HIS recently-published memoirs are entitled An Ordinary Man, but the life of George Harold Clough – known as Harold – was actually quite extraordinary.

The former miner was an accomplished singer and a keen cornet, mouth organ and accordion player – with a claim to being the oldest bandsman in the UK, continuing as a playing member of Silsden Town Band until he was 97!

When Harold died in 2018, aged 105, people travelled to Keighley from across Britain – and even from as far away as Mexico – to pay their respects at his funeral.

“He was a true gent and often said that although he had never been financially wealthy in his life, he had always been blessed with a loving family and treasured friends,” says his great-granddaughter, Charlotte Clarkson.

His life and experiences are captured in An Ordinary Man, which has sold worldwide since its publication and even made the top 100 on Amazon’s list of historical non-fiction.

Harold’s memoirs were first produced in ‘published’ form as a pamphlet, to present to him as a surprise present on his 90th birthday.

“He had pen-written them when he was 85 after my grandfather Edgar wittered at him to write down his life stories!” said Charlotte. “My grandmother Mavis, her sister Sylvia and Sylvia’s daughter Sharon then wrote-up the story.

“When he died, the project was taken-up again. My grandma, my dad Mark and myself spent two years bringing together other details which had been forgotten and additional memories to combine with his original memoirs.

“A talented local artist, Kai Hewitt, designed the front cover for the book based on an oil lamp my gramps would have used in the mines – and thanks to the combined effort of so many people, An Ordinary Man was published!”

Harold was born in Barnsley in November, 1912, to Ethel and Sam Clough.

A poor, working-class family, he was the second of what would eventually become 12 children.

He was especially close to his eldest brother Willie – whom he nicknamed ‘Our Nip’ – and would eventually travel down the mines with him when he was old enough to work at 14.

The family had moved to Stairfoot – a village near Barnsley – soon after Harold was born and he would spend the rest of his childhood and later teen years there, working in the many different mines around the area such as Houghton Colliery and Mitchell Main.

He was a pony driver and suffered many injuries, as well as a number of near-death experiences.

The mining strikes of the 1920s saw Harold out of work and during this period he spent a lot of time with the Salvation Army, which was to transform his life.

He met his future wife, Daisy Richardson, a southern Salvation Army officer.

She encouraged him to apply for the Salvation Army Training School in London.

Harold successfully trained as a Salvation Army officer and spent his time travelling to different locations, spreading the message of God, until he and Daisy decided to start a family.

They had two daughters, Sylvia and Mavis, and left their positions as Salvation Army officers and moved to Keighley.

“My great-grandfather remained a man of great faith and a Salvation Army solider for almost all his life – until he went to live in a nursing home in Steeton and found Mount Hermon Chapel at Addingham was easier to travel to in his old age,” said Charlotte.

“Moving into a nursing home at 98, he still had his mobility and great generosity and would spend his time visiting the other residents who were bed-ridden – when he was not spending time with his own visitors and doing one of his favourite pastimes, crossword puzzles.”

An Ordinary Man also reflects the social history of Britain and gives a glimpse into an industry which would suffer greatly.

The paperback retails at £6.99 on Amazon. Visit amazon.co.uk/ORDINARY-MAN-George-Harold-Clough/dp/B08BW8M2C5.