Harry Skidmore

Text and research by Ria Teague

January 2024

Introduction

Private Henry (or Harry as he was often known) Skidmore's life was something so different to what many think of in comparison to a life today - like mine. However his story is so important to the past, the present and the future.

Early Life and Family

Harry was born to John and Jane Skidmore in 1910, being one of 9 children of which he was the 4th oldest. These children were all born between the years of 1905 to 1921. There was the eldest John who died, Arthur, Jane (or Ginny as she was better known) all older than him; and five younger, Martha, Annie, Tommy, Charlie and Bessie. At the time of his birth the family lived in Widnes, but sometime after this in his early childhood they moved to Lymm where they lived on Massey Avenue.

His early life was that of a poor one, in which he had to work to help the family get by. He went to Pepper Street School - although he often wasn't there as a result of him having to work. As a result of this Harry was unable to read and write and he didn’t learn much whilst at school.

Harry’s first job during his childhood was potato picking, all the money he made at this job he would then give to his family to help out. Following this, Harry became a cobbler’s apprentice where he worked in a shop underneath the Fleece, this is where he learnt to make shoes or mend them to a high standard (which would later prove to be beneficial for him).

As he got older, Harry moved out of his childhood home on Massey Avenue and moved in with his older sister Jane and her newlywed husband, Richard.  It was at this time that Harry made the decision to join the army, because he felt a bit out of place in the house with the newly-weds, so he believed it would be better if he was to move out.

Early Army

On the 28th February 1928, Harry enlisted into the army joining the Cheshire Regiment and this was in fact one year earlier that he should have been able to enlist. He had lied about his age, stating he was born a year earlier in 1909, rather than his actual birth in 1910.

Following joining the army and spending a little over a year at home, Harry was sent to India, where he was to remain for the next six years until 1936. During his time in India Harry became a Padre's Batman. It was during his time in India that Harry made so many memories that he would then come to share back home. One of which he shared was that he would often sneak out from where he was staying in India carrying his PE kit under his arm. He would then visit a local bar or go somewhere to have a drink - all the while everyone just believed he was tucked up in bed. In the early morning he would return back now wearing his PE kit and running, which led to no one being the wiser of  his night previous and - and everyone just thought he had gone for an early morning run.

After 6 years in India, Harry returned home. Following his return he became an Army Reserve which he then remained until 1939. During his time at home in 1936, Harry met his wife Norah at a dance in Holts Cafe, which was at the Dingle. They would then go on to have their first child together, John. Harry began to work at the Salt works up until the time he re-enlisted in the army upon the outbreak of World War Two.

WW2

World War Two broke out on the 1st September 1939. Harry immediately enlisted back into the army to join the war effort and serve; he was 29 at the time. He left his family back home, his wife, his child and another that was on the way in hopes of keeping them safe. He wasn’t the only member of his family to sign up; his younger brothers Tommy and Charlie both also enlisted.

Throughout his time in the war, Harry was captured and became a Prisoner of War. He was captured at Dunkirk where he was a part of the Rearguard, so the last to leave and make it to the beach. By the time they did arrive, all the boats had gone, so they were told to march a few towns over to a boat that would be waiting for them. This was in fact a trap.

This trap led to Harry’s capture where he became one of the tens of thousands of British captured at Dunkirk. Once captured, there was no way to get him and the other soldiers who were now prisoners to their camps. So as a result they were made to walk from France across Germany and into Poland, where he was then detained in Stalag XXI-D. As they had walked so far, Harry got frostbite in his toes which led to him having to have the bones in his toes removed - for which he was given an addition to his army pension.

Harry spent the rest of the war in the camp. For the first 6 months, his family didn’t know what was happening or even if he was alive or not. After this point, they were able to communicate through postcards which he exchanged regularly with his wife. Though often they had been redacted or had areas blacked out by the camp before they were given or sent off.

Whilst at the camp, it was discovered that he had previously been a cobbler so he was set to work and given enemy boots and told to mend or fix them. This could have possibly been a reason for his survival. As mentioned, Harry remained in the camp until the end of the war when it was liberated. Again, however they had no means of transportation, so in order to return home they had to again march, this time back through Germany and to France where they got a ship to cross the Channel.

Following his return to England, he received some care in a hospital down South for the injuries he had gotten through the war and from the walk. Then he was finally able to return home at the end of 1945. It has also been shared by those who remember him that in the Butchers shop in Lymm the window held the photos of all the locals who had gone to war. These pictures were then taken down one by one as they came home or news was received of their deaths.

Private Harry Skidmore’s picture was the last to be taken down and remained up until the day he came home after the war had finished. The fact his picture stayed up shows the close knit community that is Lymm and how the community as a whole was backing their own and had faith in them - as well as trying to keep them safe.

Post War and Later Life

After the war Harry returned home to his wife and two sons John and Keith, with their third and final child Roy, following shortly. Harry was known to have loved dancing, often dancing together with Norah. He was also a lover of pigeons and was a pigeon fancier, having a coop at the end of his garden housing his abundance of pigeons. He’d race his pigeons, getting his sons to drive him about and help him with them. Along with his own pigeons, he would also bet on the races of the other pigeons notably, the Eccles 2 bird race - where the birds were sent to France to race back - this was a highly specialist race.

Harry and Norah later became grandparents to 6 lovely grandchildren who they doted over. Other than spending time with his family and pigeons, Harry would spend his Sundays in the Fleece playing dominoes and then going to play cards in the Crown, always wearing his suit

Whenever anyone in the family asked him about his experience in the war he would not share any details, the only thing he would say is that it kept him out of trouble and otherwise he would’ve been causing mischief elsewhere. One of the few times he talked about his experiences was to one of his grandchildren in which he shared the story of the time he had mustard gas tested on the war in order to get a week's leave to see his family. This left him with a large scar up his arm onto his neck.

His Memory/Legacy

Harry is remembered by all of his family, his children John, Keith (who sadly passed away) and Roy, as well as their children who all have such fond memories of the Grandad and Dad alike.

Private Harry Skidmore is my Great Grandfather and although I never got to meet him, I am so proud that I am able to call him my Great Grandfather and for him to be a part of my family and my own history. I never want him to be forgotten or the sacrifice that he and so many others made that led to the world that I and so many others get to live in. I am honoured to be able to share his story. It is something I will never forget and something that should never be forgotten. He and so many others gave and sacrificed so much for me and for others and I would like to thank them by allowing that to live on.