Sinclair Murray Harrold

This story is shared with the Trust with kind permission from Gilmour and Susan Strang, Kingussie-Remembers.org

Sinclair Murray Harrold was born on the 20th December 1921 at 9 Railway Terrace, Kingussie to Alexander Harrold, a Railway Signalman with the Highland Railway Company, and Mary Grant Harrold (née Murray). According to the 1921 census three brothers and three sisters were living nearby in Railway Cottages on Ruthven Road.

His parents had married in Wick on 26 June 1908. Sinclairʼs older brother, Alexander, was born at Mulben Station, Boharm, Banffshire where his father, Alexander, was a Railway Pointsman.

Alexander and Mary would suffer the loss of both sons in the war. Alexander Harrold, served with the Scots Guards and was killed on the 11th September 1943 during a night attack on an enemy stronghold south of Salerno, Italy. He is buried in Salerno War Cemetery.

Sinclair would be killed less than a year later in Normandy. He was serving with the 5th Battalion, Black Watch. It was the first of the Black Watch units to land in Normandy in the late afternoon of D-Day, 6 June 1944. Sinclair died on 11 June 1944. He was initially buried in a temporary grave at Breville and on 3 July 1945 was exhumed and re-buried in the Hermanville War Cemetery at Hermanville-sur-Mer alongside 900 other casualties of which 40 are from the 5th Battalion Black Watch who died on the same day as Sinclair.

His grave has the inscription chosen by the family
Till memory fades
And life departs
You will live for ever
In our hearts

Notification of his death was published in the Inverness Courier of the 11th July 1944.

The article reveals that he was employed as a grocer for Messrs Cooper and Co, High Street, Kingussie before he joined up. He and his brother are commemorated on their parent's gravestone in Kingussie Cemetery as well as on the Kingussie memorial in the town centre.

British Normandy Memorial - Additional Information

Unfortunately, we do not have a photo of Sinclair Harrold. If you are aware of one, or you are related to Sinclair, we would love to hear from you so we can add to his story.