Horace Harrison was born in Hemel Hempstead on Tuesday, 20th May 1879 the fourth child and third son of Joseph Harrison and Emma Lovegrove. Joseph and Emma had a total of eight children, and Horace’s siblings were: Sophia, Joseph, George, Emma, Jane, Ethel and the youngest, Mary Alice. Horace’s father Joseph died in 1897 and his older brother, also Joseph, died in 1905 aged thirty.

The Harrisons lived on Puller Road when Horace was born, and he started his education at the nearby Boxmoor JMI School entering the school on 15th February 1886. Horace successfully completed Standards I to VI over the next six years leaving school on the 5th March 1892 to begin work in the Watercress trade.



Horace’s family were heavily involved in the thriving watercress business with both Joseph and Emma working as ‘Growers’ for most of their lives. The boys in the family also entered the trade as either ‘Watercress Salesmen’ or ‘Labourers’, whilst some of the girls worked as ‘Watercress Bunchers’. Watercress growing had begun to thrive in Hemel Hempstead after the coming of the railway in 1837 which allowed fresh daily deliveries of the crop to London. The Harrison’s worked around the Chaulden area and lived nearby at Fishery Cottages for many years.



Horace first enlisted in the Army on 20th December 1895 when he claimed to be eighteen on attesting ,although he was only sixteen. At his medical he was described as being 5 feet 5 inches tall, 116 lbs (just over 8 stone), with a ‘fresh’ complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. Interestingly, he is adjudged to have an age physically equivalent to ’17 years and 7 months’ which probably guaranteed his acceptance into the Regiment. He joined “G” Company, 4th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, a Militia battalion, and initially signed up for four years. He received 49 days of drill on enlistment but, only three months later he is discharged from the Militia having paid £2.0.0. to buy himself out on the 23rd March 1896.

Horace continued in the Watercress trade and by 1911 he had moved to work in Aby, near Alford in Lincolnshire as a ‘Watercress Cutter’ and was boarding at the home of Henry and Anne Fisher. He was still in Lincolnshire on the outbreak of war, but he returned to Hertfordshire and enlisted with the Bedfordshire Regiment once more, attesting in Watford in October 1914.

He was posted to the 7th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment which was formed at Bedford in September 1914, as part of 'K2' - Lord Kitchener’s second call to arms for another 100,000 men. The Battalion was attached to the 15th (Scottish) Division whilst training and then in February 1915, it was moved into the 54th Brigade of the 18th  (Eastern) Division.

On completion of his training Horace was sent to France disembarking at Le Havre on the 3rd September 1915. He joined the battalion a few days later and was soon in action near Fricourt two miles east of Albert. Over the next four months the battalion was involved in fighting in the Fricourt area and experienced daily shelling and sniping in the trenches although casualties were relatively light.

In January 1916, hostilities continued much as they had for the preceding months but with the addition of regular night patrols by the 7th Battalion. ‘Tit for Tat’ shelling, mortar and rifle grenade firing meant that soldiers on each side had to be constantly on alert. On the 21st January the battalion war diary records the following: "..enemy fairly active with their trench mortars, one landing in a small dug out in 77 trench containing 4 persons. 1 N.C.O. & 1 Man killed."

The man killed on Friday, 21st January 1916 was Horace Harrison.

Horace is Remembered with Honour in Meaulte Military Cemetery, Somme, France where he is interred in Grave B.32. The inscription on his headstone requested by his mother Emma reads: “REST IN PEACE, BELOVED ONE”.

He was 36 years old when he died. Horace was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.