Harold Dexter

Dvr. Harold Dexter, enlisted in Nottingham on 11th February 1916, he gave his age as 27 years and 7 months, his address as 241 Exchange Road, West Bridgford , his occupation as a lace manufacturer and his religion as Church of England. He was posted to the reserves the following day. On 26th September 1916 he was mobilised and posted on 27th September to the Army Service Corps Depot. He served with 905th Motor Transport Company Army Service Corps, On the 18th April 1917 he was embarked at Southampton on the Troopship 'Princess Clementine arriving at Le Harve, France the following day. He was re embarked on 3rd May 1917 at Marseilles, France on the Troopship 'Transylvania' for a voyage to Egypt, however the ship was torpedo on 4th May 1917by the U boat U63, 412 lives were lost, he was saved from the ship and taken to Savona. On 23rd May 1917 he was re embarked onto the Troopship Menomines again at Marseilles and taken to Alexandria where he arrived on 4th June 1917. It was whilst serving in Eygypt that he took ill with malaria, being admitted to the 66th Casualty Clearing Station on 31st October 1918 ' dangerously ill' he died of malaria on 2nd November 1918 at the 66th Casualty Clearing Station in Damascus. He is buried in Damascus Commonwealth War Cemetery.

Obituary published Nottigham Evening Post dated 11th November 1918 : - “DEXTER. – Died abroad on November 2nd, of malaria, Pte. Harold Dexter, M.T., A.S.C., aged 30, dearly loved eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Dexter, Glebe-street. – From mother, father, and family.” In memoriam published 13th November 1918 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “DEXTER. – Died November 2nd, 1918, abroad, of malaria, Pte. Harold Dexter, dearly beloved husband of Florence Dexter (née Hughes), 241 Exchange-road, West Bridgford. – From loving wife and child. “DEXTER. – Died abroad on November 2nd, of malaria, Pte. Harold Dexter, M.T., A.S.C., aged 30, dearly loved eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Dexter, Glebe-street. – From mother, father, and family.” Above obituaries/in memoriam are courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages , Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918. Entry from Wikipedia : - On May 3 1917, the Transylvania sailed from Marseille to Alexandria with a full complement of troops, escorted by the Japanese destroyers Matsu and Sakaki. At 10 am on May 4 the Transylvania was struck in the port engine room by a torpedo fired by the German U-boat U-63 under the command of Otto Schultze. At the time the ship was about 2.5 miles (2.2 nmi; 4.0 km) south of Cape Vado near Savona, in the Gulf of Genoa. The Matsu came alongside the Transylvania and began to take on board troops while the Sakaki circled to force the submarine to remain submerged. Twenty minutes later a second torpedo was seen coming straight for the Matsu, which saved herself by going astern at full speed. The torpedo hit the Transylvania instead, which sank immediately. Ten crew members, 29 army officers and 373 soldiers lost their lives. Many bodies of victims were recovered at Savona and buried two days later, in a special plot in the town cemetery. Others are buried elsewhere in Italy, France, Monaco and Spain. Savona Town Cemetery contains 85 Commonwealth burials from the First World War, all but two of them casualties from the Transylvania. Within the cemetery is the Savona Memorial which commemorates a further 275 casualties who died when the Transylvania sank, but whose graves are unknown.[2