HARRIS, Sidney
| Service Number: | 408 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 10th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | London, England, 24 July 1891 |
| Home Town: | Paddington, Woollahra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor Mechanic, Tram Conductor |
| Died: | Died of Illness, France, 9 July 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Etaples Military Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 408, 2nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 408, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 408, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 17 Apr 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Gunner, 10th Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 17 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Gunner, 10th Field Artillery Brigade |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Sidney HARRIS, (Service Number 408B) was born on 24 July 1891 at London, England. He began working for the NSW Tramways as a conductor based in Sydney on 20 September 1913 and remained in that position, though his casual status was upgraded to permanent after a year, until he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on that same day – 20 September 1914.
Submitted 29 August 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by VWM Australia
Enlisted and served as Sydney Harris
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Sidney HARRIS (Service Number 408B) was born on 24th July 1891 at London, England. He began working for the NSW Tramways as a conductor based in Sydney on 20th September 1913 and remained in that position, though his casual status was upgraded to permanent after a year. He was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on that same day – 20th September 1914. His railway employment record card has an unusual note which states that the ‘Difference between Military and Departmental pay whilst on active service to be paid to sister-in-law, Catherine Harris, for support of his aged parents.’
At the time of his enlistment, at Randwick on 23rd August 1914, he was unmarried, giving his brother as his next of kin. He claimed to have served an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic, and to have had previous military experience with the Territorials. He was allotted to the 10th Australian Field Artillery Brigade.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Suffolk’ on 18th October 1914. After further training in Egypt he embarked from Alexandria for the Gallipoli campaign on the transport ‘Derfflinger’ on 5th April 1915. He was thus likely to have landed on Anzac Day. By the end of July he was evacuated to Lemnos (a Greek island) with debility. By the time he had recovered his strength the campaign was over and when he re-joined his unit it was back in Egypt at Tel-el-Kebir.
He embarked from Alexandria to proceed to the Western Front though Marseilles on 15th June.
By 23rd June he was admitted to hospital with Bronchitis, but this developed into pneumonia and he died at No. 26 General Hospital, Etaples, France, on 9th July 1916. He was buried at Camiers Road Cemetery, Etaples, France.
- based on the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board