NEWLOVE, Henry George Ezra
| Service Number: | 1108 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 5th Division Medium and Heavy Trench Mortar Batteries, AIF |
| Born: | Maroon, Queensland, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Maroon, Scenic Rim, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Maroon State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 15 April 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
St. Pierre Cemetery, Amiens, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Boonah War Memorial, Maroon War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1108, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 1108, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Shropshire, Sydney | |
| 15 Apr 1918: | Involvement Gunner, 1108, 5th Division Medium and Heavy Trench Mortar Batteries, AIF, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1108 awm_unit: 5th Division Trench Mortar Battery Australian Field Artillery awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1918-04-15 |
Narrative
Henry George Ezra Newlove #1108 2nd Light Horse/ 5th Div Medium Trench Mortar Brigade
Henry Newlove, commonly known as Harry, was the elder of two sons of Harry and Alice Newlove of Maroon. Harry was born at Maroon and most likely attended school for a few years at Maroon.
Harry presented himself for enlistment at the Boonah recruiting depot on 4th February 1915. At this stage of the war, recruiting was sometimes conducted by a local recruiting committee Harry’s papers are signed by Mr Darvill, a Lieutenant in the Militia and a solicitor in Boonah. He was also a councillor on the shire council.
Harry reported his age as 23 years and gave his occupation as farm hand. Up until his enlistment he had probably spent his whole life on the family farm. Harry was provided with a written document from his local recruiting committee advising Enoggera that Harry had been placed into an unallotted Light Horse Squadron. The following month, Harry failed to pass his riding test and requested a discharge. It would appear that the discharge was not proceeded with as Harry remained on the roll of unallotted Light Horse.
Harry boarded the “Shropshire” in Sydney on 20th August 1915. The embarkation roll shows him as being a reinforcement for the 2nd Light Horse. Harry had allocated 3/- of his daily pay to his mother. After a short period ashore in Egypt, the reinforcements for the 2nd Light Horse proceeded to Gallipoli. After only 7 days at Anzac, Harry was transferred to Abassia in Egypt with a case of VD that he had probably acquired before sailing for Gallipoli.
Harry would spend 45 days sick with VD and during this time his pay was stopped. Upon discharge from the VD Ward, Harry was in camp with the Light Horse Remounts. During the first three months of 1916, the AIF in Egypt would go through a period of expansion during which the number of divisions would double. The original Gallipoli veterans of the first and second divisions became the nucleus of newly created battalions as well as increased numbers of artillery, transport, medical and logistics. Harry Newlove found himself reassigned to a Light Horse Trench Mortar Unit before being reassigned again to the 5th Division Trench Mortar Brigade. By June of 1916, Harry was in France on the western front.
The 5th Division infantry brigades were thrown in to a hastily planned attack against the Germans at Fromelles in early July 1916. So heavy were the casualties that the division was effectively withdrawn from the order of battle for the next 12 months while the division rebuilt. Harry would appear to have served effectively with the trench mortar teams for the next year and a half.
In March of 1918, the German Spring Offensive caught the British 5th Army on the Somme by surprise as shock stormtroopers cut a swathe through British lines. With the British falling back, it appeared to the British Field Commander, Douglas Haig, that he was in real peril and could lose the war. To halt the advance, Haig rushed brigades of the AIF which were in rest camps in Flanders south to meet the challenge. The key point of resistance was the junction of the Ancre and Somme Rivers just to the west of Amiens.
Desperate battles were fought by the Australians throughout the month of April. In one such battle, Harry Newlove was recorded as Killed in Action. There are no records which shed any light of the circumstances of his death, save for the fact that he was buried at the St Pierre Cemetery in Amiens.
Harry had collected a number of souvenirs during his three and a half years’ service. A parcel of his effects which included coins, photographs, a knife and a pipe was despatched to his family in Maroon on the SS “Barunga”. Unfortunately the “Barunga” (which had been captured from its German owners in Sydney at the outbreak of the war) was torpedoed by a U-Boat of the Scilly Iles. She sank without loss of life but all cargo was lost.
Submitted 28 February 2021 by Ian Lang
Biography contributed by Ian Lang
Henry George Ezra Newlove #1108 2nd Light Horse/ 5th Div Medium Trench Mortar Brigade
Henry Newlove, commonly known as Harry, was the elder of two sons of Harry and Alice Newlove of Maroon. Harry was born at Maroon and most likely attended school for a few years at Maroon.
Harry presented himself for enlistment at the Boonah recruiting depot on 4th February 1915. At this stage of the war, recruiting was sometimes conducted by a local recruiting committee. Harry’s papers are signed by Mr Darvall, a Lieutenant in the Militia, a solicitor in Boonah, and a councillor on the shire council.
Harry reported his age as 23 years and gave his occupation as farm hand. Up until his enlistment he had probably spent his whole life on the family farm. Harry was provided with a written document from his local recruiting committee advising Enoggera that Harry had been placed into an unallotted Light Horse Squadron. The following month, Harry failed to pass his riding test and requested a discharge. It would appear that the discharge was not proceeded with as Harry remained on the roll of unallotted Light Horse.
Harry boarded the “Shropshire” in Sydney on 20th August 1915. The embarkation roll shows him as being a reinforcement for the 2nd Light Horse. Harry had allocated 3/- of his daily pay to his mother. After a short period ashore in Egypt, the reinforcements for the 2nd Light Horse proceeded to Gallipoli. After only 7 days at Anzac, Harry was transferred to Abassia in Egypt with a case of VD that he had probably acquired before sailing for Gallipoli.
Harry would spend 45 days sick with VD and during this time his pay was stopped. Upon discharge from the VD Ward, Harry was in camp with the Light Horse Remounts. During the first three months of 1916, the AIF in Egypt would go through a period of expansion during which the number of divisions would double. The original Gallipoli veterans of the first and second divisions became the nucleus of newly created battalions as well as increased numbers of artillery, transport, medical and logistics. Harry Newlove found himself reassigned to a Light Horse Trench Mortar Unit before being reassigned again to the 5th Division Trench Mortar Brigade. By June of 1916, Harry was in France on the western front.
The 5th Division infantry brigades were thrown in to a hastily planned attack against the Germans at Fromelles in early July 1916. So heavy were the casualties that the division was effectively withdrawn from the order of battle for the next 12 months while the division rebuilt. Harry would appear to have served effectively with the trench mortar teams for the next year and a half.
In March of 1918, the German Spring Offensive caught the British 5th Army on the Somme by surprise as shock stormtroopers cut a swathe through British lines. With the British falling back, it appeared to the British Field Commander, Douglas Haig, that his army was in real peril and could lose the war. To halt the advance, Haig rushed brigades of the AIF which were in rest camps in Flanders south to meet the challenge. The key point of resistance was the junction of the Ancre and Somme Rivers just to the east of Amiens.
Desperate battles were fought by the Australians throughout the month of April. In one such battle, Harry Newlove was recorded as Killed in Action on 15th April 1918. There are no records which shed any light of the circumstances of his death, save for the fact that he was buried at the St Pierre Cemetery in Amiens.
Harry had collected a number of souvenirs during his three and a half years’ service. A parcel of his effects which included coins, photographs, a knife and a pipe was despatched to his family in Maroon on the SS “Barunga”. Unfortunately, the “Barunga” (which had been captured from its German owners in Sydney at the outbreak of the war) was torpedoed by a U-Boat off the Scilly Iles. She sank without loss of life but all cargo was lost.