Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

UNIT NUMBER 5328 Born a Londoner in 1887, Harold Crofts was one of ten children. His family moved to Western Australia and some settled around Margaret River in 1912. Harold wanted to learn farming and so went to work for Miss Fanny Brockman on her property here called “Burnside”. He worked hard and saved to buy a block of land just at the outbreak of war. Leaving his farm “Enfield” and his experimental crop of subterranean clover for his family to tend, Harold enlisted in Busselton in January 1916. Aged 27, Harold spent three months in the army training camp in Perth before his embarkation on April 17 1916 aboard HMAT A60 “Anaeus”. He landed at Suez as part of the 16th Battalion, 17th Reinforcements a month later. Over the years of his service, Harold alternated between the 4th Training Unit at Codford in England and the 44th Battalion in France, and between the ranks of private and acting sergeant. During his time in England, he met, courted and married Lillian Edwards, a nurse at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Masdon Hill. They were married January 10 1917 when Harold had been stationed down in Salisbury. November 1917 found Harold in the trenches in Belgium. The 44th was recovering from the Battle of Ypres and was to suffer the bitter cold and miserable conditions of the 1917 winter before the German 1918 spring offensive and push to capture Armiens. Hospitalised with flu midyear 1918, Harold would have been pleased to learn in September that he was to be attached to the 1st Training Brigade in London. But he was ill again suffering trench fever in that same month and was again hospitalised. His ill health was reported here at home in the West Australian newspaper on August 13, 1918. Lillian meanwhile had given birth to a son in July 1918 - Harold Jnr - known as Chum. The army arranged transport for Harold and his new family to travel together in January 1919. Lillian worked as a nurse and Harold was listed as “a medical case” to facilitate this. They arrived home in March of that year and started a new life. Two daughters were soon to follow Chum. Farming on “Enfield” resumed but Harold’s health was not the best and he took up the post of foreman of Group Settlement 17, Bramley. Not too long after, Harold sold the farm and went into partnership with Bob Forrester and set up a grocery store in the main street of Margaret River. Life was busy. Active community members, Lillian and Harold belonged to the local P&C, they helped to build the towns’ Anglican Church and Harold was an active member of the RSL. During the Depression, Harold was very generous in allowing local folk to run up an account for their goods, but this kindness soon resulted in his going bankrupt. The family moved to Moogebing where Harold took over his sister Winifred’s grocery business for four years until his ill health drove the family to Perth. Here Harold worked for AMP as an insurance salesman for the next 25 years and when he retired they went to live at Scarborough. Again, ill health was to dog Harold and in 1957 he was admitted to Hollywood Repatriation Hospital where he passed away aged 72, in 1957. Lillian died in 1964. 1914/15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal