First World War Medal Trio & Second World War Defence Medal – Lance Sergeant Harold Stell, 6th Bn. Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding Regiment)
1914-15 Star – 2599. PTE. H. STELL. W. RID. R.
British War Medal – 265639 CPL. H. STELL. W. RID. R.
Victory Medal – 265639 CPL. H. STELL. W. RID. R.
Defence Medal – unnamed as issued
Nicely mounted as worn. Interestingly the medals featuring the monarch’s portrait are mounted in reverse.
Harold Stell was born on 13 April 1889 at Keighley, West Yorkshire, and baptised the following month at the Wesleyan Chapel, Heber Street, Keighley. He was the son of Frederick Stell (also known as Fred Stell), born in 1862, and Elizabeth Driver, born in 1861. The family lived for a number of years in the Keighley district and later at Haworth, reflecting Harold’s strong West Riding roots. He was one of a large family, with siblings including Frank Lynn Stell, Alice Stell, Emily Jane Stell, Minnie Stell, and Annie Stell, several of whom survived into the mid-20th century.
Harold enlisted into the Territorial Force and served with the 6th Battalion, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, a battalion whose companies were drawn from towns across the West Riding, including Keighley. The battalion mobilised immediately on the outbreak of war in August 1914, initially undertaking home defence duties before intensive training in preparation for overseas service.
He proceeded to France on 14 April 1915, qualifying for the 1914–15 Star, and served continuously on the Western Front with the battalion as part of 147th Brigade, 49th (West Riding) Division. The 6th Battalion saw its first major action at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915 and was subsequently engaged in heavy fighting during the battles of the Somme in 1916, followed by operations in Flanders during Third Ypres, including Poelcappelle, in 1917.
During his service overseas Harold Stell was wounded on multiple occasions. He appears on official War Office Daily Casualty Lists as wounded on 25 July 1915, 10 August 1916, and again on 19 September 1917, reflecting repeated exposure to front-line fighting. His entitlement to wear a Wound Stripe, authorised under Army Order 204 of 6 July 1916, is specifically recorded, confirming that his wounds were of sufficient severity to meet the criteria laid down by the Army Council.
Over the course of the war Harold rose through the ranks, being recorded variously as Lance Corporal, Corporal, and later Lance Sergeant, and was issued a later service number 265639, reflecting his continued service following reorganisation within the Territorial Force. Medal rolls confirm his entitlement to the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal, all awarded for active service in the Western European Theatre of War.
Following the Armistice, Harold was disembodied in March 1919, his service concluding after almost five years under arms. In later life he married Martha Doris Swaits in 1922 at Lancaster, and the couple went on to have at least one son, Frederick Douglas Stell, who later became a schoolmaster. Harold resided in Lancashire in his later years, living at Higher Heysham and subsequently at 7 Glen Crescent, Morecambe & Heysham.
In addition to his Great War service, Harold Stell later served on the Home Front during the Second World War, for which he was awarded the Defence Medal.
Harold Stell died on 1 June 1966, aged 77. Probate records note his estate passing to his widow and son, bringing to a close the life of a Territorial soldier whose wartime service included early deployment to France, repeated wounds in action, and long service with the West Riding Division on some of the Western Front’s hardest-fought battlefields.
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