Harold Ernest Gallop

Memorial: Thornbury - St Mary's Church

Regiment: Somerset Light Infantry

Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Private 9765

Parents: George Edward and Ellen Gallop

Marital status: Married

Home address: 36 Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Assistant at the Exchange Public House

Date of birth: 1893

Place of birth: Thornbury, Bristol

Date of death: 30/11/1917

Buried/Commemorated at: Cambrai Memorial (Panel 4 and 5), Louverval

Age: 24

Further information:

Bronze Tablet and Wooden Memorial Board

Harold Gallop’s father, George Edward, was a fish and fruit salesman. Harold had nine brothers and sisters. At the time of the 1911 census Harold was an assistant to the landlord at The Exchange in the High Street. Also working there, as a general domestic servant, was Emily Summers who was aged 15. In 1913 their son Reginald was born. The couple married sometime in the first three months of 1915 and they lived at Grovesend

In March 1915 the Gazette reported that his father, George Gallop had been found dead near the Sheepwash in Oldbury on Severn. He had been out with his donkey and cart when he had collapsed and died. Harold attended his father’s funeral with three of his brothers, Herbert, Albert and George. Another brother Fred was abroad while William was already serving at the front. The papers reported that Harold was serving in France by March 1915

In November 1917 the 7th Battalion (Prince Albert’s), Somerset Light Infantry, took part in the Battle of Cambrai, which saw the use of tanks to break through the German lines. The British attack began early in the morning of the 20th and at first good advances were made. On the 22nd, a halt was called for rest and regrouping, which allowed the Germans to bring up reinforcements. From the 23rd to the 28th the fighting was concentrated around Bourlon Ridge and its woods. On 28th the British offensive came to an end and the troops were ordered to dig in. The Germans concentrated their artillery on the new British positions and it is thought that more than 16,000 shells were fired into the wood. The German counter attack began at 7a.m. on 30th November. Supported by a barrage of poison gas shells, they advanced more than five kilometres in two hours and, at one point, threatened to overrun several British sections that had become isolated

Harold’s wife Emily received notification from the War Office that her husband was missing in action but it was not until September 1918 that it was confirmed he had been Killed in Action on 30th November the previous year. His daughter Eleanor was born in early 1918, after her father’s death. Harold has no known grave

The Cambrai Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 servicemen of the United Kingdom and South Africa who died in the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917

Harold’s brother, George Gallop, was Killed in Action two years earlier at Gallipoli and is also remembered on the Thornbury Memorial. At least five Gallop brothers served during the war. In 1918 it was reported that Sergeant William Gallop had been ‘awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the retreat from Firmey. Sergeant Gallop remained until the last and succeeded in getting his men and guns away'

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

Thornbury Roots Website. Thornbury and District Museum Research Group. Forces War Records and the CWGC