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Harry Duff Badmington
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1896 |
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Place of birth: Manly, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Berkley Road, Manly, New South Wales, Australia |
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 3019 |
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Enlistment date: 08/08/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Holsworthy, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 20th Bn. (New South Wales) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Defy Crossing, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXXIX Row: E Grave: 22 |
Distinctions and medals 3
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1914-15 Star Medal |
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Last known residence | ||
| #2 | Place of birth | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Harry Duff Badmington was born in 1896 in Manly, New South Wales, Australia. He was the son of George and Annie Elizabeth Badmington. On August 23, 1915, he enlisted in the Australian Army and was assigned to the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion. On October 2, 1916, he arrived in France and was transferred to his new unit, the 20th Battalion.
On October 9, 1917, the 20th Battalion took part in the Battle of Poelcappelle, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 20th Battalion was tasked with capturing the line running from Hillside Farm to Daisy Wood. The 17th Battalion was to cross the 20th Battalion after the capture of this line and advance towards the line running from Haalen to Vienna Cottage. The day before the attack, it became clear that it would be a tough operation. Heavy rain had turned the battlefield into a quagmire. In several places, the trenches had flooded, and soldiers were forced to seek cover in shell craters. An officer from the Australian Machine Gun Corps who reached the lines of the 20th Battalion reported that he had lost almost all his men due to shellfire and the mud. Moreover, the machine gun could no longer be used as it was completely jammed by the mud.
Around 4 AM, the various companies began to move towards the start line. Bombardments claimed their first casualties. At 05:30, the attack began. The troops were supposed to advance under the protection of a barrage, but in some cases, the shells fell behind the advancing troops. Nevertheless, the 20th Battalion succeeded in capturing their objectives with relatively few casualties. Meanwhile, the 17th Battalion's attack began, passing through the men of the 20th Battalion, resulting in several troops from the 20th Battalion advancing alongside the 17th Battalion. The Australians managed to capture Decoy Wood and Rhine and eventually advanced towards the final objectives. However, the casualty count had already risen so high that holding these positions became impossible. Shortly after 10 AM, it was decided to withdraw to the first captured line and consolidate it. The attack on October 9 had particularly devastating effects on A Company of the 20th Battalion. Their strength on September 29 was 97 men. On the day of the attack, it had been reduced to 50. When A Company marched back to Ypres on the evening of the attack, their strength had been reduced to only 1 officer, 1 NCO, and 4 soldiers.
Harry Duff Badmington fell on October 9 just before Hillside Farm. He was reburied after the war at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XXXIX, Row E, Grave 22.
On October 9, 1917, the 20th Battalion took part in the Battle of Poelcappelle, part of the Battle of Passchendaele. The 20th Battalion was tasked with capturing the line running from Hillside Farm to Daisy Wood. The 17th Battalion was to cross the 20th Battalion after the capture of this line and advance towards the line running from Haalen to Vienna Cottage. The day before the attack, it became clear that it would be a tough operation. Heavy rain had turned the battlefield into a quagmire. In several places, the trenches had flooded, and soldiers were forced to seek cover in shell craters. An officer from the Australian Machine Gun Corps who reached the lines of the 20th Battalion reported that he had lost almost all his men due to shellfire and the mud. Moreover, the machine gun could no longer be used as it was completely jammed by the mud.
Around 4 AM, the various companies began to move towards the start line. Bombardments claimed their first casualties. At 05:30, the attack began. The troops were supposed to advance under the protection of a barrage, but in some cases, the shells fell behind the advancing troops. Nevertheless, the 20th Battalion succeeded in capturing their objectives with relatively few casualties. Meanwhile, the 17th Battalion's attack began, passing through the men of the 20th Battalion, resulting in several troops from the 20th Battalion advancing alongside the 17th Battalion. The Australians managed to capture Decoy Wood and Rhine and eventually advanced towards the final objectives. However, the casualty count had already risen so high that holding these positions became impossible. Shortly after 10 AM, it was decided to withdraw to the first captured line and consolidate it. The attack on October 9 had particularly devastating effects on A Company of the 20th Battalion. Their strength on September 29 was 97 men. On the day of the attack, it had been reduced to 50. When A Company marched back to Ypres on the evening of the attack, their strength had been reduced to only 1 officer, 1 NCO, and 4 soldiers.
Harry Duff Badmington fell on October 9 just before Hillside Farm. He was reburied after the war at Tyne Cot Cemetery, Plot XXXIX, Row E, Grave 22.
Sources 3
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20th Infantry Battalion (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/37). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, Badmington H D). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx Sources used |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM 8). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461789 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7347279 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=39c11720-1fb1-415b-a55b-dadbe9d3e16f |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=10147 |