O'LOUGHLIN, Henry Herbert George
| Service Number: | 2 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Fitzroy, Vitoria, Australia, 15 April 1885 |
| Home Town: | Brunswick, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 28 February 1917, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bazentin-le-Petit Military Cemetery Row H, Grave No. 6. HE DIED THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE |
| Memorials: | City of Brunswick Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2, 5th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1914: | Involvement 2, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orvieto embarkation_ship_number: A3 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Oct 1914: | Embarked 2, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orvieto, Melbourne | |
| 28 Feb 1917: | Involvement Captain, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 5 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1917-02-28 |
A Small Book
I now own the copy of the 1910 Light Horse Manual issued to Henry. I have read and investigated his story. Thank you for your sacrifice.
Submitted 6 January 2021 by Alex Clark
Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Captain H.H.G. O'Loughlin was the eldest son of Mr. H. O’Loughlin S.M., Flemington Bridge. Prior to the outbreak of war, he was a professional soldier, a Staff Sergeant-Major in the Citizen Forces of Melbourne. He volunteered for service with the 1st Australian Imperial Forces, almost as soon as war was declared, during August 1914 and was appointed Regimental Q.M.S., 5th Battalion, in which his brother George was a Corporal. He was then 31 years of age, and had a fiancée, Mary Duckworth. He was known as ‘Harry’ to his family and friends, and had the regimental number '2' in the 5th Battalion.
Harry landed at Gallipoli with the 5th Battalion on 25 April 1915. He was promoted Lieutenant later in the campaign, and appointed Adjutant of his battalion during early in 1916. He also had to endure the loss of his younger brother, 828 Corporal George O'Loughlin 5th Battalion AIF, killed in action at the Anzac Landing on 26 April 1915, aged 21.
Harry rose to be Captain on the Western Front during 1916 and was killed there on 28th February 1917 when he was sniped in the front line on a trench inspection with the Brigadier.
His mother received a letter from the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, Brigadier-General Heane, which was printed in the newspapers, “Before this reaches you, you will have heard of the death of your son, Captain H. H. O'Loughlin, and I write to offer you my sincere sympathy and that of my officers for you in your loss. Captain O'Loughlin was assistant staff-captain on my staff, and as such endeared himself to all, and by his attention to and the way he carried out his work, showed himself as a very promising staff officer. The brigade major and probably his colonel, will be writing you, and they can tell you better than I can of his work and association with them, but in the short time I have been in command of the brigade I have seen a lot of your son, and more particularly during the time wo have spent in the line, and as Captain O’Loughlin has been my constant attendant on all my visits and inspections of the front line, I have seen him and respected him for the brave soldier he was, and it was on one of these tours today along new trenches that we had taken within the last two days, that he met his death.”
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