FLETCHER, Harold Dalton

✟ ß ⚜ ă Щ Harold Dalton Fletcher’s military record is badly damaged, (Mostly too faint to make out properly). He enlisted at the Sheffield depot of Y & L 20/11/1915, a platelayer, single, age 20 yrs 1 month, (i.e., b Oct 1895), before being assigned to The Sherwood Foresters (N & D) but approval not given until 11/2/1916; 35058 6 Sherwood Foresters. 20/9/1916, transferred from 1/6 N & D Regt into 40908 Manchester Regt. He was badly wounded 11/10/1916. (DC 21/10/1916 & DC 28/10/1916; ‘Wounded in action’).  (DC 7/4/1917 ‘Home on ten days leave after being shot through the leg some time ago. Until recently he was in Leeds Northern Clearing Hospital’). This leave was 28/3/1917 – 6/4/1917 to Brook Cottages, The Dale, Hathersage. 15/9/1917 transferred to 171 Labour Corps, and later transferred to 398607 Labour Corps Field Service. His army record refers to his death from Influenza 7/2/1919, and buried at Belgrade Cemetery, Namur, Belgium. (DT 22/2/1919 p8 shows a picture and reports; ’death in hospital in France 16th Manchester Regt age 23, has been in the Army 3 years and France 2 years. He was in the Church Choir, a cricketer and footballer’). His mother signed the receipt for his medals. A Parcel of his personal effects was sent on 1/7/1920 from the Labour Corps and a Scroll of Honour sent to his father (undated). Edna age 20 listed as full blood sister on his Army records. (She would be Edna Muriel b1900 Hathersage). His name appears as ‘Harold’ on the Hathersage War Memorial, and as ‘H Fletcher’ on the Scouts Memorial Board.

b 1895 Grindleford Bridge, third son of William and Sarah Edith Fletcher, brother of Fred Fletcher, of The Crofts, (although the present ‘Crofts’ were not built then), and of Arthur Ward Fletcher & William Fletcher.  He is shown as living at 8 Council Houses, The Dale in 1959.