Year of birth: 1883

Place of birth: Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia

Profession: Miner

Country: Australia

Force: Australian Imperial Force

Rank: Private

Service number: 1643

Enlistment date: 10/02/1916

Enlistment place: Blackboy Hill, Western Australia, Australia

Units:  —  Australian Infantry, 51st Bn.  (Last known unit)

Date of death: 12/10/1917

Place of death: Broodseinde, Zonnebeke, Belgium

Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Age: 34

British War Medal Medal

Victory Medal Medal

Private Henry John de Voogd, son of a Dutch immigrant, served in the 51st Battalion A.I.F., part of the 13th Australian Brigade of the 4th Australian Division. On 12 October 1917 the men of the 4th Australian Division went into action south of Passchendaele to protect the right flank of the 3rd Australian Division. On the evening of the same day the 51st Battalion was sent up the line to relieve the men who had taken part in the attack. C Company got lost and came under a heavy artillery fire and this was probably how Private Henry John de Voogd lost his life. The sector which the 51st Battalion had to occupy, was near Daisy Wood and Rhine. The Battalion’s Headquarters was located in a pillbox at the coordinate 28 D. 28. b. 50.90. The Regimental Aid Post was located at Brick Yard. The front line consisted of an outpost of short trenches. The Battalion was set to work to deepen the inadequate trenches. During this task, they were exposed to German machine gun fire. The remains of Pte. de Voogd were found at following coordinate: 28. D. 23. c. 00.70, near a German Cemetery at that time. He is now remembered at Tyne Cot Cemetery. In the early years a wooden cross was placed on the grave, but his surname was incorrectly spelt as ‘De Noogd’. In a letter to the army, his father complained that: ‘My friends spent three days trying to find the grave but were not successful, no wonder for they were looking for de Voogd and of course could not find that name.’ The current gravestone bears his correct name.

51st Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/68/20). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used

Bostyn F. e.a., Passchendaele 1917, het verhaal van de doden en Tyne Cot Cemetery, (Roeselare, Roularta, 2007), pp. 282-283. Sources used

Bostyn F. e.a.,Passchendaele 1917, the story of the fallen and Tyne Cot Cemetery, (Barnsley, Pen and Sword Military, 2007) pp. 282-283. Sources used

First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, DE VOOGD H J). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used

Neville B., For King and Cobbers, 51st Battalion A.I.F. 1916-1919, (Bassendean, Advance Press, 2007), pg. 173-180. Sources used

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462548

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=c8d71775-6932-4f3b-9e4b-eeb2170d61c2

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7416801

The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=76078