Wilson, Harold Gordon

No.2849 – Private Harold Wilson – 11^th Battalion AIF

Harold Gordon Wilson was born in Geelong Victoria in 1895 to Joseph and Agnes Wilson. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Charles Street South Fremantle. Harry was sent for his education to Beaconsfield State School. After leaving school Harry took up work as a painter and tinsmith and worked in the Fremantle region. It was during this time that he began his military service when he joined the 86A Senior Cadets in Fremantle.

On the 1st July 1915 nineteen year old Harry went to the Francis Street Drill Hall in Perth to enlist in the AIF.  He was passed as fit for service the medical examiner finding that Harry was 5 feet 6 & ½ inches tall; weight of 126lbs; chest measurement of 31-33 inches; medium complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Presbyterian and his next of kin was listed as his father Joseph.

Upon his successful enlistment Harry was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 9^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion AIF. Through July, August and September Harry trained with this group learning the basics of soldiering such as drills, route marches and rifle shooting which took place at Osborne Rifle Range. Their orders to depart finally came through and on the 1^st October 1915 Harry and his group boarded the HMAT Hororata in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for Egypt.

The sea journey took just over three weeks and Harry arrived at Egypt towards the end of October. After being disembarked the men were marched into the 3^rd Training Battalion. They would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli but in November the decision was made to evacuate the Dardanelles and so the infantry reinforcements were retained in Egypt. The 11^th battalion eventually arrived back in Egypt in January 1916 and Harry was taken on strength of “B” Company 11^th Battalion on the 7^th January.

The next couple of months were taken up with hard training in the Egyptian desert as well as holding sections of the Suez Canal defence line. The 1^st Australian Division was soon ordered to France and on the 29^th March 1916 the 11^th Battalion boarded the HMT Corsican in Alexandria Harbour and set sail for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5^th April 1916. After being disembarked the men were marched through the city to the Railway Station where they boarded trains which took them to northern France. The 11^th Battalion were initially billeted in the Armentieres region and they would soon have their first taste of Western Front trench life in the Fleurbaix/Bois Greiner sector.

Through April and May the 11^th Battalion gained experience in trench warfare in France and Harry undertook duties such as being on carrying parties, trench fatigue duties and also being on patrols in No Man’s Land. On the 30^th May the 11^th Battalion were heavily hit by a German trench raid which inflicted many casualties, but Harry came through unscathed.

At the end of June 1916 the 11^th Battalion left Fleurbaix and headed for the Somme battlefield. They soon relieved a British unit in the front line and were instructed to capture Pozieres village on the 23^rd July. The 11^th Battalion successfully took their objectives and Pozieres was captured however the Germans launched a devastating bombardment on the area for the next week and many men simply disappeared in the maelstrom. Unfortunately harry was one of these and his death was listed as between the 22^nd to 25^th July 1916. There were no eyewitness reports as to his death nor was his body recovered and so he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretoneux Memorial in France.

This was devastating news for his parents but they still had two sons in France to worry about; 

Charles Joseph Wilson was 25 when he enlisted into the AIF in Perth on the 31^st January 1916. He was assigned to the 1^st Reinforcements to the 44^th Battalion with the regimental no.1707 and departed Fremantle aboard the HMAT Suevic on the 6^th June 1916. Charlie arrived in England on the 21^st July 1916 and began training with the 44^th Battalion on the Salisbury Plains. However in September 1916 he transferred to the 28^th Battalion in France and served with them until the 9^th November 1916 when he was evacuated suffering from trench feet. He was sent to England for treatment and after recovering, in March 1917 he was reassigned to the 70^th Battalion of the new 6^th Division. He remained with this new unit for several months but as not enough reinforcements were coming from Australia the 6^th Division was disbanded and the men returned to their units.

Charlie rejoined the 28^th battalion in Belgium on the 20^th October 1917 and served with them until May 1918 when he was evacuated ill. He soon recovered and rejoined the 28^th Battalion in late July 1918 and served with them during the August offensive from Amiens. Charlie survived the fighting and returned to Australia in 1919.

The eldest brother was James Edward Wilson and he had previous service in the Boer War when he served with the Victorian Mounted Rifles. On the 17^th August 1914 aged 33 he enlisted into the AIF in Perth and was assigned to the 3^rd Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column with the regimental no.2140. He served at Anzac in 1915 and on the 6^th March 1916 he was transferred to the 21^st Howitzer Brigade. He embarked with this group to France but after a short time he was transferred back to the 3^rd Field Artillery Brigade.

On the 20^th June 1916 James was attached to the 1^st Division Trench Mortars, but on the 7^th July was detached for duty with the 13^th Field Artillery Brigade which had newly arrived in the Fleurbaix sector and who provided artillery support during the Fromelles battle of 19^th July 1916. James soon returned to the 1^st Division Trench Mortars and served with them at Pozieres and Mouquet farm. On the 1^st September 1916 he was appointed Battery Quarter Master Sergeant and on the 20^th October was promoted Acting Battery Sergeant Major.

He continued to serve with the Trench Mortars through the first half of 1917, seeing action at places such as Lagnicourt and Bullecourt. His good work had come under notice and in July 1917 he was sent to England for Officer training. He successfully completed his course and was appointed a 2^nd Lieutenant. He was returned to France and spent a short time in the Artillery Base Depot. In February 1918 he was appointed to the 6^th Battery of the 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade.

James was wounded on the 11^th March 1918 in an event that would see him decorated. His official recommendation for the Military Cross reads;

“For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty at Verbrandenmoles Ridge south of Ypres on 11^th March 1918, whilst his battery was being subjected to heavy shell fire, this Officer showed splendid courage in getting his men away to safety. He was examining dugouts and attending to the wants of his men when he was badly wounded in the legs and arms. Seeing a dugout blown in close by he refused assistance until the occupants (three in number) had been dug out and personally supervised the work of the rescue party from where he lay.”

The award of the Military Cross was announced in the London Gazette in May 1918, by which time James had recovered from his wounds and had rejoined his Battery. He served with his unit until late August 1918 when he was sent to England to take part in training at the Artillery Depot. He was only on this work for a few months because James qualified for Anzac leave for those of 1914 enlistments and he departed from England in December 1918, returning to Fremantle in January 1919.