Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Harry volunteered for duty on 2nd January 1942 at Hindmarsh, South Australia and took the “Oath of Enlistment and joined the Army on 21st January 1942. He was sent to Loveday Camp at Barmera in the Riverland with the 7th Australian Docks Op. Coy, RAE (Royal Australian Engineers) on 31st January 1942 to await his call. Whilst he was at the Loveday Camp his father passed away and was allowed leave to go back for the funeral at Cheltenham Cemetery.

He was enlisted for service on 9th October 1943 at Kapooka NSW at the age of 30 as a Dogman Crane Driver. He was taken into the Army for his strength which would have been gained from working long hours on a dairy farm. He transferred to the Australian Infantry Forces on 16th October 1943 and was given the Army Number of SX31881.

On 12th November 1943 he embarked the “Bontekoe” at Cairns and set sail to Bonlekal New Guinea and disembarked at Bona on 17th November 1943.
In total he spent 652 days serving in Australia and 605 serving overseas a total of 1343 days. He was graded a Grade III Stevedore.
Whilst serving his country Harry had to have an operation for a strangulated hernia, also his appendix removed and even had to be hospitalized for measles.

On 28th June 1945 he embarked at Aitape on the “Duntroon” to come back to Australia and landed in Brisbane on 8th July 1945. He was discharged from duty on 20th September 1945. Unfortunately Harry came back to Australia with malaria and shellshock (a nervous condition) and spent nearly all of the following 12 months in Repatriation Hospital, Daws Road, Colonel Lights Gardens in South Australia. Harry never spoke about his days of duty other than to occasionally mention the “fuzzy wuzzies” in New Guinea who helped the Australian soldiers so much. Harry returned to the dairy farm after being released from Repatriation Hospital and continued with the milk round. When he was able he worked on the dairy farm he now owned with his two brothers.