Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

DOWNES Harry Edward #635 31st Battalion

Harry Downes was born in Brisbane and named after his father. The family lived near Albion Park and young Harry attended Breakfast Creek State School.

When Harry presented himself for enlistment at the Adelaide Street Recruiting Depot on 18th January 1916 he stated his age as 25 years and 9 months. Harry gave his occupation as teamster and the embarkation roll for the 41st Battalion lists Harry’s address as Harlin via Esk. Harry was placed into a depot battalion at Enoggera before being allocated to “C” Company in the newly raised 41st battalion.

The 41st journeyed to Sydney in May 1916 and boarded the “Demontheses” on 18th May; arriving in Southampton two moths later. Upon arrival at the 3rd Division Training Camp at Larkhill, Harry was transferred to the 49th Battalion. On 23rd September, he was posted overseas to the huge British training facility at Etaples near Boulogne where he was again transferred, this time to the 52nd Battalion. His final transfer on 7th October was to the 31st Battalion.

One of the reasons for so many transfers, was the dreadful state of battalions in the 5th Division AIF. In July of 1916, the 5th Division which had only just taken up position in the line for the first time was ordered into an attack at Fromelles. The attack failed comprehensively due to abysmal planning and resulted in five and a half thousand casualties, two thousand of whom were killed. The 31st Battalion to which Harry was posted had a casualty rate of over 50%. Making good such losses required many transfers. Regardless of the manpower problem, the officer corps had been badly depleted either due to casualty or simply breaking down under the stress of battle. It would take twelve months for the division and its constituent units to be battle ready again.

For the first twelve months that Harry was with the 31st, the battalion was engaged in fatigue duties such as road mending and erecting Nissan Huts. Harry had a brief stay in hospital November 1916 and again in June of 1917 with a bout of trench fever. In September 1917, Harry was granted two weeks leave in England, returning to his battalion on 6th October.

The 3rd Battle of Ypres; more commonly referred to as Passchendaele, began in the summer of 1917 and initially produced limited successes for the British commanders. The 5th Division was called into the order of battle, the first time since Fromelles, for the advance on Polygon Wood. Five days after returning from leave, while taking his place with his platoon, Harry Downes was killed.

Harry’s file indicates that he was buried in the vicinity of Polygon Wood and there is indeed a large Australian Cemetery there today. At the end of the war, Harry’s mother was requested to provide an inscription for his headstone which she dutifully did. The piece she selected was too long however, 66 characters and spaces was the maximum allowed. Sarah modified her inscription to two words “Mother’s Boy.”

Whether due to bureaucratic error or misidentification there is no grave identified as that of Harry Downes. He is instead commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres where each evening the townsfolk of that city hold a remembrance ceremony under the stone arches of the memorial. He joins 30,000 British and Dominion troops who lost their lives in Flanders and have no known grave.