Harold Randall, maternal relative
Harold Randall was born during April 1896 at 74 Byrkley St, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England and he was the brother-in-law of the grand niece of the brother of my second great grand uncle and is directly linked into the Priday part of my family. He was Killed in Action on the Ypres Salient, Belgium in September 1915.
The actual lineage is:
- Harold Randall (1896- 915)
- George Walter Randall (1865-1934) - father of Harold Randall
- Wilfred Randall (1898-1971) - son of George Walter Randall
- Lillian Annie Guy (1902-1986) - wife of Wilfred Randall
- Alice Trevenaugh Priday (1868-1949) - mother of Lillian Annie Guy
- William Robert Priday (1844-1907) - father of Alice Trevenaugh Priday
- Sarah (Sara) Ann Kembrey (1815-1885) - mother of William Robert Priday
- Charles Priday (1842-1842) - son of Sarah (Sara) Ann Kembrey
- Elizabeth Heydon (1810-1878) - mother of Charles Priday
- Thomas Priday (1836-1840) - son of Elizabeth Heydon
- Hester (Esther) Hill (1802-1879) - mother of Thomas Priday
- Nathaniel Priday (1830-1900) - son of Hester (Esther) Hill
- Joseph Priday (1853-1933) - son of Nathaniel Priday
- Joseph Priday (1888-1954) - son of Joseph Priday
- Alice May Priday (1917-2009) - daughter of Joseph Priday
- William G Hyde - me
Harold was killed whilst manning the trenches of the Ypres Salient in September 1915.
His Family
Harold's father was George Walter Randall who was born on 27 Feb 1865 at 21 Stanley St, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England & he was the son of a Millwright.
George Walter Randall trained to become a Pattern Maker in a casting foundry and at age 16 (in 1881) he was a mould model maker in a pattern makers shop (made patterns, which were replicas of objects to be cast from molten metal).
George Walker Randall married Harriet Sarah Haigh on the 8th December 1890 at St Paul's, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Harriet is shown on the Marriage Bann's to be resident in Halifax, Yorkshire, although she was born on 11 Nov 1865 at 6 Clifton Road, Paddington, Middlesex, England. I am presuming she was a Servant.
I have no idea what George Walker Randall was doing in Yorkshire at that time to meet Harriet, however at the time of the marriage Halifax was a major centre for Woolen garments manufacturing but it was also home to the Mackintosh's chocolate and toffee business. So I am guessing that he went there to enhance his experience as a Pattern Maker - the woollen mills & chocolate factory would both use machines, many parts of which would be cast in steel, bronze & brass.
However George Walker Randall did marry Harriet Sarah Haigh and by 1891 they had established a home at 74 Byrkley St, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire where Harold Randall was born in 1896.
Harold was the third born of a family of six children:
- George Walter Randall jr (1891-1966)
- Ethel May Randall (1892-1942)
- Harold Randall (1896-1915)
- Wilfred Randall (1898-1971)
- Hilda Louisa Randall (1900-1959)
- Florence Beatrice Randall (1902-1982)
When he was 15 (1911), Harold & the rest of the family had moved to 142 Shobnall Street, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire and he had become an Assistant in a local Bakery. Burton-upon-Trent is well known as the centre for Brewing (beer) but it was also an industrial centre with Car & Railway vehicle manufacture amongst the established businesses. All these businesses needed manpower and manpower needed the basics of life including bread and therefore there were a number of Bakeries in the area.
His Military Service & Death
Harold joined the Army not long after the declaration of war in 1914, enlisting in the 1st/6th Battalion, North Staffordshire (Prince of Wales's) Regiment as a Private with regimental number 1870. The 1st/6th were a Territorial Force unit that were often called a "Pal's" regiment in that they were raised from a specific area of a town or city and contained many young men who were friends or who worked together.
The regiment was formed in August 1914 (war was declared on the 4th August). After formation the regiment was moved to Luton, Bedfordshire for basic training and then in November 1914 they moved to Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. After further training the regiment was landed at Le Harve (France) on the 4th of March 1915.
On the 12th March 1915 the 1st/6th Battalion along with the 1st/5th Battalion of the North Staffs became part of the 137th Brigade in 46th (North Midland) Division. The new Brigade took over positions on the Ypres (Belgium) Salient - a 24km wide defensive position created around the town of Ypres which British high command had dertermined would not fall into German hands.
Harold's unit were manning trenches to the south of Ypres in an area called Zillebeke, centred around Blauwepoort Farm when he was Killed in Action on the 6th September 1915 - he was just 19 years old.
His Burial
Harold Randall has a grave reference (D.6.) in the Blauwepoort Farm Cemetery, which is located 3 kilometres south east of Ypres (Ieper) town centre, on a single track road leading from the Komenseweg, connecting Ypres (Ieper) to Komen (N336).
The cemetery was begun by a French battalion of Chasseurs Alpins in November 1914 and used by Commonwealth troops from February 1915 to February 1916. The French graves were removed after the Armistice.
The cemetery contains 80 First World War burials.
The cemetery was designed by W H Cowlishaw.