[Cecil Harwood was honourably discharged after a severe spinal injury at the battle of the Somme, 13 November 1916, from which he eventually recovered]

The time spent in [West Vale Hospital, Halifax] was pleasant, one was apt to forget wounds and the nurses without exception, were ever so kind and gentle. Visitors came most days and entertained us with music and song or just sitting by the bedside chatting. The chap in the next bed to me, although always on his back, would sometimes sing for us, he had a baritone voice, it was sheer heaven to listen to him. The songs he sung were:- The Trumpeter, Ora Pro Nobis, The Volunteer Organist and many more I can’t recall just now. 

 […]

In this ward we had a real mixed crowd, Scots, Irish, Cockneys, etc., you name them, we had them. At times we had impromptu concerts. One chap gave bird impressions or whistles “In a country garden”, he could also do Cockney rhyming slang in verse. Then there were the Harry Lauder songs, which to-day, 60 years on are still sung and enjoyed by many. Harry Rhodes singing his ballads, it was no trouble to fill in an hour in the evenings providing all the patients were in a fit state to take it.