Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Henry Searle was born in Summertown, South Australia in November 1882 to parents Henry and Matilda Searle (nee Saville) who married in May 1874 in Adelaide South Australia. Henry is believed to the fourth of five siblings all of whom were boys.
 
It was in November 1906 in Norwood, South Australia that Henry married Rose Evelyn Fleming. They had four siblings together three sons and a daughter. His sister May and brother were born in South Australia, his brother died in the year of his birth in 1910. The two other siblings Roy was born in Perth Western Australia in 1913 followed by Clarence in 1915. Roy and Clarence both enlisted for military service during World War 2. Both served in Australia.
 
The exact date that Henry and his family moved to Western Australia would have been between 1910 to 1913, were they moved Subiaco Perth, Western Australia.
 
In July 1915 Henry enlisted into the A.I.F. at Blackboy Hill Perth, Western Australia where he conducted his basic training attached to 32nd Battalion. It was at the end of September 1915 that C and D Companies of 32nd Battalion sailed from Fremantle for Adelaide South Australia to join the other half of the battalion A and B companies that had been raised at Adelaide. 32nd Battalion was to be part of the 8th Brigade.
 
Henry embarked from Adelaide, South Australia in November 1915 aboard HMAT Geelong A2, attached to D Company. Arriving in Egypt in December 1915 the battalion conducted further training at Tel-el-Kebir, before embarking to France in June 1916. On arrival in France Henry was sent Morbecque near Hazebrouck in northern France.

It was in July 1916 that Henry with the battalion moved to their billets at Fleurbaix in preparation for an assault on the German trenches at Fromelles. The plan was to use the Australian Fifth Division which included Henry’s battalion along with the 31st Battalion. The task of 31st and 32nd Battalion was to assault the German trenches on the left flank crossing only 100 metres of no man’s land to get the trenches. The 32nd Battalion was on the extreme left flank their job made more difficult, not only did they have to protect themselves, but advancing on the German lines they had to block off the Germans of their left, to stop them from coming around behind them whilst advancing. The assault was due to commence at 6pm on 19th July 1916.

Henry’s battalion formed the first and second waves of the attack. Even before the attack commenced the Australians not only suffered casualties from the German artillery but also from their own inexperienced Australian artillery who lacked the skills to provide artillery cover for the assault.

With the Australian’s suffering heavy casualties from the artillery and German machine gun fire the men from the 31st and 32nd battalions commenced their assault, against all odds they were able to capture a small section of the German trenches. With no follow up support in getting to their objective and continued German counter attacks the Australians were forced to withdraw from the German trenches.

Henry’s fate was witnessed by Private Redmond 1351 also of D Company who states in Australian Red Cross Wounded Missing File dated 18th February 1917, “that on the 19th July 1916 at 8.30pm at Fleurbaix he saw Searle last in no man’s land at the beginning of the attack. He was hit by shrapnel and killed. Several other men saw the occurrence. Redmond states he actually saw seven on the missing men in the battalion killed.”

Initial inquiries were made to see if he was taken as a prisoner of war, recorded on Red Cross file “No trace Germany”

It was a court of inquiry held in the field on 12th August 1917 that Private Henry Searle 32nd Battalion D Company was pronounced fate as killed in action, 20th July 1916.

He has no known grave, he is commemorated on VC Corner Australian Military Cemetery, Fromelles France. He was 32 years of age.