Harold Leslie Oliver Anderson – King’s Royal Rifle Corps / London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), 1st/16th Battalion

Rifleman Harold Leslie Oliver Anderson – King’s Royal Rifle Corps / London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), 1^st/16^th Battalion

Birth and Family Background

Harold Leslie Oliver Anderson was born in 1899 in Swansea. He was the son of Olaff (Olaf) Emanuel Anderson, who was born in Sweden, and Theresa Robson, originally from Richmond, Yorkshire.

1901 Census

By the time of the 1901 Census, the Anderson family was living at the West Cross Hotel, Oystermouth. Olaf, aged 56, was recorded as the Licensed Victualler, while his wife Theresa, aged 31, was managing the household. Their children present were Gertrude (15), Leslie (2), and Stanley (15 months). Also residing with the family was Olaf’s 20-year-old niece, Minnie Anderson.

Later that same year, in December 1901, Olaf Emanuel Anderson passed away.

1911 Census

By 1911, Theresa, now aged 40, had moved to Tenby, Pembrokeshire, where she was working as a Licensed Victualler, running the Hilton Hotel. Living with her were her two sons, Harold (12) and Reginald S. B. (10). The household also included Harriet Messervy, a widow.

Military Service

Harold enlisted as a Rifleman with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and was later transferred to the London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles), 1^st/16^th Battalion.

On 28^th  August 1918, the 1/16^th Battalion, London Regiment (Queen’s Westminster Rifles) was engaged on the Western Front during the final months of the war. Although no detailed diary of the battalion’s exact actions on that day has been located, the unit’s records show it was part of the intense Allied operations during the Hundred Days Offensive. It is therefore likely that the battalion was either advancing, holding newly-won ground, or operating under fire from artillery and small arms in one of the many fluid engagements of late-summer 1918.

Death in the First World War

Harold Leslie Oliver Anderson 
Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France
credit - findagrave

Rifleman Harold Leslie Oliver Anderson lost his life on 28^th August 1918. He is buried at Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France.