Born: 24th February 1921.
Story
Harold was the son of Wilfred Battye (05/08/1899 – 1963) and Zilpha Cooper (18/10/1900 – 1958), who married 4th May 1919 in Kippax, and lived at 2 Sandgate Terrace. Wilfred was a Motor Bus Driver, and his son Harold was a colliery engine driver before the War.
On 6th June 1943 it was reported that Harold Battye was serving in the Middle East, and had met up with fellow villager George Scown. George had also encountered James Morton, George Morley, and John Finneran. The latter became a Prisoner of War soon after. Encounters between Kippax villagers overseas were not uncommon, although four of these Soldiers lived on the same street: Sandgate Terrace, which was rarer. A tradition started, that when a Kippacer met with another Kippacer overseas, it became customary to go out and celebrate. Harold returned back to Kippax after the War, and lived with his parents at 2 Sandgate Terrace, before marrying Eileen Sergeant (born 15/09/1927). Harold was reported on 29th June 1951 to be the only man from Kippax serving in the Korean War. Gordon Richard Land served and was killed in Korea, but lived in Garforth:
Harold and Eileen had two sons: Brian on 21st January 1948 and Ian on 16th September 1952, and they moved to 12 The Grove, before emigrating to Australia, which was reported below on 5th June 1959:
Harold was a labourer and they left Southampton destined for Melbourne on 15th August 1959 on the TV Fairsky, Sitmar Genoa line (pictured below). Harold and Eileen separated whilst they lived in Australia, and Harold brought his two sons back to Station Road. Brian now lives in Harrogate, and Ian passed away on 28th February 2007, after playing rugby for Kippax Welfare and Castleford. Harold used to play dominoes in the Central Club with another WW2 veteran on Station Road, Stanley Coates. Harold passed away in 1998 aged 77.
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