working as a Farm Labourer, living with his parents, brother Alfred, Sisters Elizabeth, Hilda 6 and Amelia 5, in Wood Row, Wigginton, Herts.
In March 1914 Harold enlisted with Albert Baker and Frederick Burch in the Hertfordshire Regiment, Territorial Force there Service Numbers were Albert Baker 2418, Frederick Birch 2419 and Harold Gurney 2420.
Wartime Service
The Battalion was in Bury St. Edmonds on 1st November 1914, when they received orders to be ready for embarkation by the 5th November 1914. The Battalion left Bury St. Edmonds on 5th, in two trains. That evening they embarked aboard the " City of Chester" sailing at midnight, arriving at Le Havre, France in the morning of the 6th, they started to disembark about midday, then marched just over 3 miles to No. 2 Rest Camp, were they stayed for 2 days, then they set off by train for St Omar.
Harold was discharged medically unfit for war service on 17th July 1915, and received the Silver War Badge No. 323.141.
The following cutting was found from the Bucks Herald, dated 28th November 1914. Which reads; "A letter from Harold Gurney on Tuesday states that they (Albert Baker & Frederick Birch) had a week in the trenches, and all there were quite well when he wrote". The paper also states he was serving with the Hertfordshire Territorials.
Additional Information
Albert Baker was Killed in Action on 4th November 1918. Frederick Burch survived the war. (Some records spell his name Burch others Birch).
Not listed in the CWGC database.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
