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And the piece that I contributed to Ray Gent's book rlRugby League - In It's Own Wordsrl - and yes, it was my original idea that Ray wrote it in the 1st person

A game fit for heroes

We’ve all heard tales of the many heroes of TGG on the field of play but there’s certainly been no shortage of Rugby League players that have distinguished themselves in their off-field activities too. The one that springs readily to my mind is 2nd Lt. John Harrison VC MC.

Born, the fourth of seven children, to John and Charlotte Harrison on 12 November 1890, the first son to this boilermaker/plater and his wife was also given the name John but was soon called Jack to distinguish him from his father. Life in East Hull in the late 19th century was difficult at best and young Jack soon learned to look after himself, growing up strong, courageous and well able to fight his corner. In 1901 Jack became a pupil at Craven Street School, where he remained until he reached the age of eighteen, leaving with a Preliminary Certificate in mathematics. It was the usual practice for male children of manual working families to leave school at twelve but John and Lillian had decided that whatever the family could afford to help develop the talents that their eldest son was born with would be done.

Their sacrifice was rewarded when Jack gained entry on a Teacher Training course at St John’s College York. Jack’s departure coincided with a lock out in the shipbuilding trade, bringing yet more hardship to the Harrison family. Strife such as this coupled with the death earlier in the year of King Edward VII brought to an end the golden era of Edwardian England. The Principal of St John’s College, Revd. Henry Walker was a strict disciplinarian, believing in regular attendance in chapel as well has hard work in the classroom and on the playing field. Jack thrived in this environment, excelling at football, cricket, tennis, swimming and athletics but it was his prowess on the rugby field that first brought him to the attention of York Northern Union Rugby Football Club. It was during this period that Jack’s leadership qualities first surfaced when the College made him Captain of Rugby Football.

In 1912 Jack returned to his native City as a certificated teacher at Lime Street Senior Boys School, at an annual salary of £80. Jack’s exploits with York preceded his return and an invitation to join Hull NURFC was accepted, making his debut in the black & white irregular hoops on 5 September 1912. Between that date and 1916, he played 101 matches, scoring 91 tries and two goals. In the 1913/14 Challenge Cup Final he scored one of Hull’s two tries that ensured a 6-0 victory over Wakefield Trinity and in the following season clocked up 52 tries, a club record that stands to this day.

There was another side to Jack Harrison, away from the rugby field, he was a more than competent violinist and pianist and was once described by a female friend as being “a handsome chap who was attractive to women, he knew it and took full advantage of it”. On 1 September 1914 Jack married Lillian Ellis at Hull Registry Office. The Great War had already been in progress for one month at this time, although it had little impact on this new family in Hull.

By September 1914, the introduction of ‘Pals Battalions’ saw men enlisting at the rate of 33,000 per day although at this time with a new wife and soon a child on the way, Jack saw no reason to join them. On 15 June 1915 a son, John was born to Jack and Lillian, although he was known to the family as Jackie to avoid confusion.

The battles across the Channel were taking their toll on officers and men and it was felt necessary to offer immediate entry for officer training to men whose qualifications were deemed appropriate. It goes without saying that Jack’s qualifications were more than appropriate and on 4 November 1915 Jack reported for nine months training at Berkhamsted. It was during this training period that two of the bloodiest battles of the campaign were started which, before their end, would see the deaths of over 1 million men. On 5 August 1916, Jack Harrison was commissioned as Temporary 2nd Lieutenant and posted to the 11 Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment and was posted to active service on September 19. It is interesting to note that during October 1916, when the Hull Brigade was sent back from the front for rest and recuperation, the 11th Battalion won the Brigade Rugby Tournament.

Life in the trenches was as bad for junior officers as it was for enlisted men. Extremes of heat and cold, bluebottle-infested corpses, putrefying in no-mans-land, where rats and feral cats also fed and infested the trenches, accompanied inadequate rations. Disease was rife, pneumonia, meningitis, dysentery and typhoid took their toll, as did trench foot, which was developed through standing in freezing water and could cause toes or even feet to fall off. Constant barrages from heavy artillery, shrapnel shells, machine guns, trench mortars and flame throwers all combined to ensure a death rate, even in ‘quiet’ periods of 300 Allied men per day. By the war’s end, one man would be killed for every minute it lasted. This is where Jack Harrison learned the trade of a front line Officer.

The 11th and 12th East Yorks re-entered the front line at Arras on 20 February 1917 and at 2.30 am on the 25th, they were ordered to stand to. The attack started at 6.00 am and by 7.50 Jack had sent word back that the battalion had taken the German front line. By 9.00 am they were in the German 3rd line, by 9.40 they were ordered to withdraw and for his courage that day, the following appeared in The London Gazette on 17 April 1917:

Military Cross

T/2nd Lt John Harrison, East Yorks Regiment. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He handled his platoon with great courage and skill, reached his objective under the most trying conditions and captured a prisoner. He set a splendid example throughout.

Preparations for the Spring Offensive were soon underway, on 20 April the Hull Brigade were moved to Ecurie, north of Arras, to await orders. By this time, the 1,000 or so Officers and men of the original Pals Battalions had been reduced to half that number, their replacements literally came from anywhere. Casualties meant that the original Pals had virtually disappeared.

The area around the village of Oppy was well fortified, the Germans had laid a blanket of barbed wire in front of their lines, machine guns and trench mortars complemented the defences. The line itself was guarded by crack troops from the 1st and 2nd Guards Divisions. The men of the Hull Brigade set out on the night of 2 May under a clear sky with a full moon, they had to surmount a ridge which left them clearly silhouetted against the night sky. This led to an immediate bombardment of the holding areas behind the British line, no-man’s-land and the Brigade’s assembly area.

When the British barrage opened up at 3.45 am, the Germans responded, the dry weather meant that the area was soon enveloped in thick choking dust. The British barrage was timed to advance 100 yards every 4 minutes and soon outran the attacking battalions, leaving them exposed to heavy machine gun fire, which decimated the Yorkshire men. Two attacks by B Company were repulsed with heavy losses. Jack Harrison, leading B Company, made another attempt to penetrate the barbed wire defences, only to be pinned down by a machine gun firing from the Southern end of Oppy Wood. Exploding shells rained steel splinters and shrapnel balls to the rear of the Company, while machine guns poured 600 rounds per minute to their front. Desperate measures were required and Jack showed no hesitation in taking them.

Telling his men to keep the machine gun under constant fire, he left the line. Armed only with a pistol and a Mills Bomb, he ran towards the source of the enemy fire. It was now that all his experience on the rugby field would be needed. Using his speed and ability to side-step, he dodged and weaved his way from shell-hole to shell-hole until he was close enough to hurl his grenade. Silhouetted by flares, Jack’s men saw him fall forward as soon as he had thrown the bomb, The machine gun was silenced.

On 14 June 1917 The London Gazette announced that King George V had approved the award of the Victoria Cross to;

T/2nd Lieutenant John Harrison, MC, 11th (S) Bn. East Yorkshire Regt.

Oppy, France, 3rd May 1917
For most conspicuous bravery and self sacrifice in attack.
Owing to darkness and to smoke from the enemy barrage and from our own and to the fact that our objective was in a dark wood, it was impossible to see when our barrage lifted off the enemy front line.

Nevertheless, 2nd Lieut. Harrison led his company against the enemy trench under heavy rifle and machine gun fire but was repulsed. Re-organising his command as best he could in No-Man’s-Land, he again attacked in darkness but with no success.

Then turning round, this gallant officer single-handed made a dash at the enemy machine gun, hoping to knock out the gun and so save the lives of many of his company.

His self-sacrifice and absolute disregard of danger was an inspiring example to all. (He is reported missing, believed killed).

By the time the citation appeared, Lillian was already aware that her husband would not be returning from France but the story does not end there. The pupils of Lime Street School raised the money to erect a plaque in memory of their former teacher. It remained in place on the school wall until the Luftwaffe bombed the school in 1941. The plaque was rescued from the ruins and is now situated in Hull’s Guildhall.
In the early 1920s a fund was established to ensure a suitable education for the young Jackie Harrison, at the age of eight he attended Hymers College, which led to his attendance at Nottingham Public School, Trent College. Jackie (or John as he was now known) followed his father onto the playing field gaining honours in Rugby Union and cricket. He was selected to play for England against the All-Blacks in 1936 but injury forced him to step down, his position in the team was taken up by Prince Alexander Obolensky. John also followed his father into the army, becoming an officer cadet at Sandhurst, gaining a commission in the Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment. As war broke out once more in 1939, John was one of the British Expeditionary Force in France. Unfortunately on 1 June 1941, he too was killed in action during the evacuation at Dunkirk. The Harrison line had come to an end and Lillian had lost both of her men in conflict.

During early 2002, a group of fans on the Hull FC message board discussed the fact that there was no permanent public memorial to Jack’s memory. This discussion led to the formation of a committee to try and raise the funds necessary to remedy the situation. Hull FC were soon to be moving to their new home at The Kingston Communications Stadium, which would provide an ideal location for such a lasting tribute. An appeal was launched that would hopefully raise the funding not only for a memorial but also a trust to provide an annual award to an individual or group of children that through The Greatest Game, had shown courage in overcoming adversity. The response to this appeal is a credit to the game of Rugby League, donations were received from far and wide, including; fans of other clubs, veterans associations and even other sports. The memorial was commissioned in mid-2003 and is to be unveiled to the public on 15 November 2003, immediately prior to the 2nd GB v Australia Test. It was provided by all the fans, for all the fans of Rugby League.

Jack Harrison; Husband, Father, Citizen Soldier, Sportsman, Hero.

Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

St John Chapt. 15, V 13

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