Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

On enlisting he gave his age age as 18 years when in fact he was a couple of years younger

Son of Thomas Fox and Martha Fox of 2 Golden Grove Street, Redfern, NSW

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal

Harry Fox, Service Number 5494

Harry Fox (Service number 5494) was born in Harden, NSW and lived at 2 Golden Grove Street, Redfern, Sydney, NSW. His family consisted of Thomas Fox, his father, Martha Fox, his mother and his brother George Fox, who also served in the AIF WW1. Harry attended Technical High School. He enlisted on 14 February 1916 at Casula, NSW, as a private in the 13th battalion. He was also employed as a farm labourer and served in school cadets.

Harry Fox lived with his family in Redfern, where he attended Sydney Technical High School and joined the school cadets. He attended classes 1C in December 1914 and 2C in June where he was roughly 15 years and five months old. 

Harry Fox enlisted as a Private in the 13th Infantry Battalion on February 14, 1916. The battalion had been formed in September 1914 six weeks after WW1 started. It was formed with the 14th, 15th and 16th to produce the 4th brigade, commanded by Colonel John Monash. Fox enlisted at Casula, NSW. A private's role was crucial for the army's backbone as they performed much of the bulk work at the front line and many supporting roles.

Fox embarked as a Private on 9th April 1916 from Sydney on board the HMAT A71 Nestor which weighed 14,501 tons with a speed of 14 knots/25.92 kmph. It was owned by the Ocean SS Co Ltd, Liverpool and leased for WW1 by the Commonwealth until 26th June 1917. On 18th May 1916, he transferred to a Private in the 4th Division Cyclist Company from the 13th Battalion. The 4th Division Cyclist Company was beginning to form in Egypt in February 1916, after the ruling to essentially duplicate the AIF. The division couldn’t depart for France until June 1916 due to delays in assembling artillery. It entered the front line near Armentieres to fight on the Western Front against France and Belgium.

Fox then embarked on 29th May 1916 to Alexandria, Egypt on the HMT Briton which served as a troopship during both the Boer War and World War 1. It was a Royal Mail Ship weighing 10,248 tons that went at a speed of 17.5 knots. Later on 8th June 1916, he disembarked at Plymouth, South-West England. He was also charged with AWOL on the 30th of August 1916 (absent without leave) from barracks for 2 days. His punishment included being confined to barracks for 3 days and the forfeit of 2 days' pay.

On the 7th of September 1916, Fox was transferred to the 2nd Infantry Battalion. The 2nd Infantry Battalion was one of the first infantry units produced for the AIF during WW1. It was among the 1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions forming the 1st Brigade. His next year, 4th February 1917, started with him embarking to Folkestone(England) on the SS Victoria towards France. Folkestone played a critical role in WW1. Millions of people set out to the Western Front from the town's harbour. Shockingly, not one single person was lost to enemy action while crossing the Channel to France. Folkestone was also the point of arrival for the Belgium Royal Family where it  served as a temporary home for them as well as 100,000 other refugees of the war. The SS Victoria was a packet steamer ship, weighing around 1,641 tons with a speed of 22 knots.

On 12th February 1917, Fox was taken on strength at Etaples, France.  Etaples was critical due to its immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement hospitals and camps. The area served as a training and retraining ground for prisoners and administered roughly 20 general hospitals serving soldiers from the Somme battlefields. On the unfortunate day, 4th May 1917, Harry Fox was killed in action at the age of 16 years and 7 months during the battle of Bullecourt and is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Harry Fox died in action but his brother George Fox who was also a part of the AIF was discharged and survived, returning to Australia on the 1st July 1919. He worked as a Locomotive driver and met his end on 8th February 1945 in Murrumburrah, NSW, Australia. He is buried at the Harden-Murrumburrah Cemetery, NSW.

At just 16 years old, Harry Fox was among the youngest soldiers to serve in World War 1. His decision to enlist despite his age reflects the pressure many young men felt to contribute to the war effort. His brief military career, cut tragically short at the Battle of Bullecourt, mirrors the experiences of countless other boys who, like Harry, gave their lives before they had the chance to fully grow up. The war had a profound and lasting impact on a generation of young men, many of whom, like Fox, never returned home.

Bibliography:

Ken Stevenson, Research on Google Drive

Private Harry Fox | Australian War Memorial: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11012544

Private Harry Fox | Australian War Memorial: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1460736/harry-fox/

Australian Cycling Corps - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Cycling_Corps#:~:text=The%20Australian%20Cycling%20Corps%20was,It%20was%20disbanded%20in%201919.

4th Australian Division:
https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/4th-australian-division/

2nd Australian Infantry Battalion:
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51442

1918—Villers-Bretonneux to Le Hamel - Anzac Portal:
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/1918-villers-bretonneux-le-hamel

HMT Briton - Our Contribution: https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/HMT_Briton

HMAT A71 Nestor in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project: https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/ships/view.php?pid=2779#:~:text=The%20HMAT%20A71%20Nestor%20weighed,until%20the%2026th%20June%201917.

SS Victoria in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project: https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/ships/view.php?pid=18449

Plymouth, England. c. 1918. Australian troops waiting to board a tender taking them to hospital: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H03652

Life At The WW1 Front Line In 14 Objects | Imperial War Museums: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/life-at-the-front-in-14-objects

4th Australian Divisional Cyclist Company: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51090

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showUnit?unitCode=RAIL.S1

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=102656

https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/302296

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

The Battle of Villers-Bretonneux | Sir John Monash Centre: https://sjmc.gov.au/battle-villers-bretonneux/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme

13th Australian Infantry Battalion: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51453

14th Australian Infantry Battalion: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51454

1st Brigade (Australia) - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Brigade_(Australia)