James Harris and his wife Katherine Jane Harris Nee Saunders of North Street and Clouts Alley, Folkestone
James and Katherine had six children, three of which are mentioned below and they helped the WW1 effort in a different way.
Henry James Harris 25/08/1879 – 22/07/1946 – first son of James and Katherine
Harry as he was known was said to have been one of the brave band of fishermen who risked enemy attacks and mines during the war. He had several dangerous experiences and narrowly escaped death when three enemy planes swooped over his boat machine gunning the deck on which he was standing. He dived down the companion way head first and fell on too one of the crew though momentarily stunned he was unhurt. On another occasion he lost a large amount of valuable equipment when his trawl caught a magnetic mine and the nets had to be cut away to save the ship being blown up by the mine.
James Harris 26/05/1882 – 15/05/1919
James Harris, at the time of his death, wasn’t married and was living with his brother Frederick and family at 1, Bates Alley, Folkestone. In the local paper of 1911 a report was issued of a ‘James Harris’ receiving a Mayor of Folkestone’s medal for valour when he was helped by two other people on a Sprat Boat rescue to save three men on another Sprat Boat who had capsized off the Warren in Folkestone. In 1919, James was on the ship “Amelia Rose” when it was mowed down by an American War ship in the channel and subsequently James was killed.
Frederick William Harris 26/04/1884 – 17/05/1953 third son of James and Katherine (My Grandfather)
Frederick William Harris was born at 6, North Street Folkestone and like his father he was also a fisherman. Frederick married my Grandmother Daisy Louise Milton (daughter of William David Smith Milton and Elizabeth Court) in 1908 and they lived at 1 Bates Alley, Folkestone. He attended St Peter’s school until he was 12 then went to join the fishing fleet. During the First World War, he served on the paddle steamer ‘Golden Eagle’ which took British troops to France. From an obituary in the local paper I found out he was also the skipper of ‘The Masterpiece’ (FE 145) and previously the skipper of ‘Golden Sunset’ (FE 79).
