Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"THE LATE PRIVATE H. HEATH.

Private Harold Heath, who died of wounds in France on June 3, was the third son of Mrs. A. Heath, of Macclesfield, and the late Edward Heath, formerly of Mount Lofty and Bugle Ranges. He enlisted from Angaston on September 12, 1914, where he had been employed for some years by Mr. C. H. Angas. He embarked for Egypt early in 1915, arriving in Egypt in March with the 9th Light Horse, and was chosen to remain to look after the horses. He had a wish to go to the front, and transferred into the infantry.

He arrived at the Dardanelles in May, and was in the trenches till the middle of August. After recovering from sickness he was on duty at different camps in Weymouth and Salisbury Plain, and was one of the Anzacs chosen to march in one great procession to the service at Westminster Abbey on Anzac Day. He went to France at the end of September, 1916, and was in the trenches till his death.

On the night of June 2 he was sent out with a working party, and when near the front line was hit with a shell, and died later in the hospital. Private Heath was born at Piccadilly, Mount Lofty, and was educated at. Bugle Ranges School. Sister Heath, who went with the first contingent from Western Australia, was a sister of the late Private Heath. They met in Egypt, And later in London, where they spent a week on furlough together." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 1 Sep 1917 (nla.gov.au)

"The 9th Light Horse Regiment

As part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, it sailed from Melbourne on 11 February 1915 and arrived in Egypt on 14 March 1915. The light horse were considered unsuitable for the initial operations at Gallipoli, but were subsequently deployed without their horses. The 3rd Light Horse Brigade with Harold landed on 16 May 1915 and was attached to the New Zealand and Australian Division. The 9th was fortunate to be the reserve regiment for the Brigade’s disastrous attack on the Nek on 7 August, but subsequently suffered 50 per cent casualties attacking Hill 60 on 27 August. Exhausted and under-strength, the 9th then played a defensive role until it finally left the peninsula on 20 December 1915. Harold however had left for Malta and later England with sickness in August 1915, where after a period of recuperation joined the 48th Battalion in October 1916 never returning to the Light Horse who remained in the Middle East.

The 48th Battalion - Harold joined the “Joan of Arc” (the Maid of Orleans) battalion in October 1916 just after Pozieres, was attached to the 4th Division Traffic Control from March 1917 to May and then rejoined the Battalion for the battle of Bullecourt and then Messines where he was wounded and died. Harold Heath's name is located at panel 146 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial." - from WW1 Pictorial Honour Roll of South Australians (ww1sa.gravesecrets.net)