Henry Ernest Armstrong
Sergeant Armstrong was the son of Mr William Armstrong of Brooklyn, 1 Park Avenue, Scriven but was living in Newcastle upon Tyne when he enlisted.
He served with the 16th battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers (regimental no 16/411) and was killed in action aged 24 on 1st July 1916, the fateful first day of the Battle of the Somme. He is commemorated on the Knaresborough war memorial and on the Thiepval Memorial for the missing, pier and face 10B, 11B and 12B.
He had two brothers, Edwin and Thomas, who also undertook military service. A photograph of Sergeant Armstrong was published in the 1916 edition of Ackrill's Annuals.
Percy Clarke
Note: some sources spell 'Clark'.
William Percy Clarke was one of three brothers (the others being John and George) living at Fairfield, 77 Boroughbridge Road, to have served in the army during the Great War. Lance Corporal Percy Clarke is also commemorated on the Knaresborough cenotaph.
He was 27 when he died, unmarried, and had been working as a draper's assistant when he enlisted on 11 November 1915 at Buxton, joining the 4th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment). His regimental no. was 36724. In March 1917, he transferred to the 10th Battalion of the same regiment and in September 1918 he was appointed Acting Unpaid lance Corporal.
He died of wounds received on 20 October 1918. His name is also recorded on the Knaresborough war memorial and on the Vis-en- Artois Memorial in the Pas de Calais region of France which holds the 9000 names of those men killed during the final advance of the war and who have no known grave.
He had two brothers also on military service.
Daniel Hartpole Dempsey
J/49847 Daniel Hartpole was an Ordinary Seaman in the Royal Navy. A native of Edinburgh, he was the son of Daniel and Catherine Dempsey of 'Daleside', Boroughbridge Road and served on HMS Tipperary. He died on 1st June 1916, aged 19 and has no known grave, also being commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, memorial ref 14. HMS Tipperary was a Faulknor-class destroyer, launched on 5 March 1915 and under her Captain C. J. Wintour, she led the 4th Flotilla at the Battle of Jutland, attacking the German fleet with her torpedoes. The battle was fought at such short range that the Tipperary was also able to register a number of hits with her small 4-inch guns before she was sunk on 1 June 1916 by the German dreadnought SMS Westfalen with the loss of 185 men from a crew of 197.
An extract from the Official History; " Naval Operations" by Sir Julian S. Corbett. 1923 states:
"Captain Wintour and the leading boats of his solitary flotilla were aware of a shadowy line of ships to starboard on a converging course.
Whether they were friend or foe it was impossible to tell, and he held on for some minutes with all torpedo tubes trained to starboard.
Still they made no sign, and at last, as they were evidently drawing ahead of him and had closed to less than 1,000 yards, he ventured to give the challenge.
Salvoes, accurate and rapid, at point blank followed instantaneously, and in a minute the Tipperary burst into flames, almost lost to sight in brilliantly illuminated splashes. Yet she fired both her torpedoes. The four boats of her division did the same, and so did the Broke.
Some of the rear boats, still uncertain that a mistake was not being made, held their fire till accidentally one of the enemy's beams lit up the rear ship.
Then it was plain to see what they had to deal with, and they also attacked. Several of the boats claim to have hit.
Explosions were plainly seen; there were gaps in the line of staring searchlights. How many hits were made is uncertain, but one at least of the cruisers received her death Blow. All that man could do Captain Wintour had done, but he was now no more.
The first salvo had swept away the Tipperary's bridge, on which he stood, and she was left a mass of burning wreckage.
David Randolph Eastwood
David Eastwood was the son of Mrs Eastwood of Park Avenue, living in Scotton at the time of his enlistment. 2384 Private Eastwood served with the Household Cavalry and the Cavalry of the line (including Yeomanry and Imperial Camel Corps) as well as the Yorkshire Hussars and he died on 22 November 1916, aged 34.
According to the 1917 edition of Ackrill's Annuals which was published in Harrogate and included a photograph of Trooper Eastwood, he died in an accident.
He is buried in the Aire Communal Cemetery in the Pas de Calais, grave ref I E 11 and his name is recorded on the Knaresborough cenotaph. His brother, Claud Cecil Eastwood was also a Private in the Yorkshire Hussars.
Percy Fryer
Private Percy Fryer served with the 4th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. His regimental number was 28836. He was wounded in May 1917, then returned to service, being killed in action on 12 April 1918 aged 21. He was killed in Estaires on the river Lys near Neuve Chapelle, defending the village against the final German offensive of the war. He is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium (panel 4) which commemorates 11,000 servicemen with no known grave.
He was the son of Elizabeth Fryer (1864-1919) of Old Scriven. The 1901 census records a Percy Fryer aged 4 living at Roundell Manor with Robert Fryer, a stonemason aged 45, and Elizabeth Fryer, aged 37. His name is also recorded on the plaque in New Scriven (see below) and on the Knaresborough war memorial.
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