Service Number 11882
Service Army
Battalion 9th Battalion
Regiment West Yorkshire Regiment
Killed in Action: 9th August 1915
Commemorated at: Helles Memorial, Turkey
Biography
On the 23rd October 1914, the Wetherby News published a list of local men who were serving. Among that long list of names was H. Taylor of Micklethwaite. Henry (or Harry) Taylor was born in Micklethwaite in 1893 the son of Edward and Annie Taylor. By 1911, he was still living in Micklethwaite and he was a butcher.
Harry Taylor is commemorated on the Wetherby War Memorial where he is recorded as serving in the West Yorkshire Regiment, and that has allowed us to identify him as Private Henry Taylor of the 9th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment with a service number of 11882.
Many local men served in the 9th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment who left the UK in July 1915 for service overseas, arriving in Gallipoli on the 11th July 1915. The main thrust of the British attack in Gallipoli had become bogged down at the tip of the pensinsula, and it was therefore decided to make a new landing at Suvla Bay. The 9th West Yorkshire Regiment were destined to land in this attack. The actual landing seemed to go well, but quickly after that ran into serious problems and during July-August 1915, many local men from the Wetherby district lost their lives, including William Herbert Johnson and William Pearson Allan Wilson also listed on this site.
Harry Taylor is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Gallipoli.
A number of articles in the Wetherby News of the time give accounts of the local soldiers' experiences in Gallipoli. View those reports here
Biography last updated 21 January 2020 16:10:27.
Sources
1911 Census. The National Archives. Class RG14 Piece 25947
The Wetherby News 23/10/1914
First World War Medal Index Cards. The National Archives (WO372).
First World War Medal Index Rolls. The National Archives (WO329).
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and Burial Reports
Pension Record Cards and Ledgers. Case number 11/D/103037
If you have any photographs or further details about this person we would be pleased to hear from you. Please contact us via: alan.berry@collinghamanddistrictwararchive.info