Harold Frank Linfield was born in Worthing on 27 July 1893, fourth son of Arthur and Edith Linfield. Arthur was one of the pioneer growers of fruit under glass and Harold joined the family firm as a young man. He is recorded as a fruit grower in the 1911 census, living with his parents and siblings at ‘The ‘Laurels’ in Chesswood Road.

Harold and his younger brother Wilfred both joined the 2nd Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment in September 1914 as volunteers. After training in Dover, they embarked for France on 4 January 1915 to join their battalion. The winter of 1914-15 was particularly wet on the Western Front, and many troops succumbed to frostbite and ‘trench foot’, including Harold’s brother, who was sent back to England in early February. Harold had an awful time, and in letters he sent back home, he said how pleased he was his brother was no longer there. In fact, Wilfred’s affliction probably saved his life because he avoided the notorious battle where Harold lost his life.

Harold’s war came to an end at the Battle of Aubers Ridge on Sunday 9 May 1915, when he was killed soon after climbing over the parapet by German machine gun fire. Aubers Ridge was an unmitigated disaster for the British – 11,000 casualties in one day with no gains whatsoever. A serious shortage of munitions meant that the initial bombardment was absurdly short – only 40 minutes, compared with the 4 days’ bombardment by the French at Vimy Ridge to the south – so that the wire entanglements in front of the German trenches remained uncut. But it was the murderous machine gun fire and shrapnel which tore through the advancing troops and mowed them down in their thousands.

The 2nd Battalion RSR were in the first wave of troops to leave the trenches in the southern attack at Richebourg L'Avoué. Witnesses saw Harold fall in the charge, and that was the last time anyone saw him. Since no gains were made, it took months before his body was eventually recovered in September. The awful reality is that several thousand corpses remained where they had fallen, left to slowly decompose in the mud. At least Harold has a grave with a headstone in the Military Cemetery at Rue-Pettilon, Fleurbaix – most of the soldiers killed on 9 May have no known grave and are recorded on the endless stone panels of the cemetery at Le Touret.

Malcolm Linfield