Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

"...2839 Private Harold William Doddridge, 50th Battalion. A conductor from Kent Town, South Australia, prior to enlistment in the 9th Reinforcements of the 10th Battalion, he embarked from Adelaide on 21 September 1915 aboard HMAT Star of England for Suez. He was taken on strength of the 10th Battalion in Mudros which then was withdrawn to Egypt. Pte Doddridge was transferred to the 50th Battalion which relocated to the Western Front, France, during early June 1916. Pte Doddridge was wounded in action with shell shock in mid-August 1916 near Albert, France, but was able to re-join his unit the next day. In February 1917 he was wounded in action near Bernafay which required evacuation to England for treatment and recuperation before rejoining his battalion in mid-August 1917. Pte Doddridge was appointed Lance Corporal and held this rank until early March 1918 when he reverted to Private. He was wounded in action on a third occasion on 13 March 1918 near Ypres, Belgium, and was able to re-join his battalion ten days later. Pte Doddridge was wounded in action on a fourth occasion on 25 April 1918 near Villers-Bretonneux, France, died of these wounds 12 days later and is buried in the Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-sur-Somme, France. He was aged 24 years." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)

Harold William Doddridge
12 September 1893- 7 May 1918

Harold Doddridge, the second son of Jane and James Doddridge was born on the 12th of September 1893. he was 5'9 (175cm), 154lbs (69kg) with brown eyes and brown hair. Harold was born and raised at 53 King William St. Kent Town, Adelaide prior to his enlistment.

Harold went to North Adelaide Public School. After school he went on to become a conductor before he enlisted at the age of 21 years and 8 months and was first put into the 9th Reinforcement of the 10th battalion as a Private.

On September 21, 1915, he sailed for Suez from Adelaide aboard the HMAT Star of England. 

Harold was sent to the 50th Battalion, which moved to the Western Front in early June 1916, after he was drafted into the 10th Battalion in Mudros, which was later withdrawn to Egypt.

He was hurt for the first time in mid-August 1916, but the next day he was able to return to his regiment. His second injury was a bit more serious; it happened in February 1917, and he had to be evacuated to England to heal. As a result, he didn't rejoin the battalion until mid-August 1917. The third time he was hurt was on March 13, 1918, and he returned to action ten days later. The last time he was hurt was on April 25, 1918, and he passed away on May 7, 1918, twelve days later.

In total Harold served in the AIF for 2 years, 7 months and 16 days before passing away from wounds and is currently buried in the British Cemetery in Crouy, France's Crouy-sur-Somme, Plot 2, Row B, Grave 8.

Harold received his promotion to Lance Corporal on August 19, 1917. Nevertheless, he was awarded a revocation of his rank and a reduction in status back to Private since he did not participate in a march. Harold's next of kin changed from his mother to his wife on December 1, 1917, due to a registration change that occurred before to his death.

Thus, it makes sense that after Harold died, his wife Alice began to receive some of his possessions on June 24 and July 6, 1918. However, on October 19, 1921, Jane, Harold's mother, received letters about Harold's medals and asking if she wanted a picture of his grave, but there was no mention that the next of kin had changed once more.

Completed by Loreto College

In virtue of the outbreak of World War 1 (WW1), everyday Australian men- fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and uncles were called to serve their nation with an unwavering sense of mateship, endurance, and courage, now known as the Anzac Spirit (AWM, 2024). Of the 416,809 men and women who enlisted between the 4th of August 1914 and the 11th of November 1918, an estimated 58,961 tragically died defending Australia and its Allies (NAA, 2010). One such man was Harold William Doddridge.

On the 12th of September 1893 in Kent Town, South Australia, Jane and James Doddridge welcomed their second son- Harold William Doddridge- into the household (VWMA, 2019). Harold attended North Adelaide Public School (Figure 2) and is not known to have completed secondary education. After completing his schooling, he entered the workforce as a conductor in Kent Town. Harold’s early life was spent in the Adelaide area with his elder brother, Stanley Melville Doddridge, where he was described as a “Native of North Adelaide” (CWGC, N/A) (Figure 3). Nothing else is known of Harold’s early years.

On May 24th, 1915, at the young age of 21 years and 8 months, Harold enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Keswick, South Australia, with the service number 2839 (Figure 8), and on the 21st of September, embarked on the HMAT Star of England A15 for Suez (AWM, N/A). There, he was first put into the 9th Reinforcement of the 10th Battalion as a Private. At the time of his enlistment, he described himself as “5’9, 154 lbs, with brown eyes, brown hair, and a dark complexion” (Figure 9) (NAA, 1915). His next of kin was his beloved mother, Jane. After more than a year of service, he was transferred to the 50th Battalion on the 11th of March 1916, as part of the expanded AIF. This unit, created by new recruits and the 10th Battalion, was deployed to strengthen Allied forces on the Western Front (Freeman, 1991).

They began their journey to France on the 5th of June, and disembarked 7 days later on June 12th (Figure 10). 3 weeks later, the battalion began engaging in combat operations. Its first major battle action came during the Battle of Mouquet Farm between the 13th and 15th of August 1916 (Australian War Memorial, N/A). They suffered greatly, and on the 18th of August, Harold was wounded in action (Figure 4). He was diagnosed with shell shock, a psychological condition resulting from the stress a solder undergoes during conflict; however, returned to his regiment the next day, where he served for an additional 3 weeks.

On the 1st of September 1916, Harold was “Sick to Hospital”, and stayed there for 4 months. On January 23rd, 1917, he “Rejoined Unit Ex Hospital” and returned to battle on the Western Front (Figure 11). He fought tirelessly for the next 7 days, until he was wounded in action for a second time on the 2nd of February. Due to the seriousness of his injury, he was evacuated to England to heal. There, he stayed for 7 months, alternating between the 1 Southern General Hospital in Birmingham, Perham Down in Wiltshire, and Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol (Doddridge, N/A) (Figure 12). He did not rejoin the battalion in France until August 12th of that same year.

In the following days on August 15th, Harold was appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal (Figure 13), and whilst the promotion was recorded, no comments were made detailing ‘why’. Less than a year later on the 5th of March 1918, he was stripped of his position and reduced to Private due to “An act to the prejudice of good order and Military discipline in that he failed to attend a parade when ordered to do so.” (NAA, 1918) (Figure 5). Harold was wounded in action for a third time on March 13th, 1918, and was suffering from “gunshots to his thigh and arm” (A.I.F 50th Battalion , 1918).

Harold’s mother, Jane, made an emotional enquiry to the battalion regarding this on the 1st of April, communicating her sense of anxiety and concern for him (Figure 14). It was later found that Harold had recovered and returned to battle ten days later; however, there was worse to come.

The final time Harold would ever be recorded ‘hurt’ was on April 25th, 1918. During combat, he was “WOUNDED IN ACTON” (Figure 15) via multiple stabs in his abdomen; however, the specific circumstances of his injuries were not detailed in the records available (NAA, 1918). Tragically, 12 days after being admitted into the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol, England, he passed away. Harold was 24 years old when he died, and in total served the AIF for 2 years, 7 months and 16 days. He is currently buried in the British Cemetery in Crouy, located in France's Crouy-sur-Somme (Figure 6).

An article titled “IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVE” appeared in The Advertiser (Figure 16) on the 7th of May 1924- six years after his death (Doddridge, 1924). Harold’s mother, Jane, inserted a small tribute in honour of her lost son:

“In loving memory of our dear son, Cpl. H. W. Doddridge, 50th Battalion, wounded at Villers Bretonneux, died 7th May, 1918, in France.”

"Death took our loved one from our midst,

but never from our hearts."

His elder brother, sister-in law, and niece also acknowledged his death, inserting a small line of commemoration following Jane’s:

“In loving memory of our dear brother and uncle, Cpl. H. W. Doddridge, died in France, on the 7th of May, 1918.”

“Though death divides,

Fond memory clings.”

After Harold’s death, he received posthumous recognition. He was awarded the British War Medal (Figure 17) and the Victory Medal (Figure 18) for his service during WW1 (NAA, 1923). Additionally, his name was engraved on the North Adelaide Public School Roll of Honor in tribute of his deployment (Figure 7). His service will forever be remembered in Australia’s story, and his legacy of courage and perseverance will inspire future generations to uphold the values of the Anzac Spirit.   

References:

Primary Sources:

ARCHIVAL MATERIAL:

-          Figure 8: Australian Imperial Force , 1915. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 9: Australian Imperial Force , 1915. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 3 9 2024].

-          Figure 11: Australian Imperial Force , 1916-1918. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 5: Australian Imperial Force , 1917-1918. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 13: Australian Imperial Force , 1917-1918. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 10: Australian Imperial Force, 1915-1916. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 18: Australian Military Forces , 1923. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 17: Australian Military Forces, 1921. National Archives of Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3510918
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 15: NAA, 1918. National Archives Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/ItemsListing.aspx
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

VIRTUAL WAR MEMORIAL AUSTRALIA:

-          Figure 1: Doddridge, H. N/A . Virtual War Memorial Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/352975
[Accessed 27 8 2024].

-          Figure 6: Doddridge, C., N/A. Virtual War Memorial Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/352975
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Figure 7: North Adelaide Public School, 1914-1919. Virtual War Memorial Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/606
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

WAR GRAVES:

-          Figure 3: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, N/A. CWGC. [Online]
Available at: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/71097/harold-william-doddridge/
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY:

-          Figure 12: Australian Red Cross Society , 1917. State Library of South Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/sarcib/SRG76_1_1689.pdf
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

SOUTH AUSTRALIA STATE LIBRARY:

-          Figure 2: State Library South Australia, 1904. State Library South Australia. [Online]
Available at: https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+280/1/2/315
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

DIGITIZED NEWSPAPER EXCERPTS:

-          Figure 16: Doddridge, J., 1924. IN MEMORY OF THE BRAVE, Adelaide: The Advertiser .

-          Figure 4: The Advertiser , 1916. "ON ACTIVE SERVICE", Adelaide : The Advertiser .

LETTERS:

-          Figure 14: Doddridge J. (1 April 1918) [letter]

Secondary Sources:

WEBSITES:

-          Australian War Memorial, N/A. Australian War Memorial. [Online]
Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51490#:~:text=After%20arriving%20in%20France%20on,launched%20there%20on%203%20September.
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Australian War Memorial, 2024. Australian War Memorial. [Online]
Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit#:~:text=Anzac%20came%20to%20stand%20for,%2C%20good%20humour%2C%20and%20mateship.
[Accessed 3 9 2024].

-          Australian War Memorial, N/A. Australian War Memorial. [Online]
Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1897680
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          Oxford Languages , 2024. Oxford Languages. [Online]
Available at: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

-          The National Archives , N/A. The National Archives. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/medicine-on-the-western-front-part-two/war-office-report-on-shell-shock/
[Accessed 4 9 2024].

BOOKS:

-          Freeman, R. R., 1991. Hurcombe's Hungry Half Hundred- A Memorial History of the 50th Battalion AIF 1916-1919. 1st Edition ed. Adelaide : Peacock Publications.

-          Pedersen, P., 2007. The ANZACS. Melbourne: The Penguin Group .