Ernest Hollingworth was born in York in 1890.

His parents were George and Eleanor (née Thursby) Hollingworth, both from Yorkshire. In the 1911 census they were living in East Row, Aycliffe. George was a forester, working for the Earl of Eldon, and Ernest a clerk. George died in 1932, age 72, in St. Andrew's Churchyard, Aycliffe.

Ernest married Margaret Alice Garthwaite in 1914. Their son George Chapman Garthwaite Hollingworth was baptized May 23, 1915.

In the Absent Voters' List of October 1918 Ernest's address is North Terrace. Ernest was Private 317255, Royal Engineers.