ELLIS, Harold Percy
| Service Number: | 589 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 September 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Middleton, South Australia, 23 July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Middleton Public School |
| Occupation: | Brass-moulder |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozieres, France, 25 July 1916, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Middleton Soldiers Memorial Garden, Rosewater War Memorial, Rosewater Womens Memorial Roll of Honour WW1, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 589, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 589, 12th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' |
|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 589, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Hobart | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 589, 12th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 589, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
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The Ellis Brothers of Middleton / Rosewater - all three lost in service
"THE LATE PRIVATE H. P. ELLIS.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ellis, of McNicol Terrace, Rosewater, have been officially notified that their youngest son, Private Harold P. Ellis, was killed in action in France on July 25. Private H. P. Ellis left here in September, 1914. He participated in the landing at Gallipoli, and served throughout the campaign there prior to going to France. His 20th birthday was celebrated in the trenches at Anzac, and his 21st birthday in France two days before he was killed. Prior to enlisting he was employed at the Islington workshops. He was the youngest of three brothers who have gone to the front. One brother, Herbert, died in the No. 15 General Hospital, Alexandria, on August 7, 1915, his other brother is still serving." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 26 Aug 1916 (nla.gov.au)
Harold Percy, like his two older brothers, enlisted for service shortly after the outbreak of war. His photograph suggests prior service in the militia / senior cadets. He was enlisted into the 10th battalion and embarked with them on 20 October 1914, arrivbing in the Middle East in early December. After further training they embarked for the Greek Island of Lemnos on March 12th, from where they were to take part in an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The 10th Battalion was one of the first ashore.
Harold served throughout the campaign
Later following the evacuation of ANZAC, the 10th Battalion deployed to France. After time in the 'nursery' sector near Armentieres, the 1st (of which the 10th Battalion was part), 2nd and 4th Divisions moved to the Somme sector and the 1st Division was committed to action at Pozieres on 23 July 1916. Harold was killed two days later and his remains were lost in the detritus of horrendous shelling, and so he has no known grave.
Harold was the second of the three Ellis brothers to die in service. He would not be the last.
Steve Larkins March 2015
Click images to start slideshow.