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Henry John Jagoe

Information about birth

Year of birth:
1893
Place of birth:
Wandiligong, Victoria, Australia

General information

Last known residence:
Wandiligong, Victoria, Australia
Profession:
Farmer
Religion:
Methodist

Army information

Country:
Australia
Force:
Australian Imperial Force
Rank:
Private
Service number:
448
Enlistment date:
29/03/1916
Enlistment place:
WWangaratta, Victoria, Australia
Units:
 —  Australian Infantry, 37th Bn.  (Last known unit)

Information about death

Date of death:
12/10/1917
Place of death:
Berlin Wood, Passchendaele, Belgium
Cause of death:
Killed in action (K.I.A.)
Age:
24

Cemetery

Tyne Cot Cemetery
Plot: XXII
Row: B
Grave: 2

Distinctions and medals 2

Points of interest 4

#1 Place of birth
#2 Last known residence
#3 Enlistment place
#4 Place of death (approximate)

My story

Henry John Jagoe was the son of Abraham and Marion Jagoe. He was born around 1893 in Wandiligong, Victoria, where he continued to live. Before the war, he worked as a farmer. Henry enlisted in the Australian Army and was part of the 37th Battalion Australian Infantry Regiment (10th Brigade, 3rd Division).

Henry was killed in action on 12 October 1917 during the First Battle of Passchendaele, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 37th Battalion launched the attack in front of Augustus Wood with the objective of advancing to Crest Farm. The attack began at 5:25 a.m. The artillery and machine-gun fire during the advance was heavy. Pillboxes were assaulted, and German soldiers were captured. The battalion reached its objective but could not possibly consolidate. The unit therefore withdrew about 50 yards and dug in under machine-gun fire.

The shelling on the battalion headquarters, which was located at Hamburg Farm, was also heavy. The remaining officers and men in the frontline established new positions about 100 yards further back. Stretcher-bearers were busy evacuating the wounded, a difficult task: not only did the condition of the ground hamper evacuation, but constant shelling of the aid post near Dab Trench also made the provision of first aid difficult. The stretcher-bearers themselves were not safe from the shellfire.

The captured line was held, and a connection was made with the New Zealanders on the left and the 9th Australian Brigade on the right. There were no further German attempts to launch a counterattack. Casualties were high: 28 dead, 179 wounded, and 37 missing.

Henry was killed at the age of 24. According to his service record, his body was buried between Augustus Wood, north of the Ravebeek, and about 100 yards from Haalen Copse. After the war, his body was found near Berlin Wood. His remains were reburied at Tyne Cot Cemetery, where he found his final resting place.

Sources 5

37th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/54/16).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Sources used
Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), RCDIG1048887).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Sources used
First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455 JAGOE H J).
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/
Sources used
McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), 129-130.
Sources used
Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Sources used

More information 4