HAROLD KING
2655491 Guardsman, 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards

photo from Tony King, grandson of his cousin Albert
killed in action 1st June 1940 aged 26
Harold was a bachelor, the son of Harry and Sarah Antcliff King (nee Pettit). He was born on 19th June 1913 and spent his early childhood in Doncaster.
Following the death of his mother in 1922 he came to Scotter to live with his Uncle Walter and Aunt Demaris while his sister Violet stayed in Doncaster.
Harold was over 6' 2'' tall and enjoyed being called Tarzan by his friends. His height allowed him to join the Coldstream Guards in the 1930s.
After serving his time, he left and came back to our village and lodged at the home of his close friend Albert 'Bill' Birkett (see his page).
Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939 he was immediately conscripted from the Reserve List.
In the old bottom room of the White Swan there was a large mirror. He stood by it and said 'Take a good look at that man because you'll never see him again. I'm going to France tomorrow and I'm never coming back...'
The British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border with his Battalion part of the 7th Guards' Brigade in II Corps. They landed at Cherbourg on 30th September and spent one of the coldest winters on record preparing trenches, pillboxes and wire emplacements.
On the 10th May 1940, the 1st Battalion moved forward into Belgium to check the German invasion of the Low Countries. They held positions on the River Dyle and the Herent canal, north of Louvain.
When the Germans attacked on the night of 14th May the Coldstreams had to make a series of fighting withdrawals. The outlying Belgian defences were falling rapidly to German airborne and armoured forces and the line of the River Dyle was coming under rapidly increasing pressure.
A procession of Belgian cavalry, artillery and civilians had been streaming back through the Battalion's position for two days, attracting heavy enemy bombing of the village and approach roads.
At 6pm motorised troops came into view and German artillery opened up on their positions. The Belgian units received orders to withdraw which thinned the Coldstream outposts and made their position even more difficult to hold.
Later that evening, in view of the strength of the enemy offensive, orders were received to withdraw from the outposts. With considerable difficulty forward troops were removed from close contact with the enemy forces and the Battalion retired some two days later.
On the 30th May the Germans succeeded in pushing back the 4th Royal Berkshires. The 1st Coldstream Guards counter attacked, maintaining their drive into the hours of darkness and holding the line. There was heavy fighting between the British and Germans with rifle fire across the two sides of the Furnes Canal lasting between six and seven hours.
They fought with great professionalism and tenacity. Their General was confident his men could hold out for as long as it took to evacuate the BEF. Harold and his comrades were told to fight to the death and if they retreated past a certain point they would be shot.
Finally they were allowed to retire and the survivors reached the beaches at La Panne, east of Dunkirk on 1st June. He was one of nearly 200 casualties in his battalion with the remaining men embarking for England on the evening of 2nd June.

Guardsman Harold King is interred in Dunkirk Town Cemetery.
His memorial stone carries the words 'buried near this spot' and:-
‘Sweetest memories,
Silently kept,
Of one we love dearly,
And can never forget’
His cousin Roland was killed in the Great War and is also on our monument.
WILLIAM HOLLAND
12027 Corporal, 8th (Service) Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
GEORGE WILLIAM FITCHETT
13356 Private, 10th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
RICHARD PERCIVAL EMINSON
222599 Gunner, 2nd Reserve Brigade, Royal Field Artillery (Guards)
SYDNEY JOHNSON
15294 Private, 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
ROBERT ASTLEY FRANKLIN EMINSON
Second Lieutenant, 2nd Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps attached to 2nd Brigade Machine Gun Corps
GEORGE ROWLAND KING
4055 Private, 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
WILLIAM STORM JACKSON
6665 Private, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own); 307694 Rifleman, 1st/8th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wale's Own)
JOSEPH ROBINSON
203385 Corporal, 10th Battalion, Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
HERBERT EMINSON
5197 Private, 3/8th Reserve Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottingham & Derbyshire Regiment); 203395 Private, 15th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment)
FRANCIS JOHN FOSTER
23035 Private, ‘C’ Company, 4th Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment; 23035 Private, 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment
ALBERT PICKSLEY
31620 Private, 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
ARTHUR CLAYTON
82116 Private, Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Regiment; 19484 Private, 7th Battalion, Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment); 405343 Private 865th Company, Labour Corps
WALTER SLEIGHT
6198 Private, 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
ROBERT RONALD BELL
567353 Flight Sergeant (Rear Gunner), 97 Squadron, Royal Air Force
ALBERT BIRKETT
RME/10039 Marine, Royal Marine Engineers, H.M.S. Highflyer (Shore Establishments)
DEREK CHARLES GRAY CLINKARD
39855 Flying Officer (Pilot), 61 Squadron, Royal Air Force
JOHN DENNIS EDGAR
4804077 Serjeant, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
RONALD WILLIAM LEEKE
P/JX 154364 Leading Signalman, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Aurora
ALBERT SNELL
4800317 Lance Corporal, 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
CHARLES ROY WILKINSON
C/SKX 1525 Stoker 2nd Class, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Vimiera
LAISTER COOK
Susworth's fallen hero of the Great War
The Fountain brothers
Other Great War casualties
In doing this research another 9 men have been found who lost their lives in the Great War and were associated with this parish.
A 4th Eminson cousin
Herbert Luther Eminson was also killed in the Great War.
Great War servicemen - side facing West
Arrand - Cottingham
Great War servicemen - side facing West
Eminson
Great War servicemen - side facing West
Holland - Lees
Great War servicemen - side facing South
Dawber - Nelson
Great War servicemen - side facing South
Osborne - Skelton
Great War servicemen - side facing East
Richards - Stutting
Great War servicemen - side facing East
Wakefield - Woods
SUSWORTH Great War servicemen
A forgotten heroine
A Scotter woman was a nurse in the French Red Cross. (Her name might have been wrongly transcribed when the memorial was refurbished in the 1980s)
Roll of Honour - March 1915
Roll of Honour - December 1915
Other Great War servicemen
More men have been found, associated with Scotter, who served in and survived the Great War but are not listed on the War Memorial.
Finally