Killed in action aged 24
No known grave

Harold Verschoyle was born in Toronto, the second son of George Mackinnon Wrong, Professor of History at the University of Toronto, and author, by his wife Sophia Hume daughter of the late Hon Edward Blake MP.  Harold had a sister Margaret, and a brother Murray who was living with Harold in Manchester, England in 1917.

He attended St. Andrew's College from 1902 to 1907, and later Ridley College, St. Catherine's, and University College at University of Toronto from 1909 to 1913 where he took First Class Honours in Classics, English and History.  He was a member of Kappa Alpha, the Historical Club, XIII Club and received his Tennis Colours. Harold won the Flavelle Scholarship which enabled him to attend Oxford University for two years. He arrived in the UK from Canada in October 1913 to continue his education at Christ Church, Oxford. His name appears in the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Literature as a composer of verse.

In December 1914 Harold applied for a commission in the British Army and was subsequently appointed 2nd Lieutenant with the 15th Lancashire Fusiliers (2nd Salford Pals) of the British Infantry. His commission application states that he was unmarried, 6' tall and weighed 156 lbs and his permanent address was 467 Jarvis St, Toronto.

Harold arrived in France on 21 November 1915 with his Battalion and served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 21 November 1915. On Saturday 1 July 1916 his brigade attacked Thiepval frontally. He was last seen crossing the German front line wounded in the hand. Most of the battalion was cut off after crossing the first line, and nearly all were killed.  Wrong was 24 years old and one of 997 officers to die that day.  Men of the Battalion were to fall in horrendous numbers before the intense machine gun fire from ruined houses in the village as well as from Thiepval Fort.  Wrong has no known grave but is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France (Panel Number: Pier and Face 3 C and 3 D).

From SAC (St Andrew’s College) website

The Dead - 1914
There they lie,
Twenty deep.
Torn and shattered
Into sleep;
They were fighters
Let them be,
They have died
for Liberty.

Who shall name it?
Did they fight
Against evil
For the right?
Every nation
Answers yes;
Who shall prove
Their righteousness?

Be the conquest
As it may,
We have lost them
In a day,
A thousand thousand
Good and bad,
They have given
All they had.

Honour to them
For the fight;
Who are they
To judge the right?
But God grant it -
set us free
From this Hell
Of Liberty.

    from Verses by Harold Verschoyle Wrong