Harry Sellars was born in 1880 in Bradford the son of John and Mary Ann, nee Stansfield. John, Mary Ann and their three childrenwent to live at 1 Green Terrace and by 1881 John was working as a carpenter and joiner master employing two men. John died in the latter months of 1882 aged 39 years at a time when his fourth child Sarah Ellen was born. Mary Ann and her family went to live with her sister Sarah Stansfield at 7 Gaynor Street and Mary Ann found work as a worsted weaver. By 1901 Harry was living at 1 Thomas Fold in St Augustine’s Parish with his siblings, Annie, Tom and Sarah Ellen known as Nellie. Harry at 20 years of age was working as a labourer in a timber yard. By 1911 Harry with Tom and

Nellie had moved to 20 Idle Road and Harry was working as a loom fitter’s labourer. He enlisted on the 2nd December 1914 as Private 6/3854 in the 3rd/6th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington West Riding Regiment and sent to the training camp at Skipton. Harry died on the 2nd February 1915 in Skipton Cottage Hospital and the following article appeared in the Shipley Times & Express ten days later. “Ever since he was 14 years of age, Harry Sellars of 33 Idle Road, Eccleshill, had an ambition to join either the army or the navy. After attaining the proper age he made several applications to enlist but was not accepted owing to defective teeth. These rebuffs still left him with the same ardent longing and when

Lord Kitchener appealed for more men, he tried his luck once more and was accepted. When the war broke out he was working for Sowden, loom-makers, Shipley. He was attached to the 6th Reserve West Riding Regiment which is training at Skipton. The routine of a soldier’s life was entered into with enthusiasm and after being inoculated he paid a brief visit to his sister’s home at Idle Road. All was well when he left for Skipton at the weekend but on Tuesday his sister, Mrs Lightfoot, was notified by telegram that her brother was lying seriously ill at Skipton Cottage Hospital. On arrival, she found he was suffering from pneumonia and next day he passed away. His life’s ambition had been realised but it lasted only three weeks.

Last Friday his body was borne to Skipton Station by his soldier comrades headed by the band of the regiment who played the Dead March. On the coffin was a beautiful wreath from the officers of the regiment. The Last Post sounded the long farewell and when the train arrived at Bradford it was met by the relatives who accompanied the coffin to the house of the deceased’s sister. Here a brief service was conducted by the Rev William Rider, Wesleyan minister, and consequently Sellar’s late workmates from Shipley bore the remains to their last resting place in Undercliffe Cemetery.” Harry left his effects his brother Tom who received £2.11.8d on the 3rd January 1916 but Harry had insufficient service to receive a War Gratuity.

. Researched and written by Jean Britteon, to whom many thanks