Waldock, Harry Walter George

Harry was born on 28 April 1900 at Ashwell, Hertfordshire, the eldest son of Frank and Mary Ann (nee Clements) Waldock of Silver Street, Ashwell, Hertfordshire.  He was a pupil at the Merchant Taylors School in Ashwell.  He was just 18 when he enlisted.

Harry Walter George Waldock was called up at the age of 18yrs 2 months in July 1918, had only just joined the army and must still have been in training in the Machine Gun Corps when he died on 12 November 1918, the day after the Armistice. His Army record states that he died at the military hospital Cannock Chase from pneumonia.

 He was entitled to the Victory Medal and the British War Medal although he had not served in battle.

He is buried in St Mary’s Churchyard, Ashwell, Hertfordshire and commemorated on the St Mary’s Church Ashwell Roll of Honour and the Ashwell War Memorial.

From the Royston Crow 1914 December:  On the 11th December a handsomely framed engraved Roll of Honour of Old Boys of the Merchant Taylors School serving their King and Country in the war was unveiled. ‘This excited among the Scholars much interest and a patriotic spirit and many were the glances at the list of names some of whom were the Fathers and Brothers of the Boys. They numbered 64 boys in all who had volunteered for active service. Two on the list – Horace Bryant and Percy Reeve – had died the death of heroes in trying to save England from the ravages of the “Cultural Hun” being killed in action in the retreat from Mons.’ Only a week later there were more additions to the list. The new volunteers were Frederick Pack, Clem Pack, Horace Reeve, Jack Harman, John Winter and Albert Amtman. However there was also news of another old boy, George Waldock, that had been killed in action but there was no further information. There are two members of the Waldock family on the War memorial, Harry W.G. Waldock and Herbert George Waldock either could have been familiarly called ‘George’