Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.132 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 13B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
A more detailed account of this casualty exists on the Tipton Remembers website - with thanks to Andrew Johnson. https://www.tiptonremembers.net/index.php/potts-harold-bertramBorn in Goole, Yorkshire the son of Joseph and Anna Maria Potts, of 34, Stanley Rd., Wakefield, Yorks.
Education & Career :
Corporation Clerk, Ravensthorpe, 1911.
Secretary of Education, Tipton 1917.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 233rd Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery |
| Action : The Battles of the Hindenburg Line and associated actions |
12 September - 12 October 1918. As the momentum of the British advance continued it was clear that the Hindenburg Line defences offered the greatest threat to further advances. It was highly likely that the magnificently engineered defence system would re-establish the status quo of static trench warfare. However a series of magnificent actions at Havrincourt and Epehy paved the way for dramatic crossings of the Canal du Nord and the St Quentin Canal by early October. Both canals had been integrated into the Hindenburg Line system and their capture effectively broke the defensive capability of the system. Soon afterwards the British were attacking at Cambrai (again) and then by mid October were pursuing the Germans to the River Selle.
A decision was made soon after and by September of 1917 was given a send off by his collegues. The newspaper cites a "temporary vacation" of his role, which leaves one of the opinion that he was much revered by and certainly endeared to the people he had the pleasure to work with.
By October 1917, Harold has become 177127, Gunner H. B. Potts of the Royal Garrison Artillery joining the 233rd Seige Battery. He was sent to France in the Summer of 1918, where in action he was wounded and taken to 3rd Static Hospital, near Roeun.
His probate shows that his estate of £250 went to his mother, highlighting that Harold was unmarried at the time of his death. He is respectfully interred with a CWGC maintained grave at St. Sever Cemetery Extension at Roeun. The inscription on his graves shows "HE SLEEPS WITH ENGLAND'S HEROES IN THE WATCHFUL CARE OF GOD".
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Saint Bartholomew No. 696 E.C. | Staffordshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th February 1917 | 10th April 1917 | - |
His record within the Lodge register at the United Grand Lodge of England shows that he was initiated in February 1918 and passed two months later. The material in the Tipton Herald show the reason why he was not raised to become a Master Mason. His war service is recorded with an annotation that he "Died of Wounds 27th April 1918". His actual death is recorded in military records as 27th September 1918.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley