TALBOT, Harry
| Service Number: | 4276 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia , 27 May 1888 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Marrickville, New South Wales Australia |
| Occupation: | Bootmaker |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 10 March 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck, Nord Pas de Calais II E 16 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4276, 4th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 4276, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 4276, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 14 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Transferred from 4th Infantry Battalion in Egypt. | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4276, 2nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Was wounded in action at Pozières in the Somme valley, receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh (mild). He was taken to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance and from there he was transferred to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station on 24th July 1916 before being sent on to the 26th General Hospital at Etaples on 25th July 1916. There he developed neurasthenia so, on 12th August 1916, he was evacuated to England where he was admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital at Manchester on 14 August 1916. | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 4276, 2nd Infantry Battalion, 1st Passchendaele, Shot in the right side of his chest. After Harry was wounded on 4th October 1917 he was taken to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station, the same day, and then to the 22nd General Hospital at Dannes on 5th October 1917. | |
| 10 Mar 1918: | Involvement Private, 4276, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4276 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-03-10 |
Help us honour Harry Talbot's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Harry TALBOT was born at Marrickville in Sydney on 27th May 1888 and went to school in Marrickville. He was one of eight children of James Henry and Margaret Talbot.
On 19th December 1910 he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a general labourer (temporary) in the Electric Tramways based at Newtown Depot in Sydney. His position became permanent on 10th February 1911. On 18th December 1911 he transferred to Randwick Workshops where he became a bootmakers’ labourer, starting on 29th December 1911. On 13th August 1915 he was released to join the Expeditionary Forces.
Harry joined the AIF on 23rd August 1915 . He was allocated to the 13th Reinforcements to the 4th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Private (Service Number 4276). He nominated his mother as his next of kin (his father had died previously. He gave his occupation as ‘Bootclicker’. When he enlisted he gave his address as being at the family’s home, which was then at Petersham.
He embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT A60 ‘Aeneas’ at Sydney on 20th December 1915. He initially went to the 1st Training Battalion at Zeitoun. On 14th February 1916 he was transferred to the 2nd Infantry Battalion, which was at Tel-el-Kebir. He embarked at Alexandria for France on 22nd March 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles on 28th March 1916.
On 23rd July 1916 Harry was wounded in action at Pozières in the Somme valley, receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh. He was taken to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance. From there he was transferred to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station on 24th July 1916 before being sent on to the 26th General Hospital at Etaples on 25th July 1916. There he developed neurasthenia. So, on 12th August 1916, he was evacuated to England where he was admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital at Manchester on 14th August 1916. He was later admitted to Stockport Hospital. He was discharged on 26th September 1916. He proceeded to No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs where he arrived on 28 September 1916. He was then granted furlough from 29th September 1916 to 16th October 1916. On return from furlough he was sent to No. 4 Command Depot at Wareham. On 6th February 1917 he returned to Perham Downs, but on this occasion he went to the Infantry Drafting Depot.
Harry left England to return to France on 18th March 1917. He reached the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 20th March 1917. On 14th April 1917 he re-joined the 2nd Infantry Battalion. His record shows he was on duty with his unit in the vicinity of Ypres. On 13th September 1917 he was sent to Reinforcement Camp. He returned from this camp on 25th September 1917. On 4th October 1917, at Passchendaele, he was wounded in action for the second time, having been shot in the right side of his chest.
For his actions on 3rd and 4th October 1917, Harry was awarded the Military Medal. His citation is as follows:
‘On Oct. 3rd, the day prior to our assault on the BROODSEINDE ridge the front line we held was harassed by enemy snipers. Pte Talbot crawled out to a shell hole in NO MANS LAND under direct MG and snipers’ fire, effectively silenced some snipers & kept down the enemy fire on our communications.
On the 4th inst. though his trench was under extremely heavy shell fire he showed great energy in collecting and bandaging wounded & arranging for their removal to the RAP using German prisoners for this purpose.
He displayed courage in digging out buried comrades and his whole conduct throughout the operations evoked the warmest praises of his officers and the admiration of the whole company.’
After Harry was wounded on 4th October 1917 he was taken to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station, the same day, and then to the 22nd General Hospital at Dannes on 5th October 1917. He was sufficiently recovered to be discharged to No. 6 Convalescent Depot at Etaples on 19th October 1917 but two days later, on 21 October 1917, he was transferred to No. 5 Convalescent Depot at Cayeux. On 7th November 1917 he marched in to the Australian General Base Depot at Le Havre before starting the journey to re-join his unit on 14th November 1917. It took until 20th November 1917 for him to reach his unit, which was much where he left it when he was wounded.
On 21st December 1917, Harry was sent to School of Instruction and did not return until 1st February 1918. On 10th March 1918 he was wounded in action for the third time, when he was hit by a shell fragment which penetrated his skull. He was taken to the 1st Australian Field Ambulance before being transferred to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station, which was near Kemmel. He died of his wounds on the same day, 10th March 1918.
According to depositions in his Red Cross Enquiry file, the incident occurred at a place known as Ravine Wood, near Hill 60 at Messines. One of the depositions stated the shell came from a captured British gun. Other depositions stated the shell burst several hundred yards away.
Harry’s grave is in Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck, Nord Pas de Calais, France. His place of association is Petersham, Sydney, NSW. His mother also died in 1918. After her death Harry’s sister, Emily Talbot, took over as his official next of kin.
NSW birth records show Emily was born in 1894 and her mother’s name was Angelina (née Talbot ), born in 1867. Emily was evidently adopted into the family of James Henry and Margaret Talbot.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Board and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.