Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Very sad story, when Harry Le Clerc left Australia in July 1915, he was already the father of two small children. His wife gave birth to a third child, Arthur, in October 1915, when Harry was on Gallipoli. Harry’s younger brother Arthur Gordon Le Clerc was killed at Pozieres in 1916, aged 23. Harry was wounded at Pozieres and was himself killed in action 2 years later, in August 1918, aged 28.

His young wife in Sydney died only six weeks later, age 25. The orphaned children were reared by Harry Le Clerc’s mother. The youngest child, Thomas Robert (Arthur) Le Clerc, who never got to meet his father, was killed in action in Greece during May 1941, with the 2nd AIF, age 25.

Harry Oswald Le Clerc was married in 1912 and left Australia on the 14 July 1915. His young wife gave birth to a son, born in October 1915, about the same time as Harry was being evacuated from Gallipoli with rheumatism and evacuated to England. He rejoined the 3rd Battalion in Egypt during early 1916 and was sent to France where he was wounded at Pozieres, gun shot wound arm, and evacuated to England. It was a severe wound and it would over 12 months before he rejoined the 3rd Battalion in France. Harry’s younger brother Sergeant Arthur Le Clerc, was also killed in action at Pozieres while serving with the 13th Battalion.

Harry suffered a second wound in May 1918, a shrapnel wound to the right foot and leg, and was out of action for a couple of months. Harry was killed in action on the 9 August 1918, when a German plane bombed a group of men going up to the line at Rosieres. According to one of his mates in the Red Cross files, he was known as “Cherry” and was very popular. The same German bombs were reported to have killed at least seventeen of the men in the party. Harry was originally buried at Lamotte-en-Santerre Communal Cemetery Extension. The village was captured by Australian troops on the 8 August 1918, and the Extension contained the graves of 56 Australian which were later shifted to the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery.

Harry’s wife may not have learned of his death as she died in Sydney on the 25 September 1918, only 6 weeks after her husband. She was only 25 years of age and the mother of four children. A newspaper of the day reported she passed away at her mother’s residence but does not state the cause. The eldest of the children was not Harry’s but he was the father of the other three. They were aged between 3 and 5 at the time of their parents’ deaths.

It appears, from information in his service file, that Harry’s mother was looking after the children after the war and she was given possession of his medals to hold for the eldest son. The youngest son Arthur, who never met his father, was killed in action in Greece in May 1941, serving with the 6th Division 2/AIF, at the age of 25.

Sydney Morning Herald 9 August 1919, IN MEMORIAM. On Active Service.

LE CLERC-In loving memory of our dear daddy, Harry Oswald Le Clerc, 3rd Battalion, killed in France, August 9 1918. Inserted by his loving little children. Jack, Harry, Kitty, and Arthur Le Clerc.