Harry Athorn
Date of birth: 29.09.1883
Date of death: 24.07.1918
Area: Knottingley
Regiment: Royal Army Medical Corps
Family information: Husband of Ann Elizabeth Athorn nee Speight
Rank: Private
Service number: 24886
War Service
There are no service records for Harry. He enlisted at Chichester into the Royal Army Medical Corps.
He was part of 103rd Field Ambulance Brigade, part of 34th Division.
On April 34th Division was part of the Battle of the Marne, in the Soissons & Ourcq area.
On 23rd April they attacked the village of Tigny, south of Soissons. 103 Field Ambulance was distributed as follows: -
Collecting Post – In caves at Mont Ramboeuf Farm.
Advanced Dressing Station - Le Grange Farm Longpont.
H Q and Walking Wounded – 3 km east of the crossroads on the Montgobert – Longpont Road. In the Forest.
On 24th April 850 cases passed through in 24 hours.
Also on 24th April a shell burst at the entrance to the caves at the collecting point.
From 103rd Field Ambulance Killed 3 Wounded 3 From 104th Field Ambulance Killed
All these are buried alongside each other at Raperie British Cemetery.
Family Life
Harry Athorn was born 29th September 1883 in Knottingley. His parents were William Crowther Athorn and Hannah, nee Briggs. They lived mostly in Pontefract, where William was a plumber glazier. They had seven children, James, Mary, Thomas, Harry, Alice, Jane and Fred.
Harry left school and worked as a coach builder and smith. He continued to live with his parents until he married in 1911. His wife was Ann Elizabeth Speight. They had two children, Doris born 18th April 1912 and Stanley born 27th June 1917.
Harry Athorn's grave
