Skeate, HW
(1886 - 1917)
Key Facts
DATE OF BIRTH:
29th June 1886
YEARS ATTENDED THE COLLEGE:
1900 - 1901
HOME ADDRESS WHEN AT THE COLLEGE:
36 Bickersteth Road, Tooting
REGIMENT
Royal Field Artillery
FINAL RANK:
Corporal
DATE OF DEATH:
26th September 1917
AGE AT DEATH:
31
WHERE HE DIED (or was wounded)
Ypres
LOCATION OF GRAVE OR MEMORIAL:
Westouter Churchyard and Extension II D 2
Corporal Harry William Skeate
Harry was born on June 29th 1886, the younger son of engineering draughtsman William Skeate and his wife, Helen. Although of British parentage he was born in Melbourne, Australia; by the time he was four years old the family had returned to England and were resident in London. He started at Dulwich at the beginning of 1900, joining his elder brother, Thomas, and went on to be a pupil of the College for the next two years, leaving at the end of 1901 whilst a member of the Modern Lower Fourth. After leaving he ended up living on Pepys Road in Wimbledon.
In November 1915 Harry enlisted as a member of the 190th Brigade of the Royal Field Artillery, known as Wimbledon’s Own, and not long afterwards qualified as a bombardier. In May 1916, having been promoted to Corporal, he went over to the front for the first time where he was attached to the 41st Division. He spent much of that summer serving through the Somme before being moved to the Ypres Sector that November. On September 26th 1917 he was wounded by a shell blast whilst carrying ammunition to his battery near Hill 60 and while being transported to the dressing station he was unfortunately caught up in another shell blast, this time with fatal consequences.
