Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Oliver John Edward HARRIS

Military Cross

'During the operations east of YPRES in September and October, 1917, this Officer did excellent work. On 4th October, whilst the Battalion was assembled for attack a heavy enemy barrage was put down, causing many casualties. Lieutenant HARRIS did remarkably good work re-organising the Battalion under this barrage, thereby not only inspiring the men but setting a good example to all ranks. The successful advance at zero hour whilst the enemy barrage was still down was in a large measure due to the good work of this Officer. His work at all times both in and out of the line has been of a very high order.'

Major-General Thomas Glasgow, Commanding 1st Australian Division. Recommendation date: 8 March 1918

 Oliver Harris arrived at Anzac Cove in mid November 1915, just a month before the evacuation of all Allied forces from the Peninsula. He would survive that month in the trenches where illness was rampant among the Anzac troops and be promoted to Sergeant.  

The Bendigo Advertiser published the following letter to Sir John Quick in late June 1917: -

'Australian soldiers can not fight well, but write well. Some of their letters, written on scraps of paper in the trenches, are entitled to rank as first-class literary efforts, equal in descriptive powers to the work of reasoned war correspondents. The following letter, dated France, 29th April, 1917 written by Lieut. Oliver J. E. Harris, son of Mr. 'William Harris of Hamlet street, Quarry Hill, Bendigo.'

 Soldiers Voting                                                                           'The arrangements for taking of the poll over here are very good, and everything made as simple as possible. It is almost incredible to think that an Australian vote is being taken to-day while we are in the firing line and under enemy shell fire.Everything has gone off very smoothly. We took care to move only a few men at a time to the polling booths, so as to avoid enemy shelling, as we are under direct enemy observation and he shells immediately his observers notice movements.The polling booths would make you smile. Imagine roads running through cuttings. We call them 'sunken roads. Along these roads for miles troops are dug in the banks, and small dugouts constructed. Usually for a roof there, is a bit of corrugated iron or old flooring boards obtained from the nearest ruined village, and we are never far from ruined villages. We have today turned some of these little dugouts into polling booths. Usually an old box or piece of board does service for a table. The men are very keen. At 'stand to' this morning I heard groups of them keenly discussing how the vote should go. No attempt whatever is made to influence the men. All publications and available information is issued to them direct, and from that, and what they read in the newspapers sent them from home they form their own opinions’.[1]

The Bendigoian weekly a year later in June 20, 1918 printed an update on Oliver’s war.  LIEUT. O. J. E. HARRIS.

'Among those honored in the King's Birthday list is Lieut. O. J. E. Harris, 7th Battalion, being awarded the Military Cross. Lieut. Harris gained his commission in September, 1916, and became a lieutenant in May of last year. He is just 33 years of age. Lieut. Harris enlisted in 1915, and left Victoria in August of the same year. He is the eldest son of Mr. W. J. Harris, of Hamlet street, Quarry Hill, for many years in the Victorian railways. Lieut. Harris at the time of enlisting was in management of the Eaglehawk branch of Messrs. Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer's solicitors' business, having previously been employed in the Sandhurst and Northern District Trustees Co. The recipient is well known in Bendigo. Lieut Harris's, brother, T. V. Harris, has also received his commission, and has returned to France. Previous to enlisting, Lieut. T. V. Harris was employed by Messrs. P. Jorgensen and Sons, engineers.' [2]

Sadly, just two months following the above report, Oliver’s younger brother Thomas Victor Harris, who was also in the 7th Battalion, died of wounds on August 9, 1918 a day following the successful ‘Battle of Amiens’ on the Somme. Oliver would return home on May 12, 1919, however, he would die just 14 months later on July 4, 1920 at age 35. One record states, he died suddenly at home in Bendigo from the after effects of a gas attack in France. He had married Annie Bedelia and had a son prior to his death. 

SERVICE DETAILS: 

Regimental No: 2583
Place of birth:  Bendigo                                                         Religion: Congregational

School: Quarry Hill School
Occupation: Clerk
Address: Russell Street, Bendigo
Marital status: Single
Age at enlistment: 30
Next of kin: Father, W J Harris, Russell Street, Bendigo,
Enlistment date: 10 July 1915
Unit name: 7th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number 23/24/2
Embarked: HMAT A68 Anchises on 26 August 1915
Final Rank: Lieutenant
Fate: Returned to Australia 12 May 1919

Died July 4, 1920 at age 35 Died suddenly at home in Bendigo from the after effects of a gas attack in France

In the operations east of YPRES, September to October, 1917.  Official war correspondent Charles Bean wrote of this deadly three week period:- ‘For the two Anzac corps the battles of Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Broodseinde were the cleanest and most decisive victories they had yet fought, even more so than Messines. The later fighting in the wet weather doubled the casualties, which amounted to 38,000 in the five Australian Divisions in eight weeks, and left, the Australia, an insoluble problem of reinforcements.’[3]

[1] Bendigo Advertiser June 30, 1917 P.4 LETTERS FROM SOLDIERS. LIEUT. O. J. E. HARRIS.

[2] Bendigoian June 20, 1918 P.18

[3] Anzac to Amiens, C.E.W.Bean. Penguin Books.2014. P.376