Harold Clitherow Margrett OBE
War Years
Harold joined the Royal Naval Air Service (Royal Flying Corps) in May 1917. He trained as a Pilot and flew the Maurice Farman Longhorn and was commissioned as a Probationary Flight Officer. His training started at Manston and he continued at various training establishments until he developed appendicitis with, it would appear, serious complications. He was admitted to Chatham Hospital and after treatment was discharged. One month later he was admitted for re-surgery. He was admitted to Greenwich hospital three weeks later then discharged. Two weeks later he was admitted again for re-surgery and finally found fit for duty continuing his training at Cranwell and East Church gunnery school. At the time his salary was in the order of £100.00 pounds per annum.
After his training Lt Harold Margrett was posted to 4 Aeroplane Supply Depot on the 22 June 1918 and sometime thereafter posted on to 218 Sqdn. On the 19 November 1918 he was reported as being sent to 2 Stationary Hospital at Abbeville with influenza, and by the 26 November his condition was recorded to be satisfactory. On the 8 December 1918 he was discharged from 2 Stationary Hospital and sent to the Base Depot. On the 14 December he was posted back to England.
He used to tell his great nephew about the characteristics of the Maurice Farman Longhorn. “If you flew at thirty miles an hour, it fell out of the sky. If you flew it over fifty miles an hour it fell to pieces”.
During World War 2 they were interned in Stanley Camp Hong Kong
Stanley Camp was located on the south side of the island of Hong Kong, and comprised the grounds of the Stanley Prison (but not the prison itself) and St. Stephen's College. Over 3,100 Allied citizens were held there at various times from mid January 1942 to the end of August 1945. Internees suffered under the strict discipline of the Japanese, and seven internees were among the over thirty civilians executed on Stanley beach in 1943 after the Japanese kempeitai uncovered a resistance ring and discovered several hidden radios in the camp. Internees were to suffer further casualties when the camp was accidentally bombed by USAAF bombers in January, 1945.
Seven internees escaped from the camp to Free China, but another party of four was not so lucky. Recaptured within a short distance of camp, they were beaten, tortured, and held in prison for over a year.
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