Harold Edward Huntriss
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William Huntriss had been born into a successful farming family. In 1881 he was living in Whitwell, Derbyshire being a farmer of 200 acres. In 1883 he married Charlotte Elizabeth Gyles from Elksley, the marriage being registered at Retford. They had three children, all boys, the first being William (died in military service 23/10/1918) who was born in 1887 at Whitwell. The family appeared to move from Whitwell as by 1890 a second son, Harold Edward was born to them while living at East Markham, Nottinghamshire, their residence being Markham Hall. They employed two domestic servants and William senior was living on his own means as he does for the rest of his life. Their third son, Cyril John Huntriss (killed in action 1/7/1916) was born on 21 January 1893 at Bridlington. By 1901, William and Charlotte was living at Highfield House, Lound on their own (except for two servants) as their three boys were all boarders in private schools, William at Penrith, Cumberland and Harold and Cyril both attending at Cambridge House, Flamborough Road, Bridlington. In 1911 William and Charlotte lived in Mattersey Hall, Bawtry and one year later, William died age 63. In 1911, William was a solicitor living alone at 2 Albert Promenade, Halifax. Harold joined the army and was a second Lieutenant in the Bedfordshire Regiment stationed at Maida Barracks, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot. Cyril was still at Uppingham School.
Captain H Huntriss Worksop Guardian 4 June 1915'News has been received that Capt. Harold Huntriss, of the Bedford Regiment, has been killed in France. He was the second son of Mr and Mrs Wm Huntriss of Halifax and Mattersey Hall, near Retford, and joined the Army before the war. Just before Xmas he was wounded and invalided home. The difficulty experienced in extracting the bullet kept him in England until a short time since, when he rejoined his regiment in the trenches, and received a wound from which he died on his way to the hospital.'Harold applied to the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy on 29 September 1908, giving his address as Mattersey Hall, Bawtry, Yorkshire. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 3rd May 1911 and arrived with the 2nd Battalion in France 6th October 1914. Lieutenant Huntriss was hit by shrapnel in the left thigh on the 29th or 30th October, during intense fighting east of Ypres and returned to England to recover after an operation. Harold returned to the 2nd Battalion in April or May 1915 but was killed at the head of his company as they advanced to the second German trench line, Major MacKenzie and Lieutenant Hutton-Williams being killed close by. All three were buried together despite the difficulties their men had recovering their bodies after the battle.
Research by Colin Dannatt
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