HARPLEY, John Thomas
| Service Number: | 446 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 January 1916, Enlisted at West Maitland |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 34th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia, 22 April 1888 |
| Home Town: | West Maitland, Maitland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Plate Layer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 1 October 1917, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery XXIV - E - 3 , |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gundagai Anzac Grove War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 446, 34th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at West Maitland | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 446, 34th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 2 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 446, 34th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 1 Oct 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 446, 34th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 446 awm_unit: 34th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-10-01 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
John Thomas HARPLEY (Service Number 446) served the Railways in the Per-Way Branch. The NSW Government Gazette in 1911 shows John Harpley as a ‘spiker’ on the line from Werris Creek to Narrabri, and in 1914 as a ‘fastener’ on the quadruplication between West Maitland and Greta.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Honorata’ on 2 May 1916 and reached Plymouth on 23 June.
He was wounded on a third occasion on 1 October – a gunshot wound to his thorax and abdomen. He reached the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station but died there the same day. He is buried in the Lyssenthoek Military Cemetery 1¾ miles SW of Poperinghe, Belgium.
‘Harpley was killed at Zonnebeke on October. I don’t think he lived long after being hit. He was called the “Red King” on account of his red hair and Sgt. Stewart told me how game we he was to the last. He kept saying “The Red King won’t die” and that was about all he did say.’ J Hegarty (1932)
Submitted 29 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
John Thomas HARPLEY (Service Number 446), was born in Cootamundra about October 1888. He served the Railways in the Per-Way Branch. The NSW Government Gazette in 1911 shows him as a ‘spiker’ on the line from Werris Creek to Narrabri, and in 1914 as a ‘fastener’ on the quadruplication between West Maitland and Greta.
He gave his calling at a ‘plate-layer’.
He enlisted at West Maitland on 28th January 1916. He was married. His wife's name was Margaret Christina.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Honorata’ on 2nd May 1916 and reached Plymouth on 23rd June. In November he was promoted to Corporal and went to France on 21st November. Ten days later he was admitted to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station and through a series of hospitals returned to England with a gunshot wound to his left arm. He did not return to France until March 1917. In June he was wounded on a second occasion, this time with gas. He remained in France and was with his unit again in a month. He was promoted to Temporary Sergeant.
In August he was evacuated to hospital, now sick with Influenza, though his recovery was rapid and he was back with his unit in a week.
He was wounded on a third occasion on 1st October 1917 – a gunshot wound to his thorax and abdomen. He reached the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station but died there the same day. He is buried in the Lyssenthoek Military Cemetery 1¾ miles SW of Poperinghe, Belgium.
‘Harpley was killed at Zonnebeke on October. I don’t think he lived long after being hit. He was called the “Red King” on account of his red hair and Sgt. Stewart told me how game we he was to the last. He kept saying “The Red King won’t die” and that was about all he did say.’ J Hegarty (1932)
From 11th December 1917, Pensions were granted to Margaret Christina Harpley his widow (52/3 per fortnight), to Ernest Augustine Krams, an ex-nuptial child who was in the care of Margaret Harpley (£1 per fortnight), to John James Harpley also an ex-nuptial child (15/- per fortnight), and to George Joseph Harpley, a legitimate child (10/- per fortnight).
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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