WWI 100th anniversary: The tragic story of the Father and Son who died at Passchendaele
OF all the poignant stories to emerge from the horror of the First World War few match that of Harry and Ronald Moorhouse.
The father and son enlisted together, fought side by side in the trenches and watched each other’s back.
They survived mustard gas, were wounded and received awards for gallantry.
Then, just when it seemed that their lives must be charmed, both fell within the hour in Flanders. First Ronald, 22, a captain, was mortally wounded, then Harry, 48, an acting lieutenant colonel, was killed by a sniper as he sought help for his stricken son.
They were two deaths among the hundreds of thousands on both sides which will be commemorated in ceremonies this weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Passchendaele, on July 31, 1917.
If you put your head above the parapet you soon have bullets whizzing about you
It was second only to the Somme in terms of the horrors inflicted on British and Commonwealth servicemen in the conflict.
Passchendaele, named after a village in Belgium, was known for treacherous conditions caused by the heaviest rainfall for three decades.
It resulted in men and horses drowning, it sapped morale and caused the battle to drag on for more than three months.
The Allies sustained 325,000 casualties while the German figure was 260,000. Countless young men were swallowed up by the mud never to be seen again.
For the Moorhouses the road to Passchendaele began at the start of the war. Harry, from Wakefield in Yorkshire, was a veteran of the Boer War.
At the time his son Ronald was farming in Canada but returned to do his duty and joined his father in the 4th battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
For the next three years they saw action in France and Belgium, gaining promotions for their bravery and earning the admiration of their men.
Ronald was awarded the Military Cross, while Harry received the French Legion of Honour and the DSO. Despite both being injured in action, father and son insisted on returning to the trenches as soon as possible.
Even when Ronald was briefly posted away they somehow engineered a transfer back. However, nothing could have prepared them for the horrors of Passchendaele.
Officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres, it was an onslaught on German lines which began with a bombardment of 4.5million shells from 3,000 British artillery guns.
It was supposed to soften up the enemy but, as with the Somme, had limited impact and the Germans knew an attack was imminent.
The flat plain and the appalling conditions only added to the slaughter. One historian wrote: “The most hellish heavy rains fell and made one great bog in which every crater was a deep pool. They were like lakes in some places, filled with slimy water and dead bodies.”
Making matters even more perilous there was a constant threat from snipers and in one prophetic letter to his aunt, Ronald wrote: “If you put your head above the parapet you soon have bullets whizzing about you.”
During the three-month battle there were also periods of stalemate and counter-attacks.
In one, on October 9, 1917, Ronald Moorhouse was leading a group of men across a swollen river when they came under heavy fire and he was hit.
Badly injured he was dragged to relative safety and his father, at the battalion’s makeshift headquarters, was told of his son’s plight.
Rebecca Lisle, an author and Harry’s great-granddaughter, takes up the story: “When he heard that his son had fallen Harry was determined to seek a doctor. With his batman he set out through shell holes and the battlefield that had become a swamp.
“He was shot by a sniper and killed almost instantly. By then Ronald, who was leading an impossible mission, had probably already died. Their actions were typical. Both were gallant and always looked out for one another. I think they had a sense that they would get through the war.
“Letters home were always full of affection and when Ronald was awarded a medal for bravery his father wrote: ‘How proud I am of you Ronnie boy.’ Neither body was ever recovered for proper burial.”
The terrible news was broken a few days later to Susanna, the wife of Harry and mother of Ronald, at the family home in Yorkshire.
In less than an hour she had been widowed and lost her son. Later that month, Wakefield Cathedral was packed for a memorial service for the two brave men.
A century has passed but they will again be remembered at events over the next few days. Rebecca is travelling to Belgium for a wreathlaying ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Passchendaele.
The names of the fallen father and son appear on a memorial to the missing at the Tyne Cot war cemetery, near the battlefield.
Closer to home, a sculpture built from clay taken from the Passchendaele battlefield site and representing soldiers from each side has been unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Both Harry and Ronald are depicted.
“It was such a senseless waste of life but it is so important that we continue to recognise the sacrifice,” adds Rebecca.
The impact on her family was especially harsh. Another relative, Robert Forrester, recalls marvelling at a portrait of Harry, his great-grandfather, which hung on his grandmother’s wall.
Other treasured mementoes of the two lives laid down, including buttons from uniforms and Harry’s dress sword, were also kept.
“The deaths of her husband and son so close together had a terrible effect on Susanna,” says Robert, an artist, who made an emotional visit to Passchendaele a decade ago.
“We grew up with this tragedy in our family. Family history has it that she took to her bed for days after receiving the telegram.”
It is also still in the family’s possession and reads: “The King and Queen have received with much regret the news of the death of your husband and son who were killed in the same action while gallantly fighting with their regiment.
“Their majesties deplore the death of these two brave officers and desire me to convey to you their sincere sympathy with you in your sorrow.”
The eventual capture of what little remained of Passchendaele by British and Canadian forces on November 6 finally gave allied commanders such as General Haig an excuse to call off the offensive and claim debatable success.
But above all Passchendaele will be remembered for the Flanders mud which swallowed Harry Moorhouse and his son.
Pay tribute to the fallen with a special pin
To commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele and the thousands of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, the Royal British Legion has commissioned a Passchendaele Poppy Lapel Pin to remember every British soldier who fell during the battle.
These lapel pins are available exclusively on Sainsbury’s website now, in exchange for a £2 donation.
This £2 will be paid to Royal British Legion Trading Limited which gives its taxable profits to The Royal British Legion (charity no 219279).
Buy online at www.sainsburys. co.uk