WANLISS, Harold Boyd
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 April 1915, Served in the Naval Cadets (Volunteer). |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 11 December 1891 |
| Home Town: | St Kilda East, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Ballarat College, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Orchardist |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Polygon Wood, Belgium, 26 September 1917, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 17), Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lorne Residents of Lorne District Roll of Honor, Lorne War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Richmond University of Western Sydney WW1 Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, 29th Infantry Battalion, Served in the Naval Cadets (Volunteer). | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 1915: | Involvement Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Oct 1915: | Embarked Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne | |
| 4 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
| 10 Apr 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 14th Infantry Battalion, GSW face and cheek | |
| 30 Nov 1916: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, For conspicuous gallantry and determination when leading an attacking party during a raid. He forced the wire which was uncut, entered the trench, inflicted heavy loss on the enemy, and supervised the withdrawal. While forcing the wire he was wounded in the face; later was wounded by a bullet in the neck; and finally, when withdrawing, he was again wounded, and had to be carried in. He set a fine example to all with him | |
| 6 Mar 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 14th Infantry Battalion | |
| 29 Jun 1917: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 26 Sep 1917: | Involvement Captain, 14th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 14 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1917-09-26 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Regimental Books - Australian Military History
We Remember Today - Captain Harold Boyd Wanliss DSO, MiD, 29th Battalion.
A grazier from East St Kilda, Victoria prior to enlistment, Lt Wanliss embarked with the 2nd Reinforcements from Melbourne on HMAT Demosthenes on 29 October 1915. Later transferring to the 14th Battalion, he was promoted to Lieutenant and wounded in action and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) “For conspicuous gallantry and determination when leading an attacking party during a raid on a German trench in France.” While recovering in England he was promoted to Captain.
On rejoining his unit he was Mentioned in Despatches and, on 26th September 1917, aged 25, he was killed in action at Polygon Wood and buried where he fell. Following the Armistice, his remains could not be recovered and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
His father, Newton Wanliss later wrote a history of the 14th Battalion titled “The History of the 14th Battalion AIF”.
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