William Harold Lee
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William Harold was born in 1895 at Sutton Cum Lound and was the son of William Revil Lee, a railway clerk, and Elizabeth Lee, of 20, Cross St., Newtown, Retford. William and Elizabeth had seven children. On the 1911 census the family was living at 20 Cross St , Newton, Retford. All seven children were in the home on the night of the census: William (16, named Harold on the census) was an assistant postman with the General Post Office, Bertrand b. 1892, Percy b. 1893, Daisy Evelyn b. 1898, Sybil May b. 1901, John Edward b. 1903 and Edna b. 1910. William's parents were still living at the same address when the later CWGC record was compiled.
William enlisted in Doncaster and served with the 6th battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. He served in France from 25th May 1915 and was killed in action on 26th January 1916. He is buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery, Belgium (grave reference VI.F.10). The history of the cemetery indicates that William's body was reinterred there after the Armistice. William qualified for the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. CWGC - History of New Irish Farm Cemetery (extract): 'New Irish Farm Cemetery was first used from August to November 1917 and was named after a nearby farm, known to the troops as 'Irish Farm' (originally there was an Irish Farm Cemetery immediately South of the Farm ... It was used again in April and May 1918 and at the Armistice it contained just 73 burials - the three irregular rows of Plot I - but was then greatly enlarged when more than 4,500 graves were brought in from the battlefields north-east of Ypres (now Ieper) and from the following smaller cemeteries [listed]' (www.cwgc.org)
CWGC headstone personal inscription: 'Till the dawn of eternity'
