Harold William Ballamy

He was the son of Frederick William and Minnie Ballamy of 17a Gedling Grove, Burns Street, Nottingham and the brother of Frederick Lewis and George Roy Ballamy. He was a Communicant at All Saints Church Radford and was educated at Nottingham High School and Trinity College Cambridge. His father was a commercial traveller.

Member of Nottingham Rowing Club. He was educated at Nottingham High School, being a Sir Thomas White scholar, and had gained many prizes, including silver medals for Mathematics and Science, Dr Gow’s Geometry Prize, the Bishop Exhibition of £60 a year for four years and an Open Exhibition of £75 a year for Science (both considerable awards at this time). He had been Colour Sergeant of the OTC, Captain of Football and Senior Prefect. He had been elected to a major Foundation Scholarship of £100 a year at Trinity College, Cambridge early in 1914 and was placed first in the Natural Science Tripos (part I), having previously obtained a 1st in the Maths Tripos. He had rowed in the Trinity third boat and was a prominent member of the Cambridge University OTC. Research Simon Williams Member of Nottingham Rowing Club.

'B' Bty, 231st Bde, Royal Field Artillery. When war broke out, having taken his BA, he promptly volunteered for service and secured a commission in the Royal Field Artillery, proceeding to the front in February 1915. He had been twice wounded and had only returned to active service(with 241st Bty) five weeks before he was killed by a shell (All Saints Church news). Writing to his parents, Brigadier-General Herbert M. Campbell, who attended Lieutenant Ballamy’s funeral, observed that he was 'a gallant officer and thoroughly reliable. The battery felt his loss very much and he would be hard to replace.' Fosse No 10 Communal Cemetery Extension, Sains-en-Gohelle (grave ref II.C.27).

No service record at TNA. Is in Medal Roll. War obituary, All Saints Church News, October 1917: 'Harold William Ballamy, 17a Gedling Grove, Lieutenant RFA, joined at outbreak of war, received commission in RFA, he went to France in the Spring of 1915, he was killed by a shell on August 15th 1917, aged 24. Communicant at our church, educated at Nottingham High School and Trinity College Cambridge, he had a brilliant academic career being the holder of many scholarships.' It is worth noting that Trinity Cambridge in the year’s running up to the First World War was the ‘home’ of the philosophers Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, the Austrian-British philosopher who was a student there from 1911. He served in the Austrian Army during the First World War. It is also worth noting that at Trinity College, Cambridge, at the same time as Ballamy was John Wesley Wootton, Old Nottinghamian, who gained a first in History and, like Ballamy, was a former school captain. They had been contemporaries at school and both were clearly enthusiastic members of the Cambridge OTC, so they must have been in regular contact. Wootton died of wounds on 11th October 1917 and is buried at St Omer in France. Also, at Cambridge at the same time was J K Turpin, Old Nottinghamian, who also was a contemporary of Ballamy and a former school captain. He also was an officer in the Royal Field Artillery and was killed the day before Ballamy in Belgium. Article published on 21st August 1917 in the Nottingham Evening Post :- “KILLED. “LIEUT. H. W. BALLAMY. “Official news has reached Mr. and Mrs. F. Ballamy that their second son, Lieut, Harold William Ballamy, R.F.A., was killed in action on August 19th. The young officer was educated the Nottingham High School, of which he was a Sir Thomas White scholar, and gained many prizes, including the silver medals for both mathematics and science. Dr. Gow’s prize for geometry, and the Bishop Exhibition of £60 a year for four years, and an open Exhibition of £75 a year for science. He was colour-sergeant of the Officers’ Training Corps, captain of football, and senior prefect. Elected to a Major Foundation Scholarship of £100 a year at Trinity College, Cambridge, early in the year 1914, he was placed in the first class of the Natural Science Tripos (Part I), having previously obtained a first class in the Mathematical Tripos. He rowed in the First Trinity third boat, and was a prominent member of the Cambridge University O.T.C. When war broke out, having taken his B.A., he promptly volunteered for service, and secured a commission in the R.F.A., proceeding to the front February, 1915. He had been twice wounded, and had only returned to active service five weeks when fell. Writing to his parents, Brigadier-General Herbert M. Campbell, who attended Lieut. Bellamy’s funeral, observes that he was a gallant officer, loved all who knew him, exceedingly capable, and thoroughly reliable. The battery felt his loss very much, and would be hard to replace.” Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great Hucknall 1914-1918