Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Sergeant number 2353 Harold Alfred Staples
 
On the fields of the Somme, poppies grow in silence between the rows of white graves under which, rest in peace, for eternity, a whole generation of men who, more than a hundred years ago, under the clouds of a world at war, answered without hesitation to the call of duty and followed their hearts, their comrades who fought with bravery and determination in the trenches of the great war in a very strong bond of comradeship and unity, under the same conditions , they served their country, freedom, justice and peace for which, in the mud and in the fields of poppies they fell.They were young and brave and did so much for all of us and for France where they rest, forever young and side by side, in a friendly country that will always look after them with love and respect, with gratitude and honor that they all deserve for who they were and for what they did for us and it is with the greatest care , with a love deep in my heart for each of them and for their families that I would keep alive the memory and the history of these young men, of my boys of the Somme who gave their today and their lives for us and over whom I would always watch with devotion.

Today, it is the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme whose life was taken too soon whose memory I would like to honor with gratitude, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Sergeant number 2353 Harold Alfred Staples who fought in the 4th Australian Pioneer Battalion and who died of his wounds 104 years ago, on March 15, 1917 at the age of 19 on the Somme front.

Harold Alfred Staples was born on March 28, 1897 in Frindsbury, Kent, England, and was the son of Albert Alfred and Elizabeth Harriet Staples. Harold was educated at Saint Mary's Catholic School, Kent and after graduation left England with his parents to live at 67 Hughes Street, Mile End, South Australia where he worked as a bricklayer and served in the Cadet Forces.

Enlisted at Keswick, South Australia on April 8, 1915 as Private in the 12th Australian Infantry Battalion, 7th Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT Persia on June 10, 1915 and sailed for the Gallipoli peninsula where he arrived on September 10, 1915. Harold fought courageously until the evacuation of Gallipoli on December 20, 1915 and sailed for Egypt on board HMT Lake Michigan.On January 6, 1916, he was disembarked in Alexandria and two months later, on March 1, 1916,in Tel-El-Kébir, he was transferred to the 52nd Australian Infantry Battalion, 13th AIF Brigade then on March 16, he was transferred to the 4th Australian Pioneer Battalion.

A month later, on April 14, 1916 in Serapeum, Egypt, Harold was promoted to the rank of Temporary Corporal and then to the rank of Sergeant on May 27, 1916. On June 4, 1916, he joined the British Expeditionary Force in Alexandria where he embarked with his battaillon on board Scotian and sailed for France where he was disembarked in Marseilles on June 11, 1916 and was then sent to fight on the battlefields of the Somme front.

in the Somme, Harold fought with great courage during the battle of Pozieres which was the first major engagement of the Australian army which lost more than 20,000 men in terrible conditions then he fought at Mouquet Farm, nicknamed "Moo Cow Farm" by Australian soldiers who lost 11,000 men.After these two battles which were among the deadliest for the Australian army in the Somme, Harold was sent to the Warlencourt sector and once again fought bravely at the Butte De Warlencourt where fierce fighting took place.

Unfortunately, it was near the Butte De Warlencourt that, on March 15, 1917, Harold met his fate and was seriously injured in one of his legs and in his back by a highly explosive shell, he was immediately evacuated to Bazentin- Le-Petit, Somme, but despite the greatest care, it was already too late and he died a few hours after being injured and was buried by Chaplain George Edwin Lamble. Harold was only 19 years old.

Today, Sergeant Harold Alfred Staples rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Bazentin-Le-Petit Military Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "Ever remembered till the day breaks and Gabriel's trump shall sound ".

Harold had a brother who served in the first world war, Private number 2798 Reginald George Staples who fought in the 27th Australian Infantry Battalion.Reginald survived the war and returned to Australia on March 28, 1919 and married Eva Lavinia Shipp on July 28, 1919 in Methodist Church, Thebarton, Hindmarsh, South Australia. Eva died on July 30, 1962 and Reginald died on July 18, 1946 both at Cowandilla, Adelaide and rest in peace together at Hindmarsh Cemetery.

Harold, Reginald, it is from the bottom of my heart and with eternal gratitude that I would like to say thank you, for all that you have done for us, for my country, here in these lands of Remembrance on which so many young men fought and gave their lives and on which, in silence and peace, they rest together just as they were over a hundred years ago, in the muddy trenches in which they did their duty under rains of bullets and shells.They were young and brave and all responded to the call of duty which brought together men who walked side by side for the freedom of the world, for justice and for peace, led by exceptional courage and unwavering determination they left their homes and loved ones, not without tears but with in their hearts, the pride to do what was right and to serve their country, their flag and to fight with their comrades, their brothers, their fathers, all united with the same convictions, they crossed the oceans and walked on the soils of France, in the fields of poppies which soon became fields of death pounded day and night by the incessant fire of the cannons , under the rumblings of an uncertain future, they rejoined the trenches of the Somme and fought bravely in a deep mud which invaded everything and which weighed heavily under their shoes. In the cold, among the rats and the lice, with almost nothing to eat and under the constant fire of the machine guns, under the shells which fell around them in terrible and gigantic explosions, they gave every part of their youth, their heads stooped under the weak protection of their steel helmets and living every second, every minute, every day as if it were the last to live with the fear of never seeing the sun rise again and seeing their names on crosses of wood under which so many of their comrades were already buried.Despite their fears, they showed the courage and heroism of a whole generation which kept, even in the worst conditions, the sense of humor and their smiles while thinking of better days, united in very strong bonds of comradeship, they were more than friends, they fought as a united family and together faced the worst horrors of war, united in the face of adversity.it is together that they lived and that they fought and it is together that, led by officers and men as brave as you were Harold, Reginald, that they went over the top under the murderous fire of the machine guns, on the battlefields scarified by barbed wire and shell holes and over which so many tears and blood were shed that they moved forward with honor and heroism and marched towards their destiny, for a better world, for hopes for which they fought with ardor and energy, meter by meter until they fell with in their hearts, the pride and the certainty of having done what was right, for their comrades, their country, their families, they died as they lived, with honor and bravery, with loyalty.Today, the poppies grow on the battlefields and between the graves of these young boys who did and gave so much for us and for France, in silence and in peace, always together and young forever they will never be forgotten .Gone but not forgotten, we remember them, we remember who they were and what they did, we respectfully remember the sacrifices they paid and I would always watch over them with deep love and with the highest respect so that they never cease to live I would always take the greatest care of their memories and their history, so that the next generations can proudly carry the Flame of Remembrance which I am honored to carry just as, forever, I would carry these young men in my heart with the greatest love and highest esteem. More than men, I have a deep admiration for them and will be, forever, through my eyes, each of them, my heroes and will be forever in my heart, with deep affection and tenderness, my boys of the Somme.Thank you, Harold, Reginald, for everything, we will never forget you.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember them. 

Harold Alfred STAPLES was born on 28th March, 1897 in Kent, England His parents were Albert Alfred STAPLES and Elizabeth Harriet APPS S/N 2353 he enlisted 8.4.1915 as a Private in the 12th Battalion Unit embarked from melbourne on board HMAT Persic on 10th June, 1915 Later he became a Sergeant with the 4th Pioneer Battalion He previously served with Senior Cadets Harold died of wounds on 15.3.1917 in Butte de Warlancourt France aged 19 years He is buried in Bazentin Le Petit Military Cemetery, France Row F, grave 24 His brother Reginald George STAPLES S/N 2798 also served & returned to Australia in 1919