HARRIS, Carl Francis
| Service Numbers: | 6524, 6524 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 April 1916, Enlisted at Perth. Claimed to be aged 18 1/12. Brother Cromwell gave consent as Guardian - parents away in England. Ten days after he enlisted, Carl turned seventeen. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 48th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Grange, West Cardiff, Wales, 24 April 1899 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Allensbank School, Cardiff, Wales |
| Occupation: | Farm hand |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 8 August 1918, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Vignacourt British Cemetery, Picardie |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Brunswick Juntion Memorial Hall Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6524, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), Enlisted at Perth. Claimed to be aged 18 1/12. Brother Cromwell gave consent as Guardian - parents away in England. Ten days after he enlisted, Carl turned seventeen. | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6524, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6524, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Suffolk, Fremantle | |
| 8 Mar 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6524, 48th Infantry Battalion, Transported to France to fight on the Western Front | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 6524, 48th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6524 awm_unit: 48 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-08-08 | |
| 8 Aug 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6524, 48th Infantry Battalion, The Battle of Amiens, Died of wounds. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Jennifer Harris
Carl Francis Harris was born on 24 April 1899 at 24 Penhevad Street, Grange, Cardiff. Carl was the third of nine children of George Frederick Harris, portrait painter, and his second wife Rosetta Elizabeth Harris nee Lucas. Aged 14, Carl [nicknamed Mick by his siblings] and his older brother Cromwell, aged 17, left Cardiff to migrate to Australia. They were seeking better opportunities for their family. Departing Tilbury Dock in London on 6 Mar 1914, the SS Australind docked in Fremantle, Western Australia on 16 Apr. Carl and his brother found lodgings at the Mt. Hawthorn, Perth, home of Mrs. H. Morgan. Carl found work as a farm hand on a property called Melville Park, at Brunswick Junction, near Bunbury in Western Australia.
In 1916, despite being under 21 and without parental consent, the brothers enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces. They had a photograph taken together in uniform at the Falk Studio in Perth. Initially in 16th Battalion, 21 reinforcements, Carl and Cromwell embarked at Fremantle on “Port Macquarie” on 13 Oct 1916, bound for England. The ship arrived at Plymouth on 12 Dec.
As he was underage, Carl was sent to the Salisbury Plains to camp and train for a year before being sent to France. Between May and Jun, 1917 he trained at the School of Musketry, Tidworth, and qualified in the use of the Lewis Machine Gun.
Carl, known as "Bluey" and "Mick [the blue]" [he was a redhead], by his comrades was deployed to France with the 48th Battalion on 8 Mar, 1918. He was a signaller, involved in running telephone lines between brigades. On Aug 8, the first day of the Battle of Amiens, a shell burst near him, knocking him unconcious and wounding him in both legs. He died at the Casualty Clearing Station. His family were heartbroken. Older brother Crom was wounded in the same battle and hospitalised on the same day and eventually returned to Western Australia after the war. The rest of the Harris family emigrated from Wales to Australia in Aug 1920, eventually settling at "Thanet" in Maroubra, Sydney, New South Wales.
"Never to be forgotten by his loved ones."
His Duty Nobly Done
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