Harold Bright

Medals awarded

  • Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
  • 1914-15 Star
  • British War Medal 1914-20
  • Victory Medal 1914-19
  • India General Service Medal 1936-39
    Clasp: North West Frontier 1936-37
  • 1939-45 Star
  • Africa Star 1940-43
  • Italy Star 1943-45
  • War Medal 1939-45

Medals are shown left to right, as per the bullet point list above.

Born in 1894, Harold Norman Bright, known as ‘Tiny’ was another of the regiment’s soldiers, who, buy accident of the year of their birth, served in both the First and Second World Wars. Bright was with the Manchester Regiment before joining the Yorkshire Regiment in October 1915.

Having fought on the Somme, he was serving with the 2nd Battalion when he was wounded on 2 April 1917 during the Battle of Arras in the attack on Henin-sur-Cojeul, in which 64 members of the battalion were killed. He was awarded the Military Cross.

Bright served with both regular battalions during the inter-war years and commanded the new 12th Battalion when it was created in 1940 at Wetherby. Initially it was the Support Battalion to the 11th Armoured Division. In 1942 the 12th became the 161st Reconnaissance Regiment when it was converted to fighting with armoured cars.

Lieutenant Colonel Bright was redeployed for staff duties overseas at the end of 1942 and afterwards served in Italy.  He died in 1952.