NIVEN, Harold John
| Service Number: | 1359 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 April 1915, Place of enlistment - Liverpool, New South Wales. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 19th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Yarra, Victoria, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Wesley College Melbourne Victoria |
| Occupation: | Orchadist |
| Died: | Train Accident (Injuries), Epinay, France, 14 February 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Bois-Guillaume Communal Cemetery Plot II, Row D, Grave 11A Headstone Inscription "NOT LIFE ITSELF BUT BOYHOOD'S DREAMS I LOSE THAT YOU MAY LIVE", |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Malvern Presbyterian Church Honour Roll (Marble) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1359, 19th Infantry Battalion, Place of enlistment - Liverpool, New South Wales. | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Driver, 1359, 19th Infantry Battalion, Embarked on HMAT 'A37' Barambah (previously a captured German vessel called Hobart) from Sydney on 6th July 1915, disembarking Egypt. | |
| 18 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1359, 19th Infantry Battalion, Embarked from Alexandria, Egypt on 18th March 1916, disembarking Marseilles, France on 25th March 1916 to join British Expeditionary Force. | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Driver, 1359, 19th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 14 Feb 1917: | Involvement Private, 1359, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1359 awm_unit: 19 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-02-14 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
1359 Private Harold John Niven 19th Battalion AIF was accidentally killed in a railway accident on 14 February 1917.
Harold is listed as H.J. Nevin on the Cobram and District War Memorial Roll of Honour. He was also referred to in the Cobram Courier and other records with the same spelling of the surname. He joined up under the surname “Niven”. Harold attended Wesley College where he studied horticulture. His mum and dad lived in Caulfield and he journeyed to Cobram where he spent over 12 months working on the Quick brothers’ orchard. He was very fair and about 180cm tall. Harold was only 21 years old when he enlisted during April 1915, along with his older brother Carswell Niven and they arrived in Egypt in late 1915. Both were sent to France with the 19th Battalion during March 1916. He survived the heavy fighting at Pozieres during 1916 and was promoted to Corporal during January 1917.
Harold was given leave and was returning to his unit on a leave train that left Havre at 6.30am on 13th February 1917. The train was at the level crossing at Epinay when it was hit by trucks from a supply train when a coupling broke and 36 trucks crashed into the leave train behind it. Two first class carriages and one third class were completely destroyed, one officer and 26 men were killed, 54 men were badly injured and most of the injured were put aboard a hospital train that had been standing nearby. The bodies of the 27 dead were taken away by road at 1800hrs, and all were buried in the same row at the Bois Guillaume Communal Cemetery near Rouen in France. Harold Niven was the only Australian soldier on the train.
It was stated in the Cobram Courier “Though anxious to get all the knowledge he could of fruit tree culture, the Call of Empire was too strong for him, and thus it was that a highly-educated, fine dispositioned, and gentlemanly young soldier went over to France and joined the big roll of Australian heroes who have given their lives to uphold tho Empire's cause.”
His brother, Carswell Niven was made a Lieutenant in the 19th Battalion and visited his younger brother’s grave shortly after his death.
A third and youngest brother also enlisted, 35050 Gunner Bruce Wallace Niven 11th Field Artillery Brigade AIF, who returned to Australia safely.
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