Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension | III. D. 16. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.134 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 38B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Education & Career :
De Ruvigny's: Private, No. 10734, 2nd Battn. Honourable Artillery Coy. (T.F.), 2nd s. of the late William Shurmur, J.P., of Loughrigg, The Drive, Walthamstow, by his wife, Augusta Emily, dau. of William Smith of St. Mary Hall, Belchamp, co. Essex; b. Walthamstow, 27 April 1887;
educ. Surrey House School, Cliftonville; the Communal College, Boulogne, and Forest School;
was a Director of W. Shurmur and Sons, Ltd., Building Contractors; joined the Honourable Artillery Coy. 21 April 1917; served witht he Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from the following July, and died at No. 3 Australian General Hospital, Abbeville, 25 Oct. 1917, of wounds received at Passchendaele Ridge on the 10th. Buried at Abbeville Cemetery; unm.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2/1 Honourable Artillery Company |
2/1st Battalion Formed at Finsbury on 2 September 1914. Moved to Belhus Park, going on in November to Blackheath, February 1915 to the Tower of London, August to Richmond Park, November to Wimbledon, January 1916 to Orpington, July to Tadworth (Surrey), and returned to Tower in September 1916. 3 October 1916 : landed at Le Havre and placed under command of 22nd Brigade in 7th Division. November 1917 : moved with Division to Italy. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Detail :
Probate: SHURMUR Harold Thomas of Loughrigg The Drive Walthamstow Essex died 25 October 1917 in France Administration London 12 June to Augusta Emily Shurmur widow. Effects £4631 14s. 6d.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Shurmur No. 2374 E.C. | Essex |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
24th February 1909 | 28th April 1909 | 24th June 1909 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley