HARRIS, David
| Service Number: | WX1823 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 March 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Toodyay, Western Australia , 21 November 1919 |
| Home Town: | South Perth, South Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Hand |
| Died: | 15 March 1968, aged 48 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia Anglican ZW 0175 |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 4 Mar 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX1823 | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1941: | Wounded Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX1823, 2nd/11th Infantry Battalion, The Battle for Crete - May 1941, G.S.W. Left Thigh. | |
| 1 Jun 1941: | Imprisoned The Battle for Crete - May 1941, Posted MIA believed POW. Red Cross later confirm POW. He is captured after being WIA. Imprisoned in STALAG VIIIB near Lamsdorf in Silesia. | |
| 17 Jan 1947: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, WX1823 |
Help us honour David Harris's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Maurice Kissane
David Harris was born in Toodyay in Western Australia in 1919. He worked on farms as a general hand. His knowledge and love of the land came from being a First Australian.
Like many of his mates, Dave enlisted in 1940. He was then sent overseas. In 1941 he fought in the Battle for Crete. He was captured but only after being wounded in action. This wounded warrior from Toodyay spent the next four years as a POW. He survived that ordeal to be repatriated in 1945. Following a long period of recuperation, he was finally discharged in 1947.
Dave tried to rebuild his life. In 1950, he married his beloved Kathleen. Their marriage ended with his death in 1968. His WWII Grave Plaque states "Dearly loved and greatly missed by wife Kathleen and family".
The Northam Adveriser devoted a page to Dave and his mates in the 2023 Anzac Edition. The Page 25 spread is Entilted "Aboriginal Lads from our District that served for their country".
Lest We Forget.
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