Phillip (Harry) Harrison
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | not known 1892 |
| Place of Birth | Ballarat, Victoria |
| Death | 7 Aug 1915 |
| Place of Death | Gallipoli, Turkey |
| Age at Enlistment | 22 years, 11 months |
| Description |
5'4" (1.m) tall ; 128 lbs 58.06 kg ; fair complexion ; grey eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Mill hand |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | No 1 Mill, Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Thomas Henry Harrison |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 100 |
| Date of Enlistment | 10 Sep 1914 |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion, C Company / 4th Brigade, 1st Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 22 Dec 1914 ‒ 1 Feb 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A40 Ceramic |
| Fate | Killed in Action 7 Aug 1915 Gallipoli |
| Monument |
Jarrahdale War Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll Lone Pine Memorial Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
War Service
Entered camp a week before the formation of the 16th Battalion, and was one of the day 1 members of the newly created 16th Battalion. On 18 Sep 1914 he was amongst 300 men who assembled at the Drill hall Perth and were conveyed to Helena vale by train. They established camp on the eastern slope of Blackboy Hill. Harry would have travelled to Melbourne in November with the rest of the battalion, spread over two ships - SS Dimboola, and SS Indarra. The signallers, and 'C' Company to which Harry belonged travelled on SS Indarra, departing Fremantle on 21 Nov 1914. On 17 Dec 1914 they participated in the Ceremonial March through Melbourne, and on 22 Dec 1914 at Port Melbourne they boarded HMAT A40 Ceramic. For the previous two days heavy rain had caused the men and their equipment to be soaked - concern was expressed about influenza and the condition of the Broadmeadows camp in the official war diary. Five days after leaving Melbourne they anchored in King George Sound, Albany on 27 Dec 1914.
On 20 Jan 1915 the Ceramic had reached Aden, and at 6:30am on 27 Jan 1915 they were at anchor in Port Suez. Two days later they entered the canal, and after a brief pause at Port Said, arrived in Alexandria at 8:00am on 1 Feb 1915. Following training in Egypt, along with the rest of 'C' Company, Harry, whose role was as a signaler, embarked on HMAT A48 Seang Bee in Alexandria on 12 Apr 1915 to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Gallipoli. The rest of the battalion were aboard HMT Haida Pascha. The 16th Battalion landed in the afternoon of 25 April.
On Gallipoli Harry was appointed Lance Corporal on 30 Jun 1915. On the day of his death the battalion along with others were tasked with capturing Hill 971. For a range of reasons this turned out to not be possible, and the battalion took heavy casualties on a day of hard slog over terrible country under machine gun, artillery and sniper fire. Twenty four men including Harry were killed that day and 45 injured in their unit alone.
Notes
His Father was granted a pension of 30 /- fortnightly from 24 Aug 1917.