Lance Corporal Harry DOLBY
Royal Garrison Artilery 86583
Harry was the youngest of six children and was born at the Hare and Hounds Public House (on the corner of Pound Lane) on 25 April 1893, and was baptised two months later at St Mary’s Church, Woodnewton . His parents, Joseph and Mary Elizabeth Dolby, had just taken over the pub as Landlords. When they were first married in 1884, they had lived at the Horse and Jockey in Town Street (now Main Street), another of the four public houses in the village. Although, Harry’s father did not originate from Woodnewton, he had only come from nearby Cheesman’s Lodge, Apethorpe.
Harry wasn’t very old when he started school at Woodnewton Primary in June 1896, and his teacher was William Cummings. When he was 14 years old he left school and started work as a farm labourer as shown in the 1911 census, and these facts tie up with his Enlistment Papers which he completed in December 1915.
His father died in 1913 at the age of 72, and his mother took over the pub as landlady which would continue until 1918 when the it closed down.
Harry had managed to stay working locally both as a shepherd and milkman for 16 months after the start of the war, but we can see from his Attestation Papers that he received an order stating that he had to report to the Attestation Office in Northampton on 8th December 1915. These papers give us a good description of what Harry was like as a 22 year old: 5ft 9in in height, 151 lbs in weight and with a chest measurement of 37 inches. Harry wasn’t given much time to say ‘goodbye’ to his mother and siblings as the following day he joined the Durham Royal Garrison Artillery as Gunner – 86583 based at West Hartlepool.
Further north at Tynemouth, Capt D.A.Sandford (he was shortly afterwards promoted to Major) arrived with orders to form a new unit; on the 16th December 1915, the 94th Siege Battery (formed for overseas service) began its existence. Forty per cent of the personnel were to consist of Regulars and New Army men belonging to the Tynemouth RGA Garrison, while the remainder was furnished by the Territorials from the Durham RGA (West Hartlepool). Harry, being one of the Territorials joined this new unit.
Training took place for the next few months under the instruction of Major Daniel Sandford, the commander of the 94th Siege Battery RGA right through to 4th September 1918. The group was mobilized on 25th May 1916, arriving in France on the 30th, and subsequently fought on the Somme, at Arras, and Messines, on the Flanders coast. Harry was injured in the neck on 5th October 1917. However, he didn’t return to England until 10th November 1918, when he was admitted to hospital and stayed there for 110 days.
Harry was awarded three medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal and Military Medal.
On his discharge papers dated, 27th September 1919, his address is shown as Lower Glapthorn, which is a few miles south of Woodnewton. We know from the Electoral Roll that this was where his mother, brother William and sister in law Eliza were living. His occupation is listed as a self employed farmer. His gratuity pension was £32.10s 9d.
In 1924 Harry moved to Suffolk with his brother, William, Eliza and their children. They formed a partnership and tenanted Lodge Farm at Horsham until 1941 when it was taken over by the USAAF. This obviously prompted the move to Grove Farm in Stradbroke where they farmed and had an extensive milk round.
Harry was very involved in the local Gymkhana Club and during the Second World War he became a Senior Air Raid Warden. He died tragically on 12th April 1946, at the young age of 49 years.
2019
Thanks to Patricia Dolby of Ontario for some of the details
94th Siege information taken from the book by Major Charles E Berkeley Lowe