KEMPSTER, Harry
| Service Number: | DX512 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 May 1940, Darwin |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kadina, South Australia, 30 March 1912 |
| Home Town: | Mitcham, Mitcham, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Hundred Ninnes School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Diesel Engine Driver |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Egypt, 4 June 1941, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Tobruk War Cemetery, Tobruk, Libya 5. M. 9. Australian War Memorial |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Darwin War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 31 May 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, DX512, Darwin | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1940: | Embarked Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, DX512, 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion, embarked Sydney for El Kentara (Middle East) | |
| 4 Jun 1941: | Involvement Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, DX512, 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private Harry Kempster (Service No:DX512) enlisted in the Army in Darwin, Northern Territory on 31 May 1940. Private Kempster was attached to 2nd/13th Infantry Battalion on 19 October 1940 when he embarked with his Unit from Sydney for the Middle East (El Kentara). Private Kempster was in Palestine (Gaza Ridge) and Tobruk, where he was KiA on 4 June 1941.
Harry was born in Kadina, South Australia in 1912, fifth of eight children of John (Jack) Alexander Kempster (b1872 at Magpie Creek, Clare, South Australia) and Ellen Weldon (b1877 in Keilli, Port Pirie, South Australia). Jack (a Labourer) and Ellen married in 1905 in Kadina, and lived there and in Bute, Wokurna, Wallaroo Mines, Brenda Park via Morgan and Mitcham - Jack worked as a Labourer, Farm Hand and Woodcutter.
Harry played football for Kadina, and was Diesel Engine Driver working in the Mines. In 1939, he was at the Mammoth Battery (Gold Mine) in Tennant Creek, Northern Territory when he was Mobilised, enlisitng in Darwin in May 1940.
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