Harold Reeves from Roadside on Whitchurch Road was a pleasant lad with a bright manner. He had attended Christleton Boys School, and was a boot maker by trade.

Harold was 18 years old, the son of Edwin & Sarah Reeves when he signed up under the “Derby Scheme” and became a member of the 10th Cheshire Regiment based in Chester. He continued his trade until the call to serve came. He was 5’ 9 ¾ tall and was 20 at the time of his death.

After initial training in the United Kingdom, the regiment was sent to the front in the sector south of Ypres in Belgium. The battles were fierce and the weather atrocious. It’s said that in places mud was 10 feet deep. On February 17th 1917 the battalion found themselves in the thick of things near Factory Farm. The 10th battalion of the Cheshire soldiers attacked the enemy, and captured 10 prisoners as well as causing many casualties. However German guns counter- attacked as the men made their way back to safety, and the Cheshire’s were decimated. 29 men were killed, 62 wounded and 27 missing. Even 8 of the prisoners they had taken were killed by their own side. Harold was killed in this action and just 20 years old. He is commemorated at the Berkshire Cemetery near Ploedstreet Wood near Ypres.