CORK, Howard Hamon
| Service Number: | 701 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps |
| Born: | Milton, New South Wales, Australia, 1 July 1889 |
| Home Town: | Casino, Richmond Valley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Grammar School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway porter |
| Died: | Enemy shell, Morlaucourt, France., 30 July 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 701, 4th Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Te Anau embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 701, 4th Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, SS Te Anau, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Howard Hamon CORK was born at Milton, NSW, on 1 July 1889. His parents were Charles Arthur V D Cork and Louisa A Cork. He went to school at Sydney Grammar School.
On 18 September 1914 he joined the NSWGR&T as a porter in the Lismore District of the Traffic Branch. By this time the family’s principal place of residence was at Casino, NSW, and his father was Town Clerk, but his mother was residing in O’Brien St, Bondi (possibly an arrangement to help with their children’s education). On 12 October 1915, Howard was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces.
On 30 July 1918, Howard was killed in action at Morlaucourt, France. In the Red Cross Enquiry Bureau file for him the witness statements describing the circumstances of his death agree. The most comprehensive is from Private K W Dunn (402) which states:
‘I knew Cork, his name was “Harry”, and he was a young, medium built chap. He and Private Andy Ford were asleep in a dugout on 30/7/1918, the day after a stunt [i.e. a sortie] on 29/7/1918, at Morlaucourt, when a shell came over and lobbed on the dugout, killing both these men instantly. I helped to bury them as I was a stretcher bearer and am certain they were killed instantly. We buried them near the trench where they fell and marked the graves with their names and numbers.’
Howard is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France.
Submitted 6 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Howard Hamon CORK was born at Milton, NSW, on 1st July 1889. His parents were Charles Arthur V D Cork and Louisa A Cork. He went to school at Sydney Grammar School.
On 18th September 1914 he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a porter in the Lismore District of the Traffic Branch. By this time the family’s principal place of residence was at Casino, NSW, and his father was Town Clerk. His mother was residing in O’Brien St, Bondi (possibly an arrangement to help with their children’s education). On 12th October 1915, Howard was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces.
On 6th October 1915 he enlisted in the AIF where he was known as Howard Hamoa Cork (Service Number 701) with the rank of Private. His nominated next of kin was his mother, Mrs Louisa Cork of O’Brien St, Bondi. According to the AIF Nominal Roll, Howard joined ‘B’ Company, 4th Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (Tropical Unit) on 1st November 1915. On this Roll his previous occupation is given as ‘Clerk’, although on his Attestation Paper his stated occupation is ‘Railway Employee’.
The AIF Nominal Roll also shows that Howard’s father, Captain Charles Arthur V D Cork was the Commanding Officer of ‘B’ Company, 4th Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (Tropical Unit), having joined on 20th October 1915 at the age of 52. His nominated next of kin was his wife, Mrs Louisa Cork of O’Brien St, Bondi.
The unit was sent to Rabaul for occupation duties, where Howard joined the Battalion on 20th November 1915. He returned to Australia on 2nd February 1917 and was discharged (time expired) on 12th March 1917. For this period of service, the Australian War Memorial has him listed under the name Howard Hamoa Cork.
On 26th April 1917 he re-enlisted in the AIF, this time as Howard Hammond Cork. He had the rank of Private (Service No. 5002) and he was initially posted to the 14th Reinforcements and the 30th Infantry Battalion. For his next of kin, he nominated his father, who by this time was living in Bondi Rd, Waverley (as was his mother).
He embarked in /sydney for England aboard HMAT A74 ‘Marathon’ on 10th May 1917 and arrived at Devonport, England on 20th July 1917. After periods of training with the 8th Training Battalion and the 14th Training Battalion, he left England for France on 14th November 1917 and joined the 30th Infantry Battalion on 29th November 1917. Almost immediately he started suffering recurring bouts of malaria, presumably a consequence of his service at Rabaul. This led to several periods in hospital. On 6th February 1918, he was evacuated to England where he remained until 5th July 1918.
On 30th July 1918, Howard was killed in action at Morlaucourt, France. Private K W Dunn (402) wrote:
‘I knew Cork, his name was “Harry”, and he was a young, medium built chap. He and Private Andy Ford were asleep in a dugout on 30/7/1918, the day after a stunt [i.e. a sortie] on 29/7/1918, at Morlaucourt, when a shell came over and lobbed on the dugout, killing both these men instantly. I helped to bury them as I was a stretcher bearer and am certain they were killed instantly. We buried them near the trench where they fell and marked the graves with their names and numbers.’
Howard is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France. His place of association is given as Milton, NSW. For this second period of service, the Australian War Memorial has him listed as Howard Hamon Cork.
In the ‘Particulars Required for the Nation’s Histories’ from the Australian War Memorial his occupation is given as ‘Clerk, London Bank of Australia’, which may have been his occupation before he joined the NSWGR&T. His father, and former Commanding Officer, lived until 23 June 1927 when he died aged 67. By this time, he and his wife were back in Casino. One of Howard’s (and his father’s) cousins, Aubrey Foster Cork, also worked for the NSWGR&T and also joined the AIF. Aubrey died on service at Wentworth Falls on 20th June 1919 due to pulmonary tuberculosis and pulmonary haemorrhage.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board