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Harry was the son of William CONSTABLE & Alice BOOKER and was born on the 21st of May 1893 at 3 Fourth Street, Bowden, SA.

His parents were married on the 19th of January 1883 in Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of William CONSTABLE and was born in 1852 in Bridgewater, Kent, England.
His mother was the daughter of Mary Ann BOOKER and was born on the 9th of June 1863 in Adelaide, SA.
On her marriage certificate she named her father as James BOOKER.

Harry was the sixth child born into this family of 7 children.

His father was a labourer and the family lived at 3 Fourth Street, Bowden.

His mother had already had a daughter before his parents married; Ethel May BOOKER was born on the 17th of October 1880 in Bowden.

Harry was only 15 months old when his mother died on the 30th of August 1893, 12 days after giving birth to a son, William.
They buried in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Lower, M79.

Five months later, William died on the 24th of January 1894 and they buried him with Alice in the Hindmarsh Cemetery.

Harry’s half sister, Ethel May BOOKER then gave birth to a son, Bruce BOOKER on the 17th of June 1895 in the Destitute Asylum.
Ethel named Harry’s father, William, as the father of Bruce and both Ethel and Bruce then became wards of the state.

His father remarried on the 9th of March 1907 to Daisy Adell GREENLEY in the All Saints Church, Hindmarsh, SA.
Daisy was the daughter of William Newton GREENLEY & Eliza Rosina HARDING and was born in 1881 in Adelaide.
She had previously had 3 children; Ivy Pearl GREENLEY, with Charles MATTHEWS on the 26th of August 1899, a stillborn female child, on the 2nd of December 1900 and then May Pretoria GREENLEY on the 20th of June 1902 with John George RUSSELL.

After leaving school Harry gained employment as a labourer.

At the age of 21, Harry enlisted into the AIF on the 12th of January 1915 in Oaklands, SA and was allotted the service number 2285 and posted to the Base Light Horse at Mitcham Camp.

His half brother Bruce BOOKER, enlisted into the 27th Battalion, C Company on the 22nd of February 1915 (513).

On the 11th of May Harry was posted to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, 7th Reinforcements and then to the 8th Reinforcements.
Bruce embarked from Adelaide, on board HMAT A2 Geelong on the 31st of May 1915.

His brother Thomas William CONSTABLE enlisted into the 10th Battalion on the 23rd of July 1915 (3268).

Harry was then posted to the 9th Reinforcements on the 31st of August, but then transferred to A Group on the 8th of September and then transferred to the 27th Battalion, 4th Reinforcements.

Harry embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A15 Star of England on the 21st of September 1915 and in Egypt and whilst he was here his brother Thomas embarked from Adelaide, on board HMAT A24 Benalla on the 27th of October 1915.

After a few weeks of training in Egypt Harry embarked from Alexandria for Mudros Harbour, Lemnos Island, to join the 27th Battalion and his half brother; Bruce, at Gallipoli.

However, by the time Harry arrived at Lemnos the withdrawal from Gallipoli was already in the planning so Harry never joined his Battalion on the Peninsula.
The 27th Battalion arrived at Lemnos Island, from Gallipoli, on the 13th of December and marched to No.2 Camp.
Harry was taken on strength with the 27th on the 29th of December, but he didn’t see Bruce as he was already in England in the Wandsworth Hospital with Rheumatism.

Harry served in France with the 27th Battalion and after suffering from shell shock he began to get himself into quite a bit of trouble by going AWOL.
He was found guilty of desertion and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, but after serving 6 months in the Military Prison in Le Harve, his sentenced was suspended and he was posted back to his Battalion.

After the war ended he returned to England where the unexpired portion of his prison sentence was remitted.

Harry embarked from England on the 7th of April 1919 on board HT Tras Os Montes and was admitted into the Ships Hospital on the 8th of May for 6 days suffering from a Cornea Ulcer.

He disembarked in Adelaide on the 20th of May and was discharged from the AIF on the 12th of July 1919.

Harry gained employment as a labourer and was living at 110 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide, by the end of the year.

On the 25th of January 1920 Harry was admitted into the Adelaide Hospital suffering from Lymphosarcoma of the cervical gland (a type of lymphoma cancer that originates in the lymph nodes located in the neck area, also known as cervical lymph nodes).

He spent nearly 2 months in hospital before he was discharged on the 23rd of March and he then went home to his father at 3 Fourth Street, Bowden.

Six weeks later he was readmitted into the Adelaide Hospital on the 5th of May and the diagnoses was Hodgkin Disease.

Harry died in the Adelaide Hospital on the 16th of November 1920 and was buried the following day in the Hindmarsh Cemetery; Section Lower, I62.

Military

At the age of 21, Harry enlisted into the AIF on the 12th of January 1915 in Oaklands, SA and was allotted the service number 2285 and posted to the Base Light Horse at Mitcham Camp.
He listed his father, of Fourth Street, Bowden, as his next of kin.

On the 11th of May he was posted to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, 7th Reinforcements and then to the 8th Reinforcements.
He was then posted to the 9th Reinforcements on the 31st of August, but then transferred to A Group on the 8th of September and then transferred to the 27th Battalion, 4th Reinforcements.

Harry embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A15 Star of England on the 21st of September 1915 and in Egypt.
After a few weeks of training he embarked from Alexandria for Mudros Harbour, Lemnos Island, to join the 27th Battalion and his half brother; Bruce, at Gallipoli.

However, by the time Harry arrived at Lemnos the withdrawal from Gallipoli was already in the planning so Harry never joined his Battalion on the Peninsula.
The 27th Battalion arrived at Lemnos Island, from Gallipoli, on the 13th of December and marched to No.2 Camp.
The camp overlooked the entrance to Mudros Harbour, and here the whole of the 7th Brigade was eventually quartered.

Harry was taken on strength with the 27th on the 29th of December, but he didn’t see Bruce as he was already back in England in the Wandsworth Hospital with Rheumatism.

On the 8th of January 1916, Harry and the 27th Battalion, together with the 23rd and 24th Battalions, embarked on the transport Minnewaska, and after an anxious but uneventful voyage, arrived at Alexandria two days later and entrained to Tel-el-Kebir.

Training was vigorously carried out in preparation for expected operations against a threatened Turkish invasion of Egypt.
On the 3rd of February the Battalion entrained once more and proceeded to Ismalia, where the Suez Canal was crossed by pontoon bridges.
Here they took up a new position on the Asiatic shore, on the exact spot where the Turks had made their ill-fated dash on the canal in 1915.

Defensive positions were at once commenced, both at the canal and in the desert about ten miles inland. The Camel Corps was much in evidence in the making of a road, and a desert railway was laid down.
Most of Harry and the Battalion’s time was taken up in digging and fortifying trenches and supplying outposts, but as much training as possible was carried out.
On the 5th of March they re-crossed the canal and marched to Moascar, where preparations were commenced for their move to France.
Here they occupied the lines of a New Zealand unit which had taken over the duties they had held on the other side of the canal.

They were inspected by General Birdwood, who gave them valuable advice as to the new conditions they would experience in France.

On the 14th of March they entrained for Alexandria, being part of the first Australian force to leave for Europe. The brigade was given pride of place, and they embarked on the troopship Northland on the 15th of March for Marseilles.
The voyage was a smooth one, although the presence of enemy submarines made it necessary that great precaution was taken, but despite many alarms they safely reached port.
It was with mingled feelings on the morning of March 21st that they watched the shores of France drawing close, and as the vessel slowly made its way to the wharf side their band mustered on deck and lustily played the Marseillaise, to the evident delight of the waiting population.

As the first Australian troops to arrive en route to the battle line a wonderful reception was accorded to the different Battalions of the Brigade, and the utmost enthusiasm demonstrated the deep-seated sense of appreciation which the French nation held for the men from Greater Britain.
Just before midnight they disembarked and marched through the streets to the railway station, the band performing wonderfully well.
The whole of the 26th Battalion and half of the 27th Battalion, with the 7th Field Ambulance, numbering in all about 1,500 men, were accommodated in one train, which consisted of fifty coaches drawn by very powerful engines.

The south of France was just wakening from its winter sleep, and the crisp air of an early spring was very invigorating after our recent sojourn in the sweltering heat of Egypt.

The flag of the 27th Battalion, which had a map of Australia as its central design, was displayed as they passed through the towns, evoking great interest among the French people.
Snow now covered everything and they felt the change of temperature very keenly.
On the 24th of March they detrained at Thiennes and marched 5 miles through snow to Morbecque and were accommodated in huts.

The sound of gunfire was practically continuous, while at night time the horizon was lit with the glare of rockets and flares.
On April 4th the whole of the 7th Brigade marched forward for Erquinghem with the 27th Battalion leading the column.
Three days later they relieved the Northumberland Fusiliers in the front line and for the first time in the history of the war Australian troops were in the front line of the European theatre.

The arrival of the Australian troops and the attitude adopted by them soon altered the demeanor of the opposing Germans, and a notice was received by means of a rifle grenade fired into the lines of the 28th Battalion at a point where the trenches were only about thirty yards apart.
The notice read, in effect: Welcome, you brave Australian heroes; soon your blood will stain the fields of France. You will find the German dog can bite. Witness Verdun.”

The tour of duty for each Battalion was from five to twelve days in the front line trenches, and similar periods in support or reserve.

On June 7th they were relieved by the 5th Brigade and the 27th Battalion took up quarters in huts at La Rolanderie, near Erquinghem, where they were used in the construction and strengthening of the Bois Grenier line of defence.
After 10 days here they moved out and made their way across the frontier into Belgium, where a halt was made at Kortypip Camp, near Neuve Eglise.
Nearly all of the vegetation here was scorched and shriveled as a result of gas and all gas masks were worn at the alert. On their first night here Zeppelins were distinctly heard and faintly seen passing over for a raid on the coast of England.

Nine days later they relieved the 25th Battalion in the front line.
The trenches were in a very bad condition and were quite unmade on a portion of the front occupied. The main communication trench was known as Medicine Hat Trail, and as the enemy occupied much higher ground in the vicinity of Messines, hostile gunfire was frequently directed along this trench, for a portion of which persons passing were in full view of the enemy.

The Germans made good use of their minnenwerfer bombs and on the 29th of June Harry suffered from Shell Shock and concussion and was admitted into the 23rd Field Ambulance. He was then transferred to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station and then to 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital in Boulogne.
Three days later he was evacuated to England on HS St Denis and admitted into the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield.

Harry spent the next 3 weeks here before he was discharged to the Woodcote Park Convalescent Depot on the 25th of July.
On the 1st of September he was classified fit for active service and posted to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs.
Three weeks later he was posted to the 7th Training Battalion in Rollestone and after further training he proceeded back to France on the 13th of December.

Five days later Harry rejoined his Battalion in Melbourne Camp at Montauban. It was bitterly cold here and the mud was practically impassable, making the camp a quagmire.
They spent Christmas Day here and they carried out fatigue duties in the forward areas.
By late January they had moved to Buire-sur-Ancre where they trained in all methods of tactical warfare, practicing also the French methods of assault.
Their next moved was to Mametz Wood on the 29th of January and the following day Harry went AWOL for 2 days.
When he was apprehended he was awarded 4 days Field Punishment No.2 and forfeited 6 days pay.

Most of February was spent in training before they moved into the front line near Le Sars on the 26th.
They rotated in and out of the front line until the 10th of March when they moved to Becourt Camp, a mile east of Albert. After further training and reorganisation they moved to Vaulx-Vraucourt in early April.
Their next move was to Scot’s Redoubt and then onto Favreuil where they were engaged in repairing roadways before moving back into the front line.

On the 24th of May Harry suffered from Scabies and was admitted into the 14th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the ANZAC Dressing Station and then diagnosed with Tuberculosis.
Three weeks later he rejoined his Battalion on the 27th of July at Bapaume and the following day they marched to Miraumont (River Ancre), entrained for Cassel and marched 6 miles in the rain to their new camp at Rennescure.

St Omer was also located about 6 miles away and Harry was granted a pass to visit the town on the 8th of August, however he overstayed his pass by 1 hour and was sentenced to 7 days Field Punishment No.2.
All of August and mid September was spent at Rennescure in training and then on the 12th of September they marched to Steenvoorde.
That night Harry was AWOL from Tattoo (return to barracks at night) and the following day he was awarded 4 days Field Punishment No.2 and forfeited 5 days pay.

Then on the 19th of September at 10.30pm they left Ypres ramparts and marched to their assembly position on the Westhoek Ridge ready for their attack in the early hours of the 20th.

However, during this march Harry again managed to go AWOL and wasn’t apprehended until 6 days later.
A Field General Court Martial was held on the 28th and Harry was charged and convicted of Desertion.
He was sentenced to 15 years Imprisonment and on the 15th of November he was imprisoned in the 3rd Military Prison in Le Havre.

On the 28th of November his sentence was commuted to 2 years Imprisonment with Hard Labour.
Harry remained imprisoned for the next 6 months and during this time he was hospitalised in the 2nd General Hospital in Le Havre with a left Axilla abscess.

On the 19th of May 1918 Harry was released from Prison and the remainder of his sentence suspended and he was entrained back to his Battalion near Ville-sur-Ancre.
Three days later he suffered with the Axilla abscess again and was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 61st Casualty Clearing Station at Vignacourt.
Harry was then transferred to the 22nd General Hospital in Camiers on the 27th for 7 days and then discharged to the 6th Convalescent Depot on the 3rd of June.
Two days later he was discharged at an ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Le Havre and then rejoined his Battalion on the 13th of June in the Sailly-le-Sec section.

By July 1st they had moved to Villers-Bretonneux and there they acted as a support Battalion to the 25th Battalion at the Battle of Hamel 4th of July.
Their next major operation was on the 8th of August at the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and it was here that Harry received a Gun Shot Wound to his right knee and was admitted into the 8th Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 61st Casualty Clearing Station at Vignacourt.
The following day he was transferred to the 22nd General Hospital in Camiers, invalided back to England and admitted into the Military Hospital in Boscombe on the 12th.

Harry spent nearly 3 weeks here before he was transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield on the 2nd of September.
He was discharged to 2 weeks leave on the 14th of September and reported to No.1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny on the 28th.

Three weeks later he was posted to the Overseas Training Brigade and whilst he was here the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November 1918.
Harry proceeded back to France on the 21st on November and rejoined his Battalion on the 30th at Le Grand-Fayt.

On December 17th they began their 3 day march to Mont-sur-Marchienne and spent their last Christmas in France here.
On the 24th of January 1919 Harry marched out for Le Havre as part of the 1915 Personnel for return to Australia.
He embarked for England 5 days later and marched into No. 2 Group in Hurdcott. A few days later he suffered from Influenza and was admitted into the Military Hospital in Fovant.
Whilst he was in hospital the unexpired portion of his prison sentence was remitted and then he was discharged from hospital and posted to the 3rd Training Brigade on the 24th of February.

Harry embarked from England on the 7th of April 1919 on board HT Tras Os Montes and was admitted into the Ships Hospital on the 8th of May for 6 days suffering from a Cornea Ulcer.

Harry disembarked in Adelaide on the 20th of May and was discharged from the AIF on the 12th of July 1919.

He was and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.