CARLIN, Harry
| Other Name: | Carlin, Hendry - 1891 Census Records |
|---|---|
| Service Number: | 154 |
| Enlisted: | 30 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 54th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Glasgow, Scotland., 7 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Catholic School, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation: | Locomotive cleaner |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Narrabri West & District Railway Roll of Honor, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 154 | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 154, 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 AIF WW1, Private, 154, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 154, 54th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 154 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Harry CARLIN, (Service Number 154) was born in Glasgow on 7 October 1889. He commenced work with the NSW Railways as a casual cleaner at Narrabri West Locomotive Depot on 8 January 1914, becoming a permanent employee on 5 March. He was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 28 August. At the date of his enlistment he was not married and claimed three years previous military experience in the Imperial Army.
He left Australia through Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Suffolk’ on 18 October 1914 and received further training in Egypt from where he embarked on 5 April on board HMT ‘Derfflinger’ as part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force – the Gallipoli invasion force. He landed there on, or soon after, Anzac Day. He was evacuated to Malta with illness and from there returned to Alexandria before rejoining is unit at Gallipoli in September. After the evacuation of Gallipoli, he was promoted to Lance Corporal at Tel-el-Kebir, though he soon returned to the ranks as a result of misdemeanours. He was then transferred to the 54th Battalion and proceeded to the Western Front through Alexandria and Marseilles. He regained the rank of Lance Corporal in June.
He was killed on the night of 19/20 July 1916, and cited dates vary.
Private T E Wallings (4909) reported:
‘He was killed on the morning of July 20 just before we commenced to retreat from the position we had arrived at during the charge at Fromelles. He was killed outright by a bomb in the German second line.’
Since the body was abandoned in the retreat, he has no known grave and is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
Submitted 18 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Harry CARLIN was born in Glasgow in Scotland on 7th October 1889. He commenced work with the NSW Railways as a casual cleaner at Narrabri West Locomotive Depot on 8 January 1914. He became a permanent employee on 5th March. He was granted leave from the Railways to join the Expeditionary Forces on 28th August. He was not married at that time. He claimed that he had three years of previous military experience in the Imperial Army.
He left Australia from Sydney on 18th October 1914. The HMAT ‘Suffolk’ took him to Egypt where he received further training. From Egypt he sailed on 5th April on board HMT ‘Derfflinger’. He was in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, which invaded Gallipoli. He landed there either on Anzac Day or soon after. He became ill and was evacuated to Malta. From Malta he went back to Egypt (Alexandria). He rejoine his unit at Gallipoli in September. Following the evacuation from Gallipoli, Harry was promoted to Lance Corporal at Tel-el-Kebir. He was soon retuned to the ranks as a result of some misbehaviour! He was transferred to the 54th Battalion. This took him to the Western Front via Alexandria and Marseilles. He regained the rank of Lance Corporal in June.
Sadly, he was killed on the night of 20th July 1916.
Private T E Wallings (4909) reported:
‘He was killed on the morning of July 20 just before we commenced to retreat from the position we had arrived at during the charge at Fromelles. He was killed outright by a bomb in the German second line.’
Harry's body was abandoned during the retreat. Therefore there is no known grave for him.
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