HARRISON, Osborne Leslie
| Service Number: | 2775 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia, 24 May 1898 |
| Home Town: | Darlington , New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Darlington Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Grocer |
| Died: | Killed in action, Belgium, 25 September 1917, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot XXX, Row B, Grave No. 8. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2775, 45th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2775, 45th Infantry Battalion , Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2775, 45th Infantry Battalion , HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 25 Sep 1917: | Involvement Private, 2775, 13th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2775 awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-09-25 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Osborne Leslie Harrison was the youngest of three brothers from Sydney who enlisted in the AIF. Only one was to return home, and he spent over two years as a prisoner of war in Germany.
Osborne was only barely 18 years of age when he enlisted, and gave his occupation as a grocer’s assistant. His parents, Frederick and Rose Agnes Harrison were living in Darlington, Sydney, New South Wales.
Osborne’s older brother, 2774 Pte. Harold Claude Harrison 45th Battalion AIF, died of wounds on 19 September 1918, aged 24. The brothers had enlisted at about the same time, and were given consecutive regimental numbers in the 45th Battalion. In fact, Osborne’s father had given a letter of consent to his son for enlistment, stipulating it was his special wish that Osborne embark with his brother Harold.
Osborne joined the 13th Battalion in Belgium during June 1917, and was killed in action three months later near Polygon Wood in Belgium. His personal effects sent home in late 1917 were “one gold boomerang”.
His remains were discovered during 1920 and buried in the Buttes New British Cemetery at Polygon Wood in Belgium.
Another older brother, 3311 Pte. Frederick George Harrison 55th Battalion AIF, was captured by the Germans during the Battle of Fromelles on 20 July 1916. He survived the war and returned to Australia during March 1919. He was then 26 years of age.