My Dad, Private 683453 George E Harris. Royal East Kent Mounted Rifles , the subject of this post would have been delighted with the efforts and respect shown at the Passchendaele Centenary Remembrance programmes today. He was always very conscious and respectful of all his mates and the many others that fell beside him at Passchendaele and elsewhere during the 4 years they fought together.
He considered himself the lucky one to have come through alive after the horrors.. Although seriously wounded by shrapnel and a bullet. 40 years later he was still picking out bits of shrapnel as they worked the way out and surfaced below the skin . Disabled as he was ,he didn’t qualify for a pension just a Silver War Badge and a certificate from the King. (proudly displayed on my living room wall).
He would have been so pleased that the younger generations are being urged not to forget how much they owe to their forefathers that gave their lives to shape the course of history for them.
Rest in Peace Dear Dad 1896 – 1986.
