Tag Archives: Bathurst recruits

Frederick Graham HARVEY (MM)

Per his military service record (regimental no. 4792), Frederick Graham Harvey was born at Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.[1]  He gave his age as 19 years and 5 months, his marital status as single, and his occupation as farmer.  His description on his Certificate of Medical Examination was 5 feet 9 inches tall, weight 10 stone, with a fair complexion, grey eyes, and fair hair.  His religious denomination was Presbyterian.   He claimed that he had no previous military service.

The National Advocate reported on 22^nd October 1915 that  ‘Fred Graham Harvey’ of the ‘Cosmopolitan Hotel, Bathurst’, was one of the 16 ‘Bathurst Burrs’  recruited by the Bathurst Recruiting Association  who had ‘been enlisted and passed by the medical officer ‘ to join the Coo-ees when they reached Bathurst.[2]

The National Advocate reported that ‘a dozen men actually left Bathurst with the Coo-ees, and that ’the remainder of the Bathurst unit will follow on and catch up with the Coo-ees probably at Wallerawang and Lithgow’.[3]

His ‘Date of Joining’ per his embarkation roll was 22^nd October 1915.[4]  Per a Statutory Declaration in his service record, Frederick Graham Harvey stated he was attested at Bathurst. A letter from his mother dated 23^rd October 1915 from West Maitland, giving permission for him to enlist, is in his file.

However, there appears to be an anomaly with his enlistment papers, as his initial enlistment paperwork from Bathurst appears to be missing from his file.  The ‘Oath to the Taken by Person Being Enlisted’ section of his Attestation Paper has the initial details of ‘taken and subscribed at Bathurst’  on ‘28^th October 1915’ crossed out (the day the Coo-ees arrived in Bathurst), and changed to 13^th November 1915 at Liverpool.  He was attested at Liverpool my Lieutenant E. Shaw on 13^th November 1915 (the day after the Coo-ee March finished in Sydney), and he completed a medical examination at Liverpool on the same day.

So it appears he presented to enlist with the Coo-ees in Bathurst, but it is unclear if he marched out of Bathurst with the Coo-ees, or caught up with them along the way.

After the Coo-ee March he went into Liverpool Camp with the Coo-ees as reinforcement for the 13^th Battalion.

An entry in his service record dated 22^nd November 1915 at Liverpool stated that he had been absent from guard duty [date not recorded], and he was warned.

On his embarkation roll his address at time of enrolment was 58 Keppel Street, Bathurst, N.S.W. His next of kin is listed as his mother, Mrs S. Harvey, 23 Wolfe Street, West Maitland, N.S.W.[5]

On 8th March 1916 Private Harvey, along with many of the other Coo-ees, departed Sydney on the HMAT A15 Star of England with the 15th reinforcements for the 13th Battalion, and arrived in Egypt on  11^th April 1916.

On 16^th April 1916 Private Harvey was transferred to the 4^th Pioneer Battalion.

On 4^th June 1916 Private Harvey left Alexandria aboard the Transport Scotian, bound for France. He arrived at Marseilles on 11^th June 1916.

On 16^th April 1916 Private Harvey was transferred to the 4th Pioneer Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.

On 2^nd December 1916 the 4^th Pioneer Battalion was constructing tramways near Longueval, France when Private Harvey suffered a sprained back.[6] He was sent to the 15^th Australian Field Ambulance. On 3^rd December 1916 he was sent to a Rest Station. On 13^th December 1916 he re-joined the 4^th Pioneer Battalion, when it was still constructing tramways near Longueval, France.

He went to hospital sick on 14^th March 1917.  He re-joined the 4^th Pioneer Battalion from hospital the next day.

On 14^th October 1917 Private Harvey was awarded the Military Medal for action he performed on 26^th September 1917 when the 4^th Pioneer Battalion was engaged on the Ypres Sector in the vicinity of Westhoek, Belgium.

The citation reads:

For gallant conduct and devotion to duty in the YPRES Sector. This man assisted his Officer in carrying out a very daring daylight reconnaissance immediately following the attack on 26th September. Under very heavy hostile shell fire a location for an important Communication Trench and taped and laid out. After this was completed he returned to a rendezvous to guide the Company up to dig the Trench. He went forward reconnoitering for the safest routes possible and by his initiative, enabled the digging party to reach, and successfully completed the job. By his coolness and courage he set a fine example to all.[7]

Notification of Private Harvey’s  award was gazetted in Third Supplement No. 30431 to The London Gazette, 14^th December 1917 (page 13198), and was also published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 2^nd May 1918 (page 1036).[8]

On 24^th December 1917 Private Harvey was sent to the 4^th Australian Field Ambulance suffering Pyrexia.

He was discharged and returned to the 4^th Pioneer Battalion on 2^nd January 1918, when it was digging trenches near Guyencourt, France.[9]

On 21^st March 1918 Private Harvey was promoted to Lance Corporal.

On 6^th May 1918 Lance Corporal Harvey was sent to the 12^th Australian Field Ambulance suffering from Bronchitis. He was moved to the 61^st Casualty Clearing Station later that day.  On 7^th May 1918 he was placed aboard the 27^th Ambulance Train. On 8^th May 1918 he was admitted to the 6^th General Hospital at Rouen, France.

On 12^th May 1918 Lance Corporal Harvey was placed aboard the Hospital Ship Grantully Castle for evacuation to England. On 13^th May 1918 he was admitted to the Winchester General Military Hospital.

On 8^th June 1918 he was transferred to the 1^st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield, England.

On1^st July 1918 he was discharged and granted leave to report to the No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny, England.

On 5^th September 1918 Lance Corporal Harvey marched into the Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill, England.

On 20^th September 1918 Lance Corporal Harvey was transferred to the 1^st Training Brigade.

On 13^th January 1919 Lance Corporal Harvey marched into a concentration camp at Codford, England, awaiting his return to Australia.

On 21^st March 1919 Lance Corporal Harvey left England on the H.M.T. Kildonian Castle, bound for Australia.

He arrived in Australia on 9^th May 1919.

He was discharged Termination of Period of Enlistment on 23^rd June 1919.

[1] NAA B2455, HARVEY F G

[2] Bathurst Route Marchers. (1915, October 22). National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158147800

[3] To the Sea (1915, October 30). National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW : 1889 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved January 27, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article158152730

[4] Australian War Memorial. First World War Embarkation Roll, Frederick Graham Harvey,  4792. HMAT Star of England A15, 8 March 1916.

[5] Australian War Memorial. First World War Embarkation Roll, Frederick Graham Harvey,  4792. HMAT Star of England A15, 8 March 1916.

[6] Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War – AWM4 Subclass 14/16 – 4^th Australian Pioneer Battalion, December 1916.

[7] Australian War Memorial. Honours and Awards (Recommendation), Francis [sic] Graham Harvey, Private, 4792, 4^th Australian Pioneer Battalion, https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1586601

[8] Government Gazette Proclamations and Legislation (1918, May 2). Commonwealth of Australia Gazette (National : 1901 – 1973), p. 1036. Retrieved January 29, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232464380

[9] Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War – AWM4 Subclass 14/16 – 4^th Australian Pioneer Battalion, January 1918.