Laurie Denison was born at the end of 1890 in Calverley, the only son of Dyson and Mary Smith Denison. Their daughter Winifred Margery died in 1902 aged seven. Dyson Denison was from Bradford, where his father worked as a cashier. He made a good marriage to Mary, who was his senior by several years and the daughter of a wool-dealer, Robert Smith Butterfield, who had retired to Bolton. Dyson’s career prospered as he progressed in the  stationery trade, going into business with his brother Walter as a printer and wholesale stationer at Providence Street, Bradford (telephone number “Labelit”). Both families moved to Southfield Square, in Manningham. It is possible Lawrence attended the nearby Bellevue Grammar School, as his near contemporary J.B. Priestley did, for he was only at the Bradford Grammar School for his final school year, from 1905-1906. After leaving at sixteen he worked in his father’s business as a ‘letterpress manager’ (1911 census). They moved to Bankfield Parade, Nab Wood, Shipley.

In common with many young men in search of comradeship and activity, Laurie became a ‘Saturday-night soldier’ in the Bradford Territorials, whose ‘H’ Company consisted largely of Old Bradfordians. He was with them for four years and although he had resigned before 1914, when war broke out he was quick to re-join his former comrades in what had been re-organized into ‘C’ Company. The Bradfordian published an appeal ‘that many more Old Boys will join, in order that the Company may be composed solely of Old Bradfordians’. With most of his fellows, Denison signed the Imperial Service Obligation to serve overseas and he landed in France with 49th West Riding Division on 16th April 1915. Their introduction to trench warfare in a quiet sector was followed, from early July, by a six-month spell in the Ypres Salient. The Autumn rains began in late August. Another former pupil in the same Company described the conditions of November in a letter home: ’It has been raining for weeks now and the trenches are waist deep in water. Waders reaching to our waist protected us to some extent but we were wet to the skin the whole time. Dug outs there were none – bits of corrugated iron stretched across the highest bits of trench were the best we could do. The parapets kept falling down and had to be rebuilt. Men were in real danger of drowning – having to discard equipment and everything and shout for help! The infantry on both sides were absolutely indifferent to each other and only the extra energies of the artillery told us there was a war on. The communications trench was ignored being nothing but a muddy stream 3-4 feet deep and men walked as openly on the top by day as by night.’  At least tours of duty were restricted to four days with regular rotations.

On 15th December, the 6th Battalion moved into the line after several days in support. Three of ‘C’ Company’s four platoons held the advanced posts. On the 17th, enemy shelling was ‘unusually heavy’, collapsing shelters all along the line and destroying the parapet, reducing the front line to a row of shell craters. Two officers were wounded and Number 12 platoon was reduced to seven men (from around twenty). Denison is likely to have received his mortal wound in this bombardment. He was evacuated via the Advanced Dressing Station at Essex Farm to Casualty Clearing Station No.10 at Remy Siding, seven miles west of Ypres. He died en route in a field ambulance in the early hours of 18th December, and was buried in Lijssenthoek Miltary Cemetery. His officer Captain Fawcett (O.B.) wrote ‘He was always so cheerful, and an example in the dullest of times.’ He was unmarried. Laurie  is remembered on his parents’ grave at Nab Wood Cemetery, Shipley.

 

Nick Hooper