Harold George Dyer was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in the summer of 1893 the oldest child of George Dyer and Charlotte Howse. He had three siblings who were his sisters Hilda May and Charlotte Winifred and one other little sister or brother who is unknown but sadly died shortly after birth. When Harold was born his parents lived at “Laurel Bank” on South Hill Road and he grew up there with both his sisters, until the family moved to 3, Queen Street just as he and his sister left school. Harold went straight into John Dickinson & Co., Limited at Apsley Mills as an “Clerk” in the Envelope Department, while his sister Hilda trained as a “Milliner”. Their mother Charlotte ran a “General Store” on Queen Street and their father George was a “Carpenter” in the building trade. This business appears to have been very successful and on his death in November 1926 George left an estate worth £28,000, the equivalent in today’s money of £1.2 million.

Harold was called up for service following the passing of the Military Services Act in January 1916 and in April he attested and joined the Army. He was mobilised in October and posted to the 2/5th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment at St. Albans or Luton for basic training. When his training was complete he was sent overseas with his unit which sailed from Southampton on the 23rd February 1917 and landed at Le Havre the following day. By the end of the month Harold was in billets at Bayonvillers to the east of Amiens and the 2/5th Battalion was under the orders of the 59th Division. On the night of the 13th March the 2/5th Lincolns had taken their place in the line, occupying a group of dug-outs in Triangle Wood, but the Germans began a planned retreat to the Hindenburg Line on the 17th, and the poorly trained 59th had to follow up, patrolling and repairing roads.

On the 11th April the 2/5th Bn was ordered to make an immediate attack on 'The Quarry' and 'Cologne Farm' near Hargicourt, which the enemy were reported to be leaving. The attack was made at 04:30, but the report was false and the positions were strongly held. The battalion was forced back with very heavy casualties (260 killed, wounded and missing). A and C Companies, which had led the attack and suffered worst, had to be temporarily formed into a single composite company. There followed some weeks of trench duty in front of the Hindenburg Line, followed by intense training through the summer. In September and October 1917, Harold fought in the Battles of Polygon Wood and the Battle of Cambrai, both successful operations for the 2/5th Lincolns and he survived these actions.

In 1918, the German Spring Offensive opened on the 21st March while the 59th Division was in the Bullecourt sector of the line orders came for an advance across country in artillery formation to take up positions in the support line. At noon the 2/5th Lincolns was ordered to occupy the second line trenches, but found that the enemy had overrun the Sherwood Foresters in the morning mist and was already in the second line. Before the battalion could extend its line, three companies were cut off at Noreuil and were never seen again: forty-nine men were killed, and all the rest were captured. Harold was among the prisoners.

He was taken along with his comrades to a German prisoner of war camp, specifically Camp II Munster which was situated at a racecourse. He had been wounded during the fighting and received medical attention after arriving at the camp and made a recovery of sorts. His state of health was poor and after four months at Munster he contracted pleurisy and deteriorated very quickly and sadly died on Thursday, 15th August 1918 of his illness. This was only three months before the end of the Great War.

A detailed account of events leading to his demise was published in the Hemel Gazette and described how Harold had written home cheerfully just before his rapid decline. His parents received his letter but just two days later official confirmation of Harold's death arrived, cruelly dashing their hopes of seeing their son return home safely. His fellow prisoners arranged for the funeral bouquet ribbons to be sent to Harold’s parents along with a photograph of his resting place.

Harold was commemorated on the War Memorial Plaque in St. Mary’s Church, High Street in Hemel Hempstead Old Town.

He is Remembered with Honour in the Cologne Southern Cemetery, Germany, where he is interred in Grave XVII. B. 14.

He was 25 years old when he died.

Harold was eligible for the British War Medal or the Allied Victory Medal.