Private Harold Starke
From Jenny Wickham
I am writing to tell you a story that you may wish to put on to your website – the reason I got hold of your details is that I googled Harold Starke and your website came up, where he is listed as someone who was wounded, though not killed, in WW1. The biographical details are below.
First, the story of how I came to discover these details, as I am in no way related to Harold Starke. I was born in Sheffield and lived there until we moved to Manchester, when I was 11, in 1960. Shortly before we moved my mum bought a second-hand bookcase which was full of books – most of the books were discarded but among them were a couple of early 20th century autograph books, which I kept because they have some lovely poems and illustrations in them.
Recently I decided I should look into who they belonged to. One of them is inscribed at the front: Pte. H. Starke, a present from Mrs Lamb, Commandant, Hayton House Hospital, Xmas 1916. The book includes a message from his father and from people who may have been staff or other patients of the hospital, and includes a beautifully executed drawing of the badge of his regiment, the Scottish Rifles.
A bit of work on Find My Past and other internet sites enabled me to put together the short biography below. I have attached a couple of scans of pages from the autograph book and only regret that I have no photo of him, but as this was purely a chance find that is not surprising. I wonder if there are any of his relatives still living in the Sheffield area? As he apparently had no children, there would be no direct descendants.
I have enjoyed digging up this little fragment of history – hope you enjoy it too. If there is anything you can add, I would love to hear from you. Sadly I cannot join your group, as I live in London now.
Jenny Wickham
April 2017
Harold Henry Starke was born in Sheffield on 30 March 1895, the son of Henry Thompson and Alice Starke (nee Westwood), and was baptised on 30 April of that year at St. Mary’s, Bramall Lane.
His father, known as Harry, worked for a silversmith, first as a warehouseman and later as an office clerk and eventually a manager. The 1901 census shows them living at 18 Broomfield Road, Norton Woodseats; by 1911 the family had moved to The Poplars, Totley Bents where Harry kept prize-winning poultry. Harold appears to have been an only child.
On 12 December 1915, aged 20, Harold Starke enlisted as Private no. 40281 in the Scottish Rifles. This regiment was heavily involved in the fighting on the Western Front and also at Gallipoli. Unfortunately, by Christmas 1916 Harold Starke was in Hayton House Hospital, Low Mill, near Carlisle, being treated for wounds he had sustained, and on 4 July 1917 he was discharged from the Army under paragraph XVI of the King’s Regulations, as his wounds (the nature of which is not known) made him physically unfit for further service.
After his discharge, Harold returned to Sheffield and in 1922 he married Ivy Gregory – there is no record of them having any children. Harold became a brass worker, and by 1939, when he was living with Ivy and her mother Susan at 48 Abbeydale Road South, Sheffield; he was a skilled instrument maker, making pressure gauges. Ivy Starke died in 1958 at the age of 58. Harold Henry Starke died on 17 January 1960, aged 64, and was buried on the 25 January at Abbey Lane Cemetery, Beauchief.
Update
We have managed to trace this rather poor quality photograph of Pte. Harold Stark which appeared on page 2 of the Yorkshire Telegraph and Star on Friday 29 September 1916, one of twenty local servicemen listed as killed or wounded in the Great War.
We have also received a further email from Jenny about the second autograph book.
The other autograph book that I have belonged to someone called Eugenie Wilson, who bought it in 1904 from Loxley Bros stationers in Sheffield. However, her address is given in the book as 31 Allesley Old Road, Coventry (this was the home of her sister and her sister's husband).
Inside it is folded a very faded letter from an uncle sent to Ivy and Harold on the occasion of their wedding - the uncle was living in the U.S.A. and no name is given but it seems likely that he was Ivy's uncle rather than Harold's. This autograph book contains many poems, quotations and some lovely watercolour paintings, and the entries date from 1904 until WWI.
Eugenie Wilson appears to have worked as servant to James Whitham and family in Sheffield in 1891, and I must try to find out a bit more about her. However, I cannot conclusively connect her to Harold Starke, though the book came from the same bookcase. When I have a bit more time I can see if I can decipher the letter and send the text to you.
Do let me know if you hear anything else about Harold.
Jenny Wickham
May 2017
We have done a little research ourselves into the family history and we think that we have found the connection between Eugenie Wilson and Ivy and Harold Starke. Ivy's mother was Susan Wilson (c.1877-1942), one of five daughters and three sons born to Thomas Holy Wilson Snr. (c.1840-1883) and his wife Jane Royston (b.c. 1838). Eugenie was Susan's sister, thus Ivy's aunt and Harold's aunt by marriage. A family tree is given below. Any errors are entirely our own, not Jenny's.
Ivy and Harold Starke Family Tree
Harold Henry Starke Family Tree.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [91.0 KB]