HARRIOTT, George
| Service Numbers: | 1910, 1920, Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Prahran, Melbourne, Victoria, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Wickliffe, Ararat, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Wickliffe State School and Geelong College |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Broodseinde, Belgium, 4 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Commemorated on The Menin Gate |
| Memorials: | Ararat Shire of Ararat WWI Roll of Honor, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Geelong College WW1 Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Wickliffe War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Jun 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 1910, 24th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' |
|
|---|---|---|
| 21 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
| 26 Aug 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1910, 24th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne | |
| 12 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1920, 24th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 3 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 24th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second) | |
| 31 Jul 1917: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Captain, 24th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 24 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 |
|
| 31 Jul 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Commissioned Officer, 24th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres |
Stanley Savige on "Tiny' Harriott
The last word on George Harriott belongs to Russell in There Goes A Man:
‘He (Savige) was deeply saddened by the loss of Captain George Harriott (‘Tiny’, as he was called, because of his great physique).
Harriott had been killed while in command of D Company at Broodseinde.
He had been an officer in the Light Horse, but had dropped rank to enlist in the infantry.
Standing 6’5” tall he was perfectly proportioned, when he walked through the streets of London the crowds stopped to look at him and wondered at what manner of men the weird off-shoot of empire at the antipodes could produce. His physique was matched by his sunny disposition, his ready co-operation and unflinching courage.
He typifies so much the Australian loss in World War One. He was about to be married at the time of his death and Stan Savige was to be his best man.’
Submitted 21 June 2015
Stanley Savige and George Harriott
W B Russell wrote of George Harriott’s exploits in Egypt and France in There Goes A Man (the biography of Stanley Savige):
‘Stan’s companion at Tel-el-Kebir was the transport officer - that great hearted cheery giant, George Harriott - in whose company he had many an interesting ride down the canal and around the villages, and many an interesting gallop.
George later became a Quarter Master and afterwards a Company Commander. . . To keep up the supply of bombs for continuous close fighting would have been difficult enough in any terrain, but here the nearest support line was more than 1,000 yards in the rear and the ground between was hopelessly exposed to view and fire. . . .
In charge of the Brigade carrying parties his valour and mighty physical effects inspired them, and so eliminated the most serious worry in their units, the supply of bombs.' Geelong College Heritage site
Submitted 21 June 2015
Biography
George Harriot was born in Prahran an inner suburb of Melbourne in 1891, the son of George and Rhoda Harriot.
He grew up in country Victoria at Wickliffe near Arrarat in the State's western district attending the local school and later Geelong College.
He served in the Militia for 3 years in the 19th Light Horse, and was appointed as a 2nd Lieutenant.
His vocation was listed as 'Farmer' at enlistment in June 1915. He embarked for Egypt with the 3rd Reinforcements of the 24th Battalion.
He landed at Gallipoli on the 12th October to be taken on strength by the 24th Battalion. Within weeks he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was commissioned immediately prior to the evacuation and commanded a rear party during its course.
At Gallipoli, George befriended another fellow officer who had a metoric rise from the ranks, Captain Stanley Savige. Savige went on to win fame and glory in two World Wars and as a founder of Legacy. George Harriot's promise, however was not to be realised. Stanley Savige chronicled a number of incidents that reflected the nature of George Harriott (see stories).
After the evacuation from Gallipoli, the AIF underwent a dramatic re-organisation and prepared to embark for the Western Front.
The 24th Battalion was subjected to the misery and loss of Pozieres and Mouquet Farm in July / August of 1916. AFter a sojourn in Belgium, the 2nd Division of which the 6th Brigade and the 24th Battalion were part, returned to the Somme in November and on the 5th a major action near Flers ensued. Thereafter the Battalion endured a miserbale and freezing winter in the Guedecourt area.
With Spring, concerted military action ensued. The 24th's major engagement ta this timewas Second Bullecourt, and while only committed for a single day, the battalion sustained nearly 80% casualties.
When the Third Division entered the fight at Messines in June attention shifted to Belgium and what became known as Third Ypres. The 24th Battalion's major engagement was to be the capture of Broodseinde Ridge on the 4th October.
Charles Bean described one facet of the fighting:
‘The brigade moved down the gradual slope, the right battalion (24th) making eagerly towards a hedge which, from the intelligence maps, it knew to shelter a German headquarters (this was the active headquarters of the II/5th Guard Grenadier at the sandpit). At that moment however several white smoke shells - the first of the protective barrage - burst halfway between, the warning for the troops that they were on their objective. “It would have been easy to go farther had the barrage allowed it”, said an officer afterwards. They dug in along the objective which was easily recognisable from air photographs. Sharp sniping continued to come from close ahead. The Australian shrapnel was bursting much too high to prevent it, and in the 24th two well-known leaders, Captains Godfrey and Harriott, and in the 21st, Lt Rigby and many NCOs and stretcher-bearers, were sniped.’
It is believed that Godfrey and Harriot had both made their way to a field dressing station and shortly afterwards the post was hit by a shell. (To be verified from the Red Cross records).
Work in Progress - more to follow.
Click images to start slideshow.