Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Henry Kirke White, known as Harry and or Hal was born in Nottingham, England on 7th July 1890. His Parents, Elijah WHITE, a grocer & Mary Jane WHITE (nee SHEPPERSON) lived at 74 Bartholomew Road, Blue Bell Hill, Nottingham, England. It is believed Harry was one of 11 or 12 siblings; however, only 8 have been identified and documented. One of Harry's brothers, Horace WHITE, served in WW1 with the British Army and received a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) as commendation for bravery.

Harry and his wife were married in the St Bartholomew Church of England Church, Nottingham, England on the 28th October 1915. Addresses given for them both, on the Marriage Certificate, is that of 74 Bartholomew Road, Blue Bell Hill, Nottingham, England.

Harry came to Australia some time after the 1911 English Census where he was listed as living with his parents in Nottingham. In the Queensland 1913 Electoral Roll he is listed as being a farmer at Buderim Mountain. Some time after establishing a home in Woombye, Harry requested his brother, Arthur John White, to join him in Australia. Arthur arrived in Australia in January 1914. The two brothers established a home for themselves in Woombye, Queensland.

Harry enlisted into the AIF on the 7th January 1915 as a bugler. He was described as being 24 6/12 years old, single, a Labourer, 5 feet 8¼ inches tall, 133 pounds in weight, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and of Church of England faith. His occupation was in fact assisting his brother, Arthur John WHITE who developed and worked a citrus farm at the location that was now known as adjoining Maroochydore Road, Woombye. The property is now (2015) in Aird Lane which exits off Nambour Connection Road across the road from the location of the Big Pineapple and in 2015, the original White land holding is owned by the Big Pineapple Corporation.

Harry embarked Australia on HMAT A48 'Seang Bee' on 13th February 1915 and believed he and other solders on that ship were going to England to fight for the Mother Country. However, the AIF landed in Egypt in readiness for a land battle, if needed, to take Turkey out of the Great War and open up an ice free supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. (Contained in the memorabilia in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra is a photograph of a small kangaroo, the mascot of the 9th Battalion, in front of the pyramids in Egypt). In August 1914, Turkey had signed a secret treaty with Germany and the Germans were advising and directing war preparations in Turkey. Russia asked the Allies for help and Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, wanted to open up another front on Germany and Austria and was instrumental in planning the attack on Turkey.

On the 18th March 1915, a day that is still remembered as Victory Day in Turkey and with the date inscribed on the hillside at Canakkale, the French and British Battleships tried to force a passage through the Dardanelle Straits to capture Constantinople (now known as Istanbul). Three ships were lost (the Bouvet, the Irresistible and the Ocean) and others damaged to Turkish guns and 26 mines that had been laid the night before by the Turkish minelayer – Nusret. The Allies naval assault was unsuccessful so preparations were made for a land battle to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula and hence Constantinople.

The 1st Australian Division, 3rd Brigade consisting of the 9th Battalion QLD, the 10th Battalion SA, the 11th Battalion WA and the 12th Battalion Tasmania, SA &WA were the first ashore at 4.30am on the 25th April 1915 along ANZAC Cove and in particular, the 9th Battalion QLD landed at an area much north of the area which was planned. That area became known as ANZAC Cove and Queensland Point or Little Ari Burnu. Harry was in the second wave of Australians to land at Gallipoli on the 25 April 2015, where one of his tasks was that of a stretcher bearer (refer to the history of John Davey, service number 81, also from Woombye who Harry saw in a deceased state on the ANZAC battlefield).

On the 6th May 1915 there was heavy fighting from ANZAC Cove south along the cove to Cape Helles were the first 50 yards of the water’s edge was described as running red with blood. The fighting was from the tip of Gallipoli Peninsular at V Beach (Helles Point) to where the HMT River Clyde, was deliberately beached, and back north towards W, X, Y and Z Beaches. (Z Beach was ANZAC Cove, although not marked as such on the maps).

AT ANZAC, the 9th Battalion took up positions at Shell Green and along Brighton Beach which is to the south of ANZAC Cove. By September 1915 their front line was at Chatham’s Post on Harris Ridge at the southern end of Brighton Beach. (Contained in the memorabilia in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra is a photograph of an Australian Solder in a long boat at Gallipoli, it is believed that Solder could be Harry but all attempts to identify the Solder have proven unsuccessful).

On the 3rd September 1915, Harry was admitted to the Salta field hospital with diarrhoea. On that same day he was transported by field ambulance to Mudros, Greece where he was admitted on the 5th September 2015. On the 9th September 2015 he was admitted to the 19th General Hospital at Alexandria, Egypt. On the 23rd September 1915 he was discharged to England on-board “Karoola”. Harry arrived and was admitted into the 3rd West General Hospital at Cardiff on the 5th October 1915.

Harry did not return to Gallipoli after his hospitalization in England. Whilst he was stationed in England, on the 18th June 1916 Harry was admitted to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital with nose problems. The exact extent of this nose problem has not been identified, however it could not of been too serious as he was transported to Monte Video in Uruguay the next day, on the 19th June 1916. There are no records of any service in Monte Video nor is there any record of how and when he was returned to England.

The next available records are dated the 30th April 1918 when Harry proceeded overseas to France via Folkestone, England to reinforce the 10th Battalion. On the 9th May 1918 he re-joined the 9th Battalion in the field and on the 14th May 1918, during the Villers-Bretonneau battle he was wounded in the neck, chest and hand. Although his injuries are detailed on his Active Service Casualty Form as a Gun Shot Wound (GSW), Harry was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital Chelmsford, Colchester on the 16th May 1918, then the 1st Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield on the 18th June 1918. On the 4th July 1918 he was discharged for furlough.

Harry told his son he was wounded as a result of shrapnel coming from a Wiz Bang exploding. Harry's own explanation of his injury, as told to his son, is - the piece of shrapnel entered my body through my chest, travelled under my heart and lodged itself beneath my left armpit damaging my lung on it's way. As a result, Harry suffered asthma type breathing problems for the rest of his life. These problems eventually were the cause of his premature death, aged 56.

It is believed, Harry’s grandson, Ronald Leslie White, who, in 2015, was living in Victoria, Australia has the fragment of shrapnel which is housed in a small black and gold coloured metal cylinder type container about 40cm high and 25cm in diameter with a push on / pull off lid.

Despite having what appears a distinguished Military career, Harry does have an offence detailed on his Casualty Form of Active Service. It appears as if he was found at Ludgershall at 7.45am without authorised leave on the 30th July 1917. To our knowledge, Harry never discussed this with any family member so the reasons and explanations remain Harry’s secret. It does not look as if he was punished in any way as a result of his being AWOL. Given the circumstances of which he had endured at Gallipoli, it is possible, as a 27 year old, he just needed some time to himself.

On the 23 July 1918, Harry was returned to Australia as a passenger on H S Karoola arriving in Australia on the 6th September 1918. His Certificate of Discharge is dated at Brisbane on the 9th October 1918 states he was medically unfit. The Certificate of Discharge further details Harry had served four years two days in the AIF of which 3 years 208 days were served abroad. Upon discharge, he was described as being 28 6/12 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall, dark complexion, blue eyes, dark hair and a fruit grower. The certificate also states that his intended place of residence is Merrimead, Woombye. Despite numerous searches during the years between 1898 to 2015 the location of Merrimead could not be found. When Harry's wife and eldest daughter arrived in Australia after crossing the globe, as free settlers, from England, on the HMT City of Karachi they established their family home in the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove. Harry’s wife Mable, left England on-board the HMT City of Karachi with 2 daughters. On the 9 October 1918, during that voyage, the youngest daughter, Audrey, died and was buried at sea that same day. Mable and the eldest daughter, Evie, arrived in Australia 25th October 1918.

After living for many years at Ashgrove, Harry and his family moved to Barcaldine in central western Queensland, then, Palmwoods near Woombye, Diamond Valley near Mooloolah and eventually purchased a home in 1931 at Maleny, Queensland. Harry, classified as a TPI (Totally and Permanently Incapacitated) sought employment at the Maleny Butter Factory making butter boxes for the export trade.

Harry was awarded the following medals:- * A 1914/1915 Star, Medal Number 1504 * A British War Medal, Medal Number 2992 and * A Victory Medal, Medal Number 2930 On the 30 July 1928, Harry advised the War Office that his Discharge Badge Number 34827 was stolen along with his full suit of clothes and all other personal effects whilst he was an inmate of the Rosemount Military Hospital. Harry was re-issued with another set of Medals on the 22nd August 1928 at Maleny Queensland. Harry’s set of Medals are hard mounted as a set of three with the appropriate ribbons.

Harry died as a result of his wounds on the 31st July 1946 at the Rosemount Military Hospital, aged 56 years old. He was cremated and his ashes are interred in Area 12, Bed 3 Memorial Plot T23 within the Mt Thompson Crematorium Gardens, Holland Park, Brisbane.