The fourth child of Frederick and Mary Ann (née Francis) Watson, Harold was born on 25 January 1898. His older sister Lilian Rose (b.1888), elder brothers Horace Albert (b.1891) and William Samuel (b.1893) were all registered in the father’s birth area of Islington, London. Paperwork indicates that the father enrolled in the army and joined the 16th Foot of the 1st Battalion the Bedfordshire Regiment as Harold’s younger brother Geoffrey’s birth in 1906 is registered in Nowgong, India. The mother, Mary Ann returned to her birth place in Bedfordshire for the birth of younger brother Ernest in 1907, before the family reunited in Mullinger, Ireland where the youngest sister Rita was born in 1914.

By 1921 the family had settled in at The Moor,  Carlton, Bedfordshire where the father Frederick Watson passed away in 1929. The mother continued to live in the same house until her demise in 1955. Mary was the designated next of kin for the Boy Telegraphist Harold on his Death Register in 1915.

Harold had joined the Royal Navy when he walked up the gangway of the 4 funnel cruiser HMS POWERFUL in Devonport dockyard on 14 May 1914 for 20 week basic training. He then transferred to the ship next door, HMS IMPREGNABLE, on 20 September to continue his basic training until 29 January 1915. Service documents show he had been selected for the Communication Branch as a Boy Telegraphist.

A draft then moved him to Portsmouth to join HMS VERNON on 30 January for a further 5 weeks training before yet another draft, this time across the harbour to HMS DOLPHIN on the weekend of 6/7 March, for 2 days and then  a draft on 8 March to the submarine depot ship HMS MAIDSTONE as ships company for a 7 week duration. On the 29 April he was on the  move again to HMS ALECTO at Great Yarmouth for 4 weeks with a draft of 1 day on 25 May back to MAIDSTONE, then with yet another draft dated 26 May for HMS FORTH based on the Humber for HMS C29.

Disaster struck on 29 August when C29 was dragged into a minefield by the decoy fishing vessel to which she was attached. There were no survivors.

Harold Watson is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial on Panel 10.