Harold Henry Shuttle was born in 1895 in Chigwell. He was the son of gardener Frederick and his wife, Emma Matilda Shuttle. In 1901, the family was living at 6 Vicarage Lane, Chigwell. By 1911, Harold was a Private with the Bedfordshire Regiment. On the day of the 1911 census, Harold was visiting his parents at 2 Fern Cottages, Brunel Road, Woodford Bridge.
By 1914, Harold had been promoted to Corporal with the 1st Bedfordshire. He was sent to France at the outbreak of war with his regiment. Harold Shuttle was among 31 killed in action on 26th August 1914 during fighting to stop the German advance. His name is recorded on the La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial in France.
Harold’s father, Frederick, keenly felt the loss of his son. He had a memorial inscribed on the gravestone of Harold’s grandparents in Chigwell churchyard. It reads: ’Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by.’
Research by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum
Sources:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Ancestry.com
Marching Off To War Book