CORKETT, Harold William
| Service Number: | 610 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 August 1914, Randwick, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Orange, New South Wales, Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Orange, Orange Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | East Orange Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Hod Carrier |
| Died: | Wounds, Stefano Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt, 2 May 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery Row E, Grave 106 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, East Orange Public School Memorial Avenue, East Orange Public School Roll of Honor, Orange Cenotaph, Orange Holy Trinity Anglican Church Honour Board, Orange WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 610, 2nd (SA) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC), Randwick, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 610, 2nd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 610, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney |
Help us honour Harold William Corkett's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Mary Jane Corkett of William Street, East Orange, NSW. Brother of C.P. Corkett of William Street, East Orange, NSW and Ivy Edwards nee Corkett
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Bradley Bliss
Harold William Corkett (1887 to 2nd May 1915)
Born in Orange in 1887, Harold William Corkett was the youngest son of Jonah and Mary Jane Corkett. There were eight other children in the family.
Harold attended Orange East Public School and Orange Public School. He developed a keen interest in cycling, was a member of several clubs and was awarded medals on more than one occasion. He also held first aid medals and was an active member of the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Harold’s father, Jonah, died in June 1914, and when war was declared in August that year Harold was one of the first to enlist.
A Private in the 2nd Battalion, Harold embarked from Sydney in October 1914, arriving in Egypt in December.
Private Corkett was wounded during the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915, sustaining gunshot wounds to his head. He was transferred to San Stefano Hospital in Alexandria, where he died the following week from his wounds.
Private Harold Corkett is commonly regarded as the first man from Orange to die in WWI, however he was preceded by four other servicemen. Three other men from Orange died on 2 May 1915: William Robert Clive Beasley, Oswald Cecil Jeffrey Baylis and William Henry O’Bree – two of which were former Orange East students.
In July 1917 a tree was planted at Orange Public School in Harold’s memory. It was one of 26 trees planted in honour of fallen soldiers who had attended the school.
Harold is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action. He is also commemorated on the Ancient Order of Foresters Orange Roll of Honor and the Holy Trinity Church Orange Honour Roll.
In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Private HW Corkett”; it was donated by the Ancient Order of Foresters.
Harold’s brother, Albert Thomas Corkett, also served in WWI. He was killed in action in Belgium in October 1917.
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