Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Births Sep 1891   Harding Joseph  Dartford 2a 455.

He was 24 and the son of James Harding, of 115, High St., Bexley, Kent, England.

He held the Military Medal.

Emigrated 1911.

Age on arrival in Australia 18

Address-c/o Jas Bently, Spring Vale, Burrowa, New South Wales.

Age at embarkation 23.

Rank on enlistment-Private
Unit name-2nd Battalion, 4th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number-23/19/2
Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on 10 April 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll-Sergeant

Joseph Harding was born on 15th May 1890 in East Wickham, the second child of James (born in Benson, Oxfordshire) and Esther (born in Hythe, Kent).  By 1901 he had three sisters, Esther (two years older) and Annie and Elsie, both younger.   His father was by then  employed as a labourer  at the Royal Arsenal Farm and later worked for the local council. The family were living at Green Man Cottages, East Wickham.

On 8th April 1895 Joseph joined his sister Esther at Foster’s School, Welling. They were later joined by Elsie.

Sadly, in 1908 Joseph’s mother died and by 1911 Joseph, his father and sister Elsie were living at 115 High Street Bexley.  Joseph was employed as a horseman on a local farm.

On 23rd November 1911 Joseph boarded  the Thermistocles at the Port of London  bound for a new life in Australia.   He settled in Burrowa (now known as Boorowa) and made great friends with Robert (known as Robin) Poole, Samuel Poole, Jesse Shaw, Ralph (known as Tobie) Brough  and James Bentley.  They all worked on the land – share-farming, rabbitting, clearing trees and undergrowth in the paddocks.

Joseph enlisted with the Australian army on 28th January 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales. After a brief period of training he sailed from Sydney to Gallipoli, where he arrived in late May.   On the 10th July, less than six weeks later, his batallion came under Turkish fire and Joseph received gunshot wounds to his abdomen.  He was sent to Malta, arriving a week later where he stayed for two weeks before being sent back to England to recover, at first in a hospital in Hampstead.  He gave his family a great surprise when he arrived to visit them, as he had chosen not to tell them beforehand.

After recovering from his wounds Joseph rejoined his battalion in Gallipoli on 20th November only a few weeks before the allies' ignominious defeat by the Turks.  His remaining weeks on the peninsula were spent in the freezing cold conditions as Australia evacuated and sailed for Egypt.   When he reached Egypt, Joseph (known as Joe to his friends) wrote back to his friends in Burrowa:

Pte J Harding No. 17502 Batts
No. 5 Platoon
Egypt

December 6, 1915

Dear Robin and all

I now write these few lines hoping they will find you all quite well as this note leaves me the same at present, well mate you will see by the above address that I am back in the trenches I have been back here about three weeks now we have had some very rough weather over here lately we had frosts and snow and rain and it’s been bitter cold in fact there is a lot of our chaps leaving here with frostbitten feet it seems hardly feasible but its true,

I had a pretty good time in England after I got out of the hospital […?] I don’t think we should settle down over there now after a few years away, I saw two zeppelin raids when I was having my furlough in London everything was in darkness and not a sound to be heard only the big guns firing and the shells whistling through the air it was just like being back in the front line again,

I saw […?]at Weymouth Camp he had a pretty long spell in England I think he was wounded pretty early in the game, he told me he has written to you chaps but aint had any reply, I have also wrote five or six letters to you and never had any reply, but I have been doing a lot of shifting about so perhaps that’s the reason, well Robin I suppose you know the truth about Sam he was killed on the 7 or 8 of August poor old lad, I wasn’t there myself I was away wounded at that time, I had a pretty bad wound in the stomach but I have come back for more I might get more then I got away the next time but never mind it’s all in the […?],

well lads how is things in the farming line I have said enough about war for the present, what sort of a crop did you get this year a bumper crop I hope it’s almost time you did is it not, I suppose you will be busy carting the wheat in by the time you get this letter but try and get a few minutes to yourself and answer this letter as I am anxious to get a line or two from you I have not had a line from Australia since I left,

how is things down below now Robin better than they was we left I hope, anyhow give them all my fondest regards if you go down, how Jack […?] and his wife getting on are they still in Burrow if so give them my regards and wish them happy New Year as it will be too late for Xmas,

well old youth I think this is all I have to say for the present and must close this letter, with, fondest regards to you all from your ever sincerely Jo Harding

a prosperous New Year to you all, from Joe

Joseph spent the next few months in Egypt as the Australian Imperial Force reformed, expanded and retrained. In another letter to his friends he wrote:  “We were not sorry to get away from Anzac, for it was like Hell itself … I think it was time we left there, but it was hard to leave all our mates behind after all the trying times we had together.”

Joseph received a number of promotions in 1916:  in February – lance corporal; July – corporal; August – temporary sergeant and November – sergeant.  From July, Joseph’s battalion was engaged in a number of the Somme battles. It then transferred to Ypres but returned to the Somme in late 1916, staying on the Western Front until the end of the war.

On 4th and 5th September 1916, Joseph took part in action for which he would be gazetted and awarded the prestigious Military Medal  for bravery in the field.  When his battalion came under heavy German mortar fire which buried two men, Joseph and two other officers worked for three hours under continuous mortar and shrapnel fire to dig them out.  They saved the life of one of the men.  The next day the unit again came under similar fire.  This time, five officers and ten other ranks were buried by a mortar shell.  Joseph and the other officers again worked for hours to dig them out in heavy rain, and under constant mortar, shrapnel and sniper fire.  The recommendation for Harding’s award recorded that, “all chance of rescue seemed hopeless, but notwithstanding this their efforts were undeterred, and they saved the life of Signaller Hopkins, who was at the bottom of the buried party”.

In December 1916, Joseph took leave to visit his family again in England.  This would be the last time he would see them.  On 9th April 1917, Joe and his battalion were in the Somme region.  At 4.15am, in cold, windy and snowy conditions, they began an attack on the town of Hermies.  During the attack, they encountered heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from numerous German strong points.  In heavy fighting they managed to take the German position, but suffered over 180 casualties.  Joseph was wounded, taken to a nearby field hospital, but sadly died of his wounds.   He was 25 years old.

Joseph’s Military Medal was sent to his father with a letter of condolence on 28th December 1917:

Mr J. Harding
115 High Street, Bexley, England

It is with feelings of admiration at the gallantry of a brave Australian soldier who nobly laid down his life in the service of our King and Country that I am directed by the Honourable The Minister to forward you, as the next-of-kin of the late 1750 Sergeant J. Harding, 2nd Battalion, Australia Imperial Force, the Military Medal which his Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award to that gallant soldier for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty while serving with the Australia Imperial Expeditionary Force.

I am also to ask you to accept his deep personal sympathy in the loss, which not only you, but the Australian Army has sustained by the death of Sergeant J. Harding whose magnificent conduct on the field of battle helped to earn for our Australian soldiers a fare which will endure as long as memory lasts.

Yours faithfully
Major, Officer i/c Base Records.

Joseph left a will dated the 27th October 1916 leaving his property and effects to his Father.

Obituaries: Bexleyheath Observer 11 May 1917, Dartford & District Times 10 September 1915 Gallipoli article & photo 

He is  commemorated on the Old Bexley War Memorial, the Bexley Roll of Honour and the Boorowa War Memorial.