TURNER, Harold Morris
| Service Number: | 4895 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 August 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Jamestown, South Australia , 9 June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Jamestown, Northern Areas, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Jamestown Public School and St Peter's College |
| Occupation: | Bank clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Noreuil , France, 2 April 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Cagnicourt British Cemetery Plot II, Row A, Grave No. 23 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Jamestown O4 WW 1 Turner Brothers*, Jamestown Soldier's Memorial Park Arch, Jamestown St James Anglican Church Stained Glass Windows and Turner Brothers Memorial, Yorketown Kadina Union Bank WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4895, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4895, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1 | |
| 9 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4895, 10th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Adelaide | |
| 2 Apr 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4895, 13th Machine Gun Company, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
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Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929 - Short Obituary
From the book Fallen Saints
Harold Morris Turner was born at Jamestown, South Australia in 1897. He received his early education at the Jamestown Public School and then like his father before him, attended the Collegiate School of St Peter. He served two years in the junior cadets and subsequently served as a senior cadet in the 81st Battalion before transferring to the 78th Infantry.
Upon leaving school, he worked as a bank clerk at Jamestown and as the town is approximately 210 kilometres north of Adelaide it was an exempt area for compulsory military training so he was not required to parade.
Following enlistment in August 1915, he joined the 15th quota of reinforcements for the 10th Battalion in January 1916 and sailed from Adelaide aboard RMS Mongolia on 9 March.
In Egypt, he was transferred to the 50th Battalion and was later reposted to the 4th Division’s Base Depot and sailed for France on 7 June 1916 aboard HMT Huntspill.
In early August, he commenced machine gun training at the Machine Gun School, Camieres and at the end of the month was transferred to the 13th Machine Gun Company, 13th Brigade, 4th Division.
On the morning of 2 April 1917 when the 13th Brigade attacked the village of Noreuil Private Harold Turner was killed in action; he was 20 years of age.
Harold’s father, when completing the Roll of Honour circular after the war, attached a note explaining that his other son Richard was wounded at Gallipoli, recovered and after g a few months on the Western Front with the 2nd Battalion AIF had joined the Royal Flying Corps and was accidently killed.
Passed his examinations as a Lieut and was accidentally killed in England in an aeroplane accident on May 4th 1917. Two cousins at the front Frank Bartly and Charles Turner were killed, they were both of Adelaide. [i]
[i] Australian War Memorial, Roll of Honour Cards 145, 1914-1918 War, Army - Turner, Harold Morris, viewed 29 October 2005
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