On joining the Royal Artillery Regiment as a boy in 1933, Harold made regimental trumpeter within a year and after two, when he was of age, mustered as a gunner. These few years beginning at age fifteen apparently lent many humorous stories to what became a lengthy career, and Harold never forgot this sense of fun nor what it was like to be a young man in the service. When war engulfed Europe in 1939, he was stationed on Gibraltar with the 4th Heavy Battery, 3d Heavy Regiment. He had been on the Rock since January 1938, ready to defend the gateway to the Mediterranean in the imposing fortress of sheer limestone faces laden with gun emplacements.
Beneath its towering cliffs, Harold and his comrades lived and worked within the tunnels carved into the stone, manning the great coastal guns that watched over the Mediterranean. The sun blazed hot on the upper reaches of the rock, while the cool, damp tunnels below dripped with condensation. Long watches and drills wore on until the Rock came under threat of the Vichy French and Italian Air Forces and the Italian Navy. When the majority of the civilian population evacuated in 1940, the thin peninsula was devoted entirely to military defense and was subsequently attacked by air and sea for the next year that Clapton watched from the ancient bastions built hundreds of years prior for the same purpose.
NETHERLANDS
After returning to the United Kingdom and watching the coasts of Kent with 549 Coast Regiment for a year, by 1943 Harold had transferred to the 21st Anti-Tank Regiment. While he missed the invasion of Normandy while training with another unit, he rejoined from England on August 24th, 1944 while the regiment was concentrated at St. Charles de Percy under the Guards Armoured Division. Being within an armoured division meant the 21st was a four-battery regiment equipped with both 6-pounders and American self-propelled M10s. Clapton’s Y Battery was one of those with the M10 “Achilles” tank destroyer. It was a departure from his years of heavy coastal gun emplacements and exemplified the mechanization of the army and inevitable race across Europe.
The vast, open plains of Belgium and the Netherlands bore little resemblance to the coastal emplacements of Gibraltar’s rocky faces or Kent’s foggy shores and the Battery’s M10s ripped across clear fields hunting German armor. As September opened, Y Battery was just a few miles south of Arras before moving near the burning Palais de Justice and making ‘good use of the wine store left in the basement of that find building.’
‘Then came the long marches when our S.P.’s were urged and cajoled by their drivers into doing the impossible — and above all, the great day of the Brussels march, when we covered again the identical road up which we had marched with very different equipment in 1940 and at the end of which we, the first gunners to enter the city, made a close leaguer in the Porte Louise.’
When they reached Hetchel, a typical Belgian village of long rows of neat villas, a few shops, a church and school, it was the lair of seven hundred German parachute troops. The battery lay in wait with the Welsh Guards in sand dunes among pines. On the afternoon of September 10th, the Guards attacked into the town but were held up by each house turned fortress with the support of at least two self-propelled guns and some mortars. The infantry turned to Y Battery for assistance. From that afternoon through the next day, the gunners moved through the town with the infantry, taking fire from machineguns and snipers camped throughout. They ultimately destroyed three enemy self-propelled guns and a ‘large quantity of men and other equipment’ before higher command ordered withdrawal to ‘liberate’ the town with artillery fire.
After a brief rest on the shores of the Escaut Canal, the regiment prepared for Market Garden, commencing on September 17th with a bold thrust to seize bridges across the Rhine. They raced on to Nijmegen, only to turn back to clear the center line and relieve Q Battery on The Island, which was done ‘a little later than we had hoped owing to a gross inaccuracy in the map of that area,’ and curtly noted, ‘We did not enjoy our stay on the island.’
With the 5th Coldstream Guards, the battery moved into the area of Elst and all troops deployed within close proximity of the enemy. Movement was nearly impossible and Major H. C. Tuzo, the battery commander, later described the position as ‘most unhealthy,’ which proved correct when he was wounded a few days later.
October brought cold rain, turning roads to deep sludge that bogged down vehicles and coated men in muck. With this and the dense forests of the Netherlands, roads became impassable, forcing engineers to construct makeshift bridges under harrowing conditions. The days were long, the nights longer still, with the sound of distant artillery fire echoing through the darkness. They moved cautiously through forests where German ambushes lurked, and their advance was measured, sometimes stalling for days on end before surging forward again. They finally reached a monastery at Sittard which became home for the regiment as troops rotated through the front to support infantry. The area was ‘notable only for the thickness of its mud and for the opportunity it offered of practicing our indirect shooting at the expense of the enemy.’
They celebrated Christmas four days late ‘owing to our early morning dash through the snow to Namur.’ Going in to 1945 showed just how fast the Allies were pushing across Northwest Europe. The regiment claimed a leading role in Operation Veritable, supporting attacks on Hommerusum, Hassum, Bönninghardt, and the final attacks on the Wesel Bridgehead. They crossed the Rhine on Good Friday and continued to support the Brigade in every action, notably at Visselhoevede and during the advance on the P.O.W. camps at Westertimke.
In mid-April, Harold suffered an injury in a battle accident and was evacuated to recover while the war in Europe closed. He was promoted to Battery Quartermaster Sergeant shortly thereafter and by July, returned to the 21st Anti-Tank Regiment who exchanged their ‘eye of vigilance’ badge of the Guards Armoured Division for the Jerboa rat of the 7th Armoured Division. The next year in occupied Europe was generally pleasurable and time spent off the range or parade were filled with recreation and exploration into the surrounding country, some of which remained untouched by the war. He stayed with the regiment as it became the 4th Regiment R.H.A. and soon the 10th Anti-Tank Regiment when he committed complete twenty-two years of Colour Service to conclude in 1958. He would rightfully earn his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal before then and see another two conflicts before any thought of retirement.
KOREA
The Korean peninsula presented another variety of challenges for the Royal Artillery. In September 1952, by the time Clapton joined 61 Light Regiment as a Battery Sergeant Major, they were in fairly static positions, but had to contest with the punishing climate and retaliatory barrages from Chinese guns across the valleys.
The regiment’s batteries were often deployed to provide close fire support for Commonwealth and United Nations infantry, using 4.2-inch mortars to strike enemy positions hidden among the ridges and valleys. The artillery’s presence was vital in holding defensive lines, as Chinese forces relied on waves of infantry assaults, often attacking under the cover of darkness. Precision fire and well-coordinated barrages were the key to breaking these attacks before they reached the forward positions.
The 4.2-inch mortar demanded proximity to the front lines and near-constant repositioning. Unlike the old coastal guns or the highly mobile tank destroyers, mortars had to be placed well forward with the infantry, firing at short ranges and with flight times of up to thirty seconds, making precision and efficiency critical. Movement in Korea was limited and not about advancing against enemy positions, but relocating, often at night, to avoid enemy counter-fire. Alternative positions were prepared in advance, and sections or entire batteries shifted between them depending on battlefield needs. The harsh terrain, deep valleys, and dead ground meant that even the 25-pounder field guns of the division’s artillery couldn’t always reach enemy positions—so the mortars filled the gaps.
The autumn of 1952 saw particularly fierce fighting as both sides jockeyed for control of key terrain. As Battery Sergeant Major, Harold oversaw the small, mobile mortar troop, constantly shifting under the cover of darkness, preparing for harassing fire or emergency redeployments to plug gaps in the line. It was a battle of positioning and timing, and left him feeling vulnerable in trenches and dugouts instead of fortified limestone or an armored hull. The mortars of the 61 Light Regiment roared day and night, pounding enemy fortifications, disrupting supply lines, and shielding Allied positions from relentless assaults.
His Korean service lasted only three months. By the height of the harsh winter, he transferred out of the regiment for duty in a more administrative role with the British Commonwealth Movement Control Group. In June 1953, he was posted to the British Commonwealth Leave Unit, a role that allowed him to assist in the rotation of soldiers between the front and safer areas for much-needed respite. This position required a steady hand and meticulous organization, as managing the flow of men between combat zones and rest areas was no small task. He earned his appointment to Warrant Officer I and soon returned to regimental soldiering.
MALAYA
After six years as a regimental sergeant major, Harold took a commission as a quartermaster. By 1960 he had shown within each command he was posted to his expertise in managing supplies and personnel and his commission was a well-earned recognition of his professionalism and devotion to the Royal Artillery.
After a posting in Hong Kong with the 32d Medium Regiment, in 1964 he was among the officers selected to help raise and train the 2nd Regiment, Malaysian Artillery as part of Britain's post-war strategy to support newly independent nations raise self-sufficient armed forces. The effort was critical to Britain’s decolonization efforts in recruiting and training local forces as they grasped greater responsibilities in their own defense. Lieutenant Clapton juggled multiple roles simultaneously, serving as Quartermaster, Technical Quartermaster, commander of Headquarters Battery, and as motor transport officer. He also stepped in to lead another battery that lacked a commander, ensuring the unit remained operational despite limited resources. While these duties may have severely taxed most officers and men, Harold served his posts with zest and joy. He was always kind and understanding to all ranks, making a genuine effort to communicate with the Malayans in their own language despite his struggles, earning their respect and strengthening unit cohesion. For all of his time in the service and his honest personality, he was well remembered for his excellent qualities as an officer of the artillery as well as his friendship and devotion to people.