WICKHAM (BELL), Harold Thomas
| Service Number: | 3650 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 March 1917, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 4th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 1901 |
| Home Town: | Walpeup, Mildura Shire, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Beersheba, Palestine, 1 November 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Beersheba War Cemetery Row D, Grave No. 36, Beersheba War Cemetery, Beersheba, Israel |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Walpeup Silos |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Mar 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3650, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3650, 4th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Jun 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3650, 4th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne | |
| 31 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 3650, 4th Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Beersheba | |
| 31 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Trooper, 3650, 4th Light Horse Regiment, Battle of Beersheba, GSW to leg (fractured). Evacuated to 4th LH Ambulance at Beersheba however died of wounds 1 November 1917. |
Harold Thomas Bell
Harold Thomas Bell grew up on a farm in Walpeup near Ouyen in Victoria. In March 1917 he ran away from home and went to Mildura. He registered for the army as Harold Thomas Wickham, using his mother’s maiden name and saying that his father was his uncle. He was trained and he went to Cairo on a ship on June 22nd 1917, arriving in Suez six weeks later. He joined the 4th light horse regiment on September 19th. Then, on October 28th, they began the night march to Beersheba. Their aim was to capture the city, it held wells of precious water, they had to capture the city, or else die of thirst. On October 31st, the regiment watched the battle rage all day, by mid-afternoon, the Turks still held the wells. Then, General Chauvel ordered a cavalry charge on the city, and selected the 4th and 12th light horse regiments to lead the charge. Along with 800 other horsemen, Harold charged the city. As they charged, they were in the line of Turkish fire, bullets whistled overhead, and Harold was hit in the leg, he came off his horse and crashed to the ground. The young boy lay there, slowly bleeding to death, as his comrades fought for the city. He had multiple fractures in his leg, and was bleeding severely. He lost consciousness. When he woke up he was in the hospital and the Padre was sitting next to him. Throughout the night, Harold lapsed in and out of consciousness and in the morning, the Padre saw him again, he was barely alive. His last request was to make sure they got his name right on the headstone; he died on November 1st 1917 only 16 years old.
Submitted 22 March 2023 by Miriam Earley
Biography contributed by John Edwards
Harold Thomas Bell enlisted under the name Harold Thomas Wickham when aged just 16. He died of wounds inflicted at the battle of Beersheba on 01 Nov 1917
Stan MORLEY writes;
I have the saddle belonging to Harold Thomas ''Bell'' Wickam. I bought the saddle as a Light Horse saddle only for my collection of memorabilia. During restoration work I first noted HW carved into the leather and the usual stamping ''arrow, L, 4 RFA''. A closer inspection during restoration I noticed HTW 3650 so looked up the initials and number on the Australian War Memorial site and found the name matching initials and number.
I then contacted the home town historical society who furnished me with Harolds story. Everything in the jigsaw came together with HTW 3650 = Harold Wickham. Stampings 4 RFA = 4th Reg or 4th Royal Field Artillery. I live in Tasmania and where ever the saddle goes Harolds story will go with it but my lifetime it is not a salable item.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Trooper Harold Thomas Wickham (Bell) may have been the youngest light horsemen to die in Palestine.
Claiming to be a 21 year old farmer from Walpeup, he had enlisted in March 1917 under the alias Wickham, naming his “uncle”, Thomas Bell (who was in fact his father) as next of kin.
Wickham was only 16 when he died on 1st November 1917 from the effects of Ottoman machine gun fire sustained during the charge.
His "uncle" was advised of his "nephew's" death and it was only then that the family discovered their son had enlisted and was overseas - they thought he was away droving in Queensland - that's what he had apparently told them he was doing.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Brother: 2379 Pte Samuel Arthur BELL, 57th Bn, killed in action, 8 August 1918.
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