In 1938 he married Irene Groom. They had three boys in 1940, 1942, and 1946. During the war she moved back to live with her parents whilst Harry was in the army.
After the war, Harry went to work in the Groom's Factory, a clothing manufacturer owned by Irene's parents and where she had worked before and during the war. It had started out in an old Army hut in the early 1920's, before moving to a custom built factory at the end of the decade. During the war they worked on a contract from Boots to produce toweling for use in gas masks, as well as bras for Marks and Spencers. After the business was sold in 1963, they went on to set up other businesses.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Lincolnshire Scout Section | Scout Section Sergeant | 09 Nov 1940 | 23 Apr 1943 |
| Massingham Mission | SOE Agent | 13 May 1943 | 1945 |
| Massingham Mission | SOE Agent | 13 May 1943 | 1945 |
Haulage contractor
Enlisting in May 1940, his basic training was at the Leicester Infantry Training Centre.
9 Nov 1940 He volunteered for service with the Scout Sections of Auxiliary Units. His rank at this time is unknown.
1 Nov 1941 Appointed paid acting Sergeant, presumably having been a Corporal until shortly beforehand.
29 Apr 1942 Appointed War substantive Sergeant.
24 Apr 1943 Transferred to Special Operations Executive. He was given the ID 11754. After initial screening, he left for North Africa on 10 May 1943 to join the Massingham Mission as an Non-commissioned Officer. He held the rank of War Substantive Sergeant. By Christmas 1943 he had moved to Italy with No.11 SOD.
In 1944 he was with 576 Special Stores Depot (also known as Military Establishment 53), one of the SOE stores sites in Italy. He remained there until 23 Oct 1945 when he was given a month of leave in the UK.
1 Apr 1944 Awarded a Commendation Card.
On his return he was posted to "H" PW Detachment at Naples, remaining there until March 1946. On 15 Mar he was sent to "X" Special Reception Camp, also known as Lammie Camp. This was for soldiers being discharged from the Army, offering sports and advice and training for civilian life.
29 Mar 1946 At No.11 CMD and MDU prior to discharge. His Release Leave ran until 24 May 1946
29 Mar 1946 he was released from the Army.
His SOE Personnel file gives his date of birth 29 Dec 1917.
The National Archives HS9/662/2 SOE Personnel file