Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

27/05/1916

Date of Discharge

22/12/1917

Place of Enlistment

Goulburn NSW

Gender

Male

Place of Birth

Penzance, England

Address (at enlistment)

Uriarra ACT

Occupation

Labourer

Next of Kin

Elizabeth Nicholson (mother), Penzance, England

Service Number

2452

Final Rank

Private

Final Unit

56 Battalion AIF

Queanbeyan RSL Wall of Remembrance, Crawford St, Queanbeyan NSW

Harry Nicholson was born in England and was working as a mail contractor in the Uriarra district when he enlisted in May 1916. He served with the 56th Battalion in France from 1 February 1917, participating in the capture of Louverval on 2 April and receiving a shrapnel wound to the left arm at the Second Battle of Bullecourt on 18 May 1917. When being treated for his wound it was found that Nicholson had nerve damage in his right eye which caused defective night vision and he developed a stammer. It was not the result of his war experience but occurred over three years earlier when he crashed after the brakes failed while driving a coach and he was thrown from the wreck. He returned to Australia in October 1917 and was discharged on 22 December 1917.

He worked as a groom at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 1918 to 1931 and later at the Australian War Memorial. He married Vera Phillips from 'Sherwood', Uriarra on 9 September 1918 and she became the postmistress at Duntroon. Their son, James Nicholson, joined the air force in World War 2 but died when his plane was shot down over Germany. Harry Nicholson died on 1 June 1947 at the age of 55 and is buried in the ex-service's portion of Woden Cemetery. He is the brother-in-law of Harry and Bertie Phillips.

Description - height 5 feet 5 inches, weight 130 pounds, chest 32-34 inches, fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair, Church of England, no civil convictions.

Rex Cross, 'Bygone Queanbeyan', 1980
National Library of Australia : Country Women's Association of NSW (Canberra Branch) History, 1959 (manuscript call no. NLA MS 734)
Ross Howarth, 'Civilians employed at the Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon, from 1911 to 1931', RMC Duntroon, November 2000
Our Queanbeyan 'Boys' No.4, Howard & Shearsby, Yass (postcard)
Queanbeyan Age - 23 June 1914, 7 December 1917, 4 January 1918
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)
Canberra Public Cemeteries http://www.canberracemeteries.com.au/cem_gravesearch.asp
Images courtesy of Bill Chase (grandson)