Regiment: Liverpool Regt.
Died: 05 July 1917 aged 25 in France. Killed in action.
Cemetery: Cite Bonjean Armentieres VIII B 29
Son of William and Edith A. Harding, of Hope Lodge, Oxton, Birkenhead. b. 1892.
Modern III—Matriculation Class. House Prefect XXII Football ; XL Cricket.
Articled to a Chartered Accountant.
Great War, Private The King's Regt. (Liverpool), 1914 ; Lieutenant.
2nd/5th Bn. The King's (Liverpool Regiment).
'In his two years here Eric Harding showed the qualities that make a boy universally liked and respected. He did everything keenly, quietly, cheerfully; he had sound common-sense; and there was that natural modesty about him which makes the most lovable of friends. On leaving School he became articled to a Chartered Accountant; his keenness for athletics never flagged; he undertook the Secretarial duties of the Birkenhead Cricket Club and was an active member of the Liverpool Ramblers Football Club. When war broke out, he enlisted at once in the King's Liverpool Regiment, in which he got a commission in September 1915. He went out to the western front in February of this year and on the night of July 5th, while on patrol duty, he was hit in the leg by a bullet: he continued to fight on and kept his men under splendid control, until he was hit again, this time mortally.' (Malvernian, Jul 1917).
Liverpool Daily Post:
The death in action is announced of Lieutenant Eric S. M. Harding of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment. He was 25 years of age, and the second son of the late Mr. William Harding and of Mrs. Harding, 21, Templemore-road, Oxton. Lieutenant Harding was educated at Malvern College, and when the war broke out was preparing for the final examination to become a chartered accountant. He joined the ranks as a private in 1914, and obtained a commission in the following year, subsequently putting in some good work at Oswestry Camp as a bomb instructor. He had been on the Western front for some time, and on 5th inst., while on patrol duty, a large body of the enemy tried to surround the patrol. Although shot in the leg, Lieut. Harding kept his men well in hand, but he was hit again, and died while being carried back to the trenches. Lieutenant Harding was well-known in athletic circles. He was secretary of the Birkenhead Cricket Club, and was regarded as one of their best bowlers. He was also a promising member of the Ramblers' Football Club.
Livesofthefirstworldwar