A rare coloured photograph of men of the local 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.
Henry Bennison is standing on the Right.
Identity of the others is not known. |
The following information and the photographs were sent by Michael Bennison, Henry's Grandson, who was born at
Staithes, N Yorks and now lives in Ayrshire.
Henry Bennison was born at 7 Dixon Street, Skelton and was aged 7 at the time of the 1901 Census.
His father, also called Henry, aged 33 at that time had also been born in Skelton and worked in the Ironstone mines.
His mother, Jane, aged 35 was also a native of Skelton.
At that time Henry had a brother, John aged 9 and a sister Edith, aged 2.
In 1914, Henry was playing for Skelton United and is the one with the ball on the bottom row in this picture.
In the First World War he joined the local 4th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.
Date of enlistment is not known. He was wounded and became a prisoner of war.
POWs were often badly treated by the Germans, being forced to labour under harsh conditions and were badly fed.
A great many died as a result, particularly towards the end of the War when the Germans themselves were suffering
privations,
Henry survived and came home to live at Hazelwood House, Jubilee Tce, Staithes, N Yorkshire.
He married Ester Crooks and had a family, earning his living by working at Carlin How Ironstone mine.
He became a Deputy down the mine, but tragically on the 17th August 1940, aged 47, he was killed when a fall of
stone fractured his skull.
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