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Henry, known as Harry, was the older son of John Frederick and Winifred Mary Stopp. He was born in North Adelaide, almost a Christmas baby, on the 29th December 1916. A second son, Frank was born in 1919, but died aged just nine months later in 1920 whilst in the Children’s Hospital. Further tragedy visited the family soon after Harry turned six, with the death of his 36-year-old mother on the 26th May ’22.
Harry moved to Keith in the South-East of South Australia where he became a share farmer with his father. He was also a talented sportsman, representing Keith in both cricket and football. The latter team took out the B Grade Premiership in ’37 with an active Harry, playing as a rover, excelling with his low-driving drop kick and accurate handballing. The local paper described him as being a ‘live-wire half forward’ contributing to the well-earned win. The following season, Keith were again in the finals with Harry playing in the ruck, again being a highly influential player. The Border Chronicle described his play ‘Harry Stopp followed tirelessly for the Black-and-whites and was a big factor in many advances to the goal. His neat left-foot passing often found a team-mate and paved the way for success. Keith seemed to waver. However, with Stopp and McMutrie in the van, it raced forward for a mark and a goal to Hill.’ Inevitably Harry was named as best player for Keith. At the Victory Dinner Presentations, catered for at the Keith Hotel, Vice-captain Harry was awarded a trophy, presented by Mr E. T. Schapel, for the best attention and attendance at training. The President of the Club complimented the team who “always played the game for the sheer love of it, and always refrained from any animosity towards their opponents. He felt confident that the game as played by the Keith footballers would benefit them both physically and morally.”
That same year, Harry was also a member of the local Keith Band of Hope, helping celebrate the group’s eighth anniversary year as part of the singing group program.
Sporting and musical interests were put on hold when 23-year-old Harry enlisted on the 1st July ’40 having served in the Militia since ’39 as 30772G in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment. He was allocated the number, SX7294 and placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion. He was initially housed in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where his ‘bed’ was straw filled hessian on wooden pallets.
Early in October he was appointed as Acting Lieutenant Corporal before returning to Keith for the community’s fourth farewell social and dance. Dancing and singing items were a feature, followed by speeches from sporting leaders, the local Reverend and police Constable. Harry was presented with a parcel of woollens from the C.W.A. emergency work circle and another from the Comforts Fund. The locals also presented him with an ever-sharp pencil. The popular L-Cpl. Stopp, respected player on the football and cricket field, "played the game" and responded to the eulogistic remarks of the speakers, before dancing was resumed. A tasty supper then followed before the evening concluded with the singing of Auld Lang Syne.
With pre-embarkation leave over, Harry then boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. Once in the Middle East, his battalion marched to a Staging Camp but during those early days, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals. Within months, Harry was involved in intense conflicts where the reputation of the 2/48th Battalion for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Harry was to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
In the heat of August ’41, the fifth month of the siege of Tobruk, conditions were particularly bad, marked by an increase in enemy fire from mortars, artillery and machine guns. Harry, had been promoted to a Corporal.
In his book Toruk to Tarakan, John Glenn recounts how “It was at about this time that Corporal Stopp was concerned in a very different incident. He was manning a position in a forward post when a sniper took a shot at him. The bullet went down the barrel of Stopp’s Bren. The sniper had another shot. It cut the handle of the Bren in two. And if there was another shot the corporal didn’t know where it went. He was safe and uninjured in a nearby trench…’
However, in July ’42 he was less fortunate, being wounded in action with gunshot wounds to both legs and was immediately transferred to hospital.
Mark Johnston in his well-researched book, ‘Derrick VC In His Own Words’ recounts ‘Diver’ Derrick’s diary entry for that day. “Information received enemy massing large formation of trps and tanks on our front & can expect a large scale attack at any moment. All units standing to. Shelling is still our main source of annoyance & would certainly like to get the crews responsible. Our Carriers were operating on our right front last night but do not know their intentions or objectives. They were to return past A Coys front and in on the left of C Coy. All lost direction and resulted in one being destroyed on C Coy mine field with Sgt Johnson killed another was stopped on my section mine filed, with Cpl Stopp receiving some minor wounds & shock, driver Stone was also killed at C Coy.”
John Glenn also mentions the same incident and how the enemy suffered heavy casualties, but ‘then as the carriers swung down the slopes on the way home and entered the last stretch, three carriers ploughed into our own minefield and were blown up, killing Sergeant Lester Johnson and Corporal J.K. Stone. Corporal Stopp was wounded.’
In a letter back home, but not published until September in the Border Chronicle, ‘Cpl Harry Stopp suggests that he was in a tank which fouled a land mine when he received his wounds, some time ago during operations in the Middle East. He was later placed on the seriously-ill list, but has made good progress towards recovery.’
That year was to be a challenging one for the 2/48th. Orders had been received to capture West Point of Tel el Eisa in a dawn attack. In late June ‘42 with Rommel crossing into Egypt, the 2/48th were in an offensive to capture Trig 33, which was achieved on the 10th July. In doing so, over 400 Italian prisoners were taken. The 2/48th battalion then advanced south, capturing the Tel el Eisa station and repelling numerous counter attacks. However, they were eventually forced to withdraw, having suffered over 100 casualties. The 2/48th battalion suffered 215 casualties between the 7th July and 23rd October. Of that number, 64 men were killed and six, died of their wounds. 125 other men, including Harry, were wounded but survived.
In July the battalion was attempting to capture West Point in a dawn attack. In his book, ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’, John G. Glenn described the ferocious encounter.
‘When the troops were well forward of the start-line they came under terrific fire from shells and mortars from the front and left and suffered heavy casualties. With the slow deliberate movement of perfectly trained soldiers both companies continued the advance in perfect formation, over ground that trembled and erupted with vicious explosions. Through this, sometimes obscured by the smoke and dust, the men moved, and, as they advanced, the fire kept place with them, leaving behind the still shapes of fallen men among the camel bush and sand.’
Back home, the August edition of the Chronicle in ’42 carried the names of the killed and injured. Besides Harry, those in his battalion included: Wounded In Action SX6828 Pte Harold R L Baker Adelaide. SX8878 Pte Gerald W Bellinger Millicent. SX9388 Pte Clarence G Brown. Port Wakefield, SX1075 L-Cpl. Eric Brown SX11079 Pte Harold D Brown, Trinity Gardens. SX537 Pte. P. A Carey, Broken Hill. NSW SX7497 L-Cpl Ronald Chinner, Angaston. SX7725 Pte. Cecil Clark, Langhorne's Creek. SX8132 Pte. Cyril H. Fleet, Menlngle. SX7417 Pte. Clarence L Gallagher, Murray Bridge. SX7330 Pte. Allen R Harris, Moonta. SX13570 Pte Charles Holman, Broken Hill. NSW. (Later KIA Oct ’42) SX12363 A-Cpl. Harry B. Irwln. Port Augusta. SX8017 L-Cpl. Charles. G. Manuel. Balaklava. SX8138 Pte Albert. V. McKenzie, Minlaton. SX11302 Pte. Walter Sharp, Magill. SX7952 Pte Kevin P Stephens. Adelaide. SX7294 Cpl. Henry P. Stopp. Keith. SX9034 A-Cpl. Noel A Tietzel. North Adelaide. SX8539 Pte Edward J Young Inf., Morgan. Harry’s father, living in Walkerville, ‘received word that his younger son, Cpl H. F. (Harry) Stopp, has been wounded in action in Egypt. Cpl Stopp enlisted from Keith in June 1940, and went overseas in November of the same year. He served for eight months in Tobruk. He is twenty-five years old.’
The following month, the Border Chronicle was able to report that ‘Cpl H. F. Stopp, of Keith, whose name was previously placed on the seriously-ill list, has now recovered. His name has been removed from all lists.’
Harry had been diagnosed with aseptic meningitis, often caused by readily transmitted viruses like chickenpox, which would travel quickly through the troops living in such close confines. Probably because of the massive explosion when hitting the mine, Harry also experienced a concussion (subarachnoid haemorrhage). It took until early in October before he was able to be discharged, serving in the 26th Australian Infantry Trig Battalion. By Mid-November that year, Harry attended and qualified in a Tank Destruction Course before he rejoined his unit and received a promotion to Sergeant.
By February ’43 Harry was able to leave the Middle East, returning home to Australia via Melbourne. Keith citizens gave a jubilant ‘Welcome Home’ celebration to their young heroes of Tobruk and El Alamein. The local paper reported that the ‘First official announcement of the return of the 9th Division, AIF, from the Middle East was made by the Prime Minister in the Federal Parliament last Tuesday. Reports of welcome socials to returned Tatiara men, which have been withheld awaiting official release, express the district's gratitude and admiration towards these heroes of Tobruk, Syria, and El Alamein. Some of them had been overseas for just on three years.’ At the Welcome Home to the fourteen local men, ‘All the soldiers then expressed appreciation of the welcome and the action of the RSL. Sgt Stopp said the only trouble was that the war was not over. He had seen many cities, but Adelaide with its surrounding hills and beautiful lawns and gardens would do him.’ He reflected the view of so many of the men who were serving and their pride in Australia. The Keith men were each presented with an RSL badge plus free membership to the local sub-branch for 12 months. Following speeches, a magnificent supper, worthy of the occasion, was then enjoyed. Suppers of late have been taking on a more and more austere appearance but this was the grand exception. Dancing followed into the early hours of the next morning.
For Harry, being home on leave was even more of a celebration with his marriage to local Gladys Marjorie Pengelly on the 20th March in the Keith Congregational Church. Harry had given Gladys a string of pearls to mark the occasion. He chose her brother Jack as his best man. (Jack a trooper with the 2/9th Cavalry Regiment, had enlisted at a similar time to Harry as SX7546. He also survived the war and was eventually discharged on the 8th November ’45.) The newly married couple journeyed to Adelaide for an all-too-brief honeymoon, prior to Harry having to return to camp.
Training in Queensland followed as Harry prepared for warfare in the tropical conditions of New Guinea against a very different enemy. He arrived in Milne Bay at the start of August ’43.
By January ’44 Harry had an extremely high temperature (Pyrexia of Unknown Origin), followed by Dengue fever, resulting in his return to Australia via Brisbane. He was hospitalised and treated for malaria but was able to briefly return home to enjoy a dance where he was officially welcomed for the second time since his return from the Middle East. He was eventually able to re-join his 2/48th Battalion in May ’44.
However, by August that year Harry was being treated for an accidentally sprained ankle, but also received a promotion to Warrant Officer.
By May ’45 Harry was heading to Morotai and his final bout of service at Tarakan. His war was finally over in September ’45 celebrated with a return home in his honour and that of other discharged Service personnel. In November that year, a further huge welcome was organised for four locals, including Harry. The young men were escorted to their seating before the National Anthem was sung, followed by other songs, then heartfelt speeches honouring the returned men. War Savings Certificates were presented before the reluctant soldiers spoke their thanks and appreciation. The following year, Harry joined the Returned Soldiers’ League which was planning the erection of a club house.
In June ’46, Keith hosted a Monster Welcome in honour of the local men who had fought. The Border Chronicle noted that the huge attendance reflected ‘clearly the feelings of thankfulness that were uppermost in everyone's mind at their deliverance from the horrors of war, and of gratitude for the strong arms and clear brains which made that deliverance possible.’ During the evening celebrations, Harry represented those who served in the Army, formally thanked the RSL which had supported those at the front. The local reporter commented that ‘the people of the district will have cause to look back with pride to the grand weekend that they were able to give to those to whom we owe so much—a debt that can never be repaid.’
Harry returned to the sports he loved, becoming the Vice President of the Keith Cricket Club, which played in the Cardwell Cricket Association, the following year. In ’47 he was the team’s second leading runs scorer with a total of 148 runs for the season at an average of 22.5 runs. His highest knock was 78. His skills were frequently a feature, being described as ‘an attractive knock’. In football, Harry returned to his pre-war form, regularly being named in the best players and being a consistent scorer who provided a good rucking effort, showing ‘good form both in ruck and defence’ saving many opposition attacks on a number of occasions for Keith. He also filled the role of Deputy Captain of the team.
Returning to farming, Harry contributed to an Agriculture Bureau Field Day at Keith. His was one property which was inspected for its second-year crop of Major wheat which was flourishing despite the low rainfall.
Harry and Gladys enjoyed sharing the lives of their children and their families, Gordon, Irene, Neville, Sue, Maureen Laurence, Brian and Rosey.
55-year-old Gladys pre-deceased Harry and died on the 11th March ’77. Harry lived to be 87. He died on the 19th February 2004. His remains were interred with Gladys in the Keith cemetery, Bronze Lawn Plot B12.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion