NEEDHAM, Harmon Oliver
| Service Number: | 608 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goodwood, Adelaide, South Australia, 24 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Male Nurse |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 August 1916, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pozières British Cemetery Pozieres British Cemetery Pozieres, Departement de la Somme, Picardie, France Plot III. D. 48. |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Old Burke Ward Boys Roll of Honor, Broken Hill Railwaytown War Memorial, Broken Hill War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 608, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 608, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide |
Help us honour Harmon Oliver NEEDHAM's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Pauline Gowing
When Harmon Oliver Needham was born in Goodwood, South Australia on 2nd October 1889 his father Harman Montfort Needham was 38 and his mother, Selina Needham nee Oliver, was 26.
Harman was one of six children of this couple.
Leena Montfort Needham (1884-1937)
Annie Olive Needham (1886-1951)
George Augustus Needham (1887-1959)
Robert Montfort Needham (1894-1969)
Katherine Louisa Needham (1901-1973)
in 1909 Harman married Gladys Jean Dunemann (1889-1913) in Broken hill at the age of 20 years. Gladys, who was born in Terowie South Australia, was of German and Scottish heritage and was one of 10 children.
The couple had two daughters, Dorothy Jean Needham (1909-1913) and Kathleen Lousia Needham (1911-1990)
Harman was employed by the Propriety Mine in Broken Hill in a clerical capacity. But has male nurse listed on his WW1 Records.
Sadly daughter Dorothy Jean died at age 3 years 10 mths in 1913 and was followed closely by her mother Gladys 3 months later on 7th August in Adelaide.
Harman then placed his only daughter with his parents in Broken Hill and signed up to the AIF on August 15th 1914 at Morphetville South Australia. One of the first to leave Broken Hill, Harman saw 2 years of some of the worst and the best of humanity in this period.
In his service he saw Malta, Eygpt, Gallipoli and spent several periods in hospitals in Cairo for influenza etc.
He then marched to Tel-el-kebir military camp 110 NNE of Cairo and again by ship on to Estaples in the north of France where he was killed in action.
His daughter Kathleen Louisa Needham recieved notification of his death, where he was buried and also a memorial scroll along with his medals.
Click images to start slideshow.