Born: 22 May 1890, Eccleshill
Died: 4 October 1917
Buried:
Address: 17 Victoria Place, Eccleshill
Parents: William & Eva, nee Isherwood
Spouse:
Siblings: Victor, Ida, William, Bertha
Occupation: Butcher
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Pte
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: St Luke’s, Eccleshill; Tyne Cot Memorial
Children:
Regiment: Northumberland Fusiliers
Harry Isherwood Lythe
Harry Isherwood Lythe was born
on the 22nd of May 1890, the third
of five children of William Lythe
and his wife, Eva, nee Isherwood.
Harry was baptised on the 9th of
August 1894 at St Luke’s Church,
Eccleshill, when the family were
living at 14 Green Place.
By 1891 the family had moved to 1
Green Place and ten years later they
had rturned to 14 Green Place and
another move took them to 12
Vernon Place by 1911. Harry at 20
years of age was a butcher.
He enlisted on the 5th of
August 1916 as Private
39686 in the 12th Battalion
of the Northumberland
Fusiliers.
The Third Battle of Ypres or
Passchendaele, 31st of July
to the 10th November 1917
began with encouraging
gains but terrible summer
weather soon bogged it down.
By August the offensive was
clearly failing in its objectives and
had descended into attritional
fighting.
This led to agonisingly
slow forward movement
for the British, at enormous
cost in casualties to both
sides.
Bad weather in October led
to the battlefield becoming
an impossible quagmire.
In heavy rain on the 4th of
October 1917 the Battle of
Broodseinde was fought and it was
on this day that Harry was reported
missing. He was 27 year of age.
His parents advertised in the
Bradford Weekly Telegraph asking
for any information but none was
forthcoming.
He is remembered on the Tyne Cot
Memorial on land which is the free
gift in perpetuity of the Belgian
people to those who are honoured
there.
Harry left his effects to his father
William who received £12.7.8d on
the 7th of November 1918 and a
War Gratuity of £4.0.0d on the 11th
November 1919.
.
Researched and written by Jean
Britteon, to whom many thanks
