Harold Kent was the son of James,William Kent and his wife Alice of Cutsyke near the mining town of Castleford. His older brother, Charles, was serving with the Cameronians(Scottish Rifles) and had served at Salonica and in France & Flanders, He also held the Military Medal.

Pte. Harold Kent. 62837: 1st Yorkshire Rgt,& 44506:8th Btn Lincolnshire Rgt.

Young Harold was determined to follow his older brother into the army but attempts to enlist under-age had been thwarted by his boyish good looks and he had to wait until he was 18 years old when he duly enlisted at Pontefract Barracks.

He was posted to the 8th battalion Lincolnshire Regiment

in April 1917 by early summer he was in the 3rd battle of Ypres and later Polygon Wood and the battle of Broodsiende.

He fought in the 2nd battle of the Somme in 1918 seeing frontline action at Ancre, Albert and Havrincourt Wood where he flushed out an enemy machine gun team for which he was to be awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field.

Unfortunatly he was also severely gassed during the battle (this was to see his slow and gradual decline and early death) the last few months of his service saw him transferred to the 1st Yorkshire Regiment back in England. In 1919 he found himself in very poor health in the Military hospital at Catterick, Yorkshire. The army Doctors declared him unfit for further Military sevice and on the 12th April 1920 he was discharged with Honour to the care of his parents who were told "he may last another 6 months".

Harold Kent MM died only four weeks later on the 9th of May 1920 aged 21. He was buried in plot N77 in Castleford Cemetery with full military honours BUT iether through family ignorance or administrative incompetence his grave was never marked with an official Headstone.

However, after laying in an unmarked grave for over 83 years Harold Kent's entitlement to an official, regimental ,CWGC headstone was taken-up by his nephew Alan Town and in October 2003 the family of this brave young soldier saw a fitting memorial placed upon his last resting place.

Story courtesy of relative Alan Town. 2008