Harold Nott was born in the district of Camberwell, London on 12 August 1892. He served an apprenticeship at London Polytechnic for two and a half years; at the time of his enlistment was a tailor’s salesman. He lived in the London district of Dulwich and on 25 September 1913, at the age of 21, he left England for Australia on the ship Benalla.

Nott enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Geelong, Victoria, on 13 January 1915 and was attached to the 21st Battalion. He embarked Australia in May 1915 on the troopship Ulysses and after arriving in Alexandria, Egypt, he was deployed to Gallipoli in October 1915. In December 1915 Nott was repatriated to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital, Cairo with asthenia. He was released in February 1916, and was attached for duty with the Australian Army Pay Corps (AAPC) in London during May 1916. He was promoted to 2nd corporal in September 1916.

On 24 June 1916, at Central Hall in Westminster, London, Nott sang two songs in a program of entertainment organised by Anzacs: “The Trumpeter” and “The Dinder Courtship”. This performance was followed by a matinee at Victoria Palace, London, on 19 October 1917 in aid of the Anzac Funds & Buffet, where Nott sang the “Australian Marching Song”. These two concerts are the only recorded performances by Nott during the war.

In September 1917 Nott was promoted to ER Sergeant and remained with the AAPC until February 1919, when he was granted leave for 3 months to attend singing training at Professor L. Atkinson’s Aeolian Hall studios, London. This leave was later extended to August 1919, after which Nott returned to the 21st Battalion. He embarked for Australia on the troopship Port Denison in October 1919, arriving in Australia on 13 November 1919. He was discharged on 20 January 1920.

After discharge, Nott appears to have almost immediately boarded the P&O ship Commonwealth and returned to live in England, arriving in March 1920. Nott married Bessie Augusta Pinks on 11 December 1920 at Dulwich, in London. In later life he lived at Bognor Regis in the south of England, where he died on 7 January 1976 at the age of 83.