THORP, Harold
| Service Number: | 1334 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 September 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Glanville, South Australia, 7 May 1885 |
| Home Town: | Morphettville, Marion, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Coromandel Valley Public School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 11 April 1917, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Blackwood War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1334, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 1334, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 1334, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 11 Apr 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 1334, 16th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1334 awm_unit: 16 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-04-11 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Ruby Brown
Harold Thorp, son of John Henry Thorp, was born at Glanville near Port Adelaide on the 7th of May 1885. He attended Coromandel Valley Public School and he worked as a labourer before the war. Once war broke out, he enlisted at Morphettville on the 16th of September 1914 when he was 29 years, 5 months old. He joined the 16th Battalion and his regimental number was 1334.
Harold joined his unit at Gallipoli after travelling aboard the HMT Commodore. He was shot on the 25th of August 1915 and was evacuated to St Patricks Hospital in Malta. Once he was discharged from hospital on the 15th of November 1915, he went to re-join his unit in Egypt. He arrived at Alexandria on the 4th of December 1915 but then was injured and remained in hospital until the 28th of December 1915. He was diagnosed with an infection and admitted to hospital on the 9th of January 1916 and stayed there for five days.
Then Harold and his unit were shipped in France in early June 1916. At this time, the 4th Brigade became part of the 4th Division. In early August 1916, Harold’s Battalion were put under massive artillery bombardment before they defeated a German counter-attack and Pozieres.
On the 5th of September 1915 Harold was made a Lance Corporal, meaning he could now take command of a group of soldiers containing up to four people. He was put in hospital for five weeks before returning to the unit in February 1917.
On the 11th of April 1917, the 16th Battalion took part in the First Battle of Bullecourt. This was a hastily planned attack and it resulted in 3,300 casualties and over 1,170 Australians taken prisoner. On the 16th of April 1917 Harold Thorp was reported missing, but it was later confirmed that he died during the battle. His body was never found and as such he has no known grave.
Harold’s name was printed on the Adelaide 1 National War Memorial, Blackwood Memorial, and the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial – France). As a result of his role in the war his family received a memorial scroll, a King’s Message, a memorial plaque and a victory medal.
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