Private 97988 Harold Frederick Stephen Swatling, 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment was born 1895 at Tenterden where he was baptised on the 23rd of June by church Curate A J Lepard, the son of Frederick George and Emma Jane Swatling. The baptism register records Frederick as a sawyer.

The 1901 census finds him with his parents at the “back of High Street”, Tenterden. Frederick aged 40 was a carpenter born at Biddenden. Jane aged 28 was born Tenterden. Harold is the only child.

By 1911 the family resided in Ashford Road, Tenterden. Frederick is a “wood sawyer steam”. Jane is a laundress. The couple have been married for sixteen years and have produced just one child - Harold, who is employed as a wood sawyer steam.

In the first quarter of 1917 at Tenterden, he married Annie Elizabeth Addy. The couple had a son, also named Harold, who was born in the summer of the same year.

Harold enlisted at Kingston, Surrey. He died of wounds at the 53rd Field Ambulance on the 6th November 1918 aged 23 and is buried at Berlaimont Communal Cemetery Extension.

His Medal Index Card notes his entitlement to the War Medal and the Victory Medal.

He is remembered on his parental grave, in Tenterden Cemetery where the headstone inscription reads that he was 'killed in action' - Emma Jane Swatling 17th of September 1928, aged 56 and Frederick George died the 10th of February 1934 aged 73.