Harold Leslie Fromm was born in Paddington on 15th February 1895, the second child of William Windus Fromm and Emily Fromm (nee Bagley).
William Windus was the son of a Prussian Wine Merchant and was born in Dalston, North London. He worked as a sorter in the Post Office. He married Emily in the Summer of 1894 and they had seven children over the course of the following 15 years.
Harold Leslie was their oldest son. At the time of the 1901 census the family are living at 53 Halefield Road in Tottenham and William has taken up employment as a railway porter at Broad Street Station. By the 1911 census the family have moved along the road to number 19 Halefield Road. William Windus is now a railway passenger guard; the oldest child Daisy has left home; Harold is now an engineer’s assistant in the gas works and his younger brother William James is working as a tailor’s apprentice.
In 1913 Harold’s mother Emily died aged 45 years, leaving William Windus to care for their four school aged children.
On 27th July 1911, at the age of 15, Harold joins the Royal Navy as a boy seaman. His character is described as very good and ability as superior whilst serving on the training ships Impregnable, Leviathan, Victory I and Prince of Wales. On the 5th February 1913, his 18th birthday, Harold is made up to an ordinary seaman and signs up for a period of 12 years. He remains on HMS Prince of Wales for a further 9 months, during which time he is made up to able seaman. He transfers to HMS Excellent, HMS Hecla and then fatefully HMS Fortune, where in May 1915 he is promoted to a leading seaman.
HMS Fortune was an Acasta Class Destroyer which formed part of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla at the Battle of Jutland. This was the largest Naval battle of the First World War taking place 31st May and 1st June 1916. Around 11.30pm HMS Fortune came under fire from German battleships which caused overwhelming damage and the ship went down on fire with the loss of 67 men. There was just one man rescued and a further 17 were taken prisoner. Sir Julian S Corbett wrote in his “History of the Great War- Naval Operations” published in 1921 that “The Fortune had been badly hit, and although already in flames and sinking, she was gallantly firing her guns to the last at her big adversary the battleship Rheinland”.
During the Battle of Jutland, Britain lost 14 ships and 6,784 men.
Harold is buried behind Bosemose Church in Denmark. There is another British war grave there, however that sailor had perished some months earlier.
At the time of Harold’s death, his father William Windus and some of Harold’s younger siblings were living in Crocus Road, part of the Welling Hutments development.
Harold’s brother Stanley Charles, 7 years his junior, served with the Middlesex Regiment, being demobilised in February 1919. He married Rose Hills and they lived in Dartford. Sadly he died in 1931.
Harold’s father William Windus attained the age of 73 and died in the spring of 1945.
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