Pte
Edgar Vincent Harper
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1894 |
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Place of birth: Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
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: 3052 |
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Enlistment date: 3/01/1917 |
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Enlistment place: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 40th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 13/10/1917 |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 25 O |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Edgar Vincent Harper served in the Australian Infantry 40th Battalion (probably “B” Company), part of the 10th Australian Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. Before enlisting in Tasmania on 3 January 1917, Private Harper already served with the New Zealand Forces in Gallipoli. There he was wounded and discharged from the army because of his injury. He went to Australia and enlisted again. He was send to the Western Front and having his first days of operations at the front in October 1917.
The 40th Battalion A.I.F. participated in the Battle of Broodseinde on the 4th of October 1917. On the 6th of October 1917, the Battalion stayed at Vlamerthinge. On the following day, preliminary orders were received for a further attack during the next few days. At 7.15 a.m. on the 10th of October, the Battalion left Vlamertinghe and moved through Ypres. They took bivouac among some shell holes between Dragoon- and Hussar Farms, close to the Zonnebeke-road at Potijze. On the 12th of October 1917, the Battalion participated in the Battle of Passchendaele. The final objective of this attack was the village of Passchendaele. The 3rd Australian Division attacked with, the 9th Brigade on the right, and the 10th Brigade on the left. The 10th Brigade dispositions were as follows: The 37th Bn. had to take the first objective, known as the Red Line. The 40th Bn. had to take the second objective, known as the Blue Line. The 38th Bn. had to take Passchendaele and advance to the final objective, known as the Green Line. The 39th Bn. was in reserve. The left boundary of the area allotted to the 10th Brigade was the Ravebeek stream and the right boundary was a line through the south edge of Augustus Wood to a point 300 yards south of the Passchendaele Church. At 9 p.m. the Battalion left bivouac and went to the jump-off line near the road from Belle Vue to Keerselaarhoek (Dab trench, Laambeek, Waterfields, Nieuwemolenroad). The headquarter was situated in Berlin Wood. At 3.30 a.m., the Battalion reached the assembly position near the jump-off line. Zero hour had been fixed at 5.25 a.m. About 4.30 a.m. the Germans started shelling the assembly position. The shelling continued until the very start of the attack. At zero hour, the allied barrage opened and the Battalion went forward. Simultaneously with the attack, the Brigade suffered casualties of German machine gun fire and an artillery barrage. The three Battalions (37th, 38th and 40th) pushed towards the first objective, the red line. In the first 200 yards, each company suffered several casualties. “B” Company suffered casualties due to German machine gun fire from the left, coming from Belle Vue Spur and from Augustus Wood. The Company entered Augustus wood from the right and were able to capture a pillbox and 20 prisoners. “B” Company became scattered over the battlefield during the advance up to the first objective. At 7 a.m. the first objective was reached. On the right flank the 40th Battalion was in touch with the 9th Brigade, who had advanced up to the second objective. The position of the Battalion came under heavy German machine gun- and shell fire. Under these circumstances it was decided to dig a line and remain on the Red Line. Due to a prominent tree in the new line, they suffered from heavy machine gun fire. A withdrawal 50 yards back was ordered and they dug in again. Because both left and right flank was up in the air and the possibility of being cut off from Germans coming around from the back in the Bellevue area, again a withdrawal was ordered. The withdrawal commenced at 1.45 p.m. and was spread over an hour and a half. During the withdrawal, the Battalion suffered casualties due to German shell fire. By 3.30 p.m. the withdrawal was complete. The defensive position ran from Augustus Wood to the Belle Vue – Keerselaarhoek road. In the Red Cross wounded and missing files it is mentioned that Edgar Vincent was hit by a shell during the attack on 12 October. Due to the withdrawal his body was never recovered and he was reported missing. His date of death is 13 October but he was probably killed on the 12th. The chaos and difficult terrain of operations made it almost impossible to get an overview on the troops. He is now remembered on the Menin Gate.
The 40th Battalion A.I.F. participated in the Battle of Broodseinde on the 4th of October 1917. On the 6th of October 1917, the Battalion stayed at Vlamerthinge. On the following day, preliminary orders were received for a further attack during the next few days. At 7.15 a.m. on the 10th of October, the Battalion left Vlamertinghe and moved through Ypres. They took bivouac among some shell holes between Dragoon- and Hussar Farms, close to the Zonnebeke-road at Potijze. On the 12th of October 1917, the Battalion participated in the Battle of Passchendaele. The final objective of this attack was the village of Passchendaele. The 3rd Australian Division attacked with, the 9th Brigade on the right, and the 10th Brigade on the left. The 10th Brigade dispositions were as follows: The 37th Bn. had to take the first objective, known as the Red Line. The 40th Bn. had to take the second objective, known as the Blue Line. The 38th Bn. had to take Passchendaele and advance to the final objective, known as the Green Line. The 39th Bn. was in reserve. The left boundary of the area allotted to the 10th Brigade was the Ravebeek stream and the right boundary was a line through the south edge of Augustus Wood to a point 300 yards south of the Passchendaele Church. At 9 p.m. the Battalion left bivouac and went to the jump-off line near the road from Belle Vue to Keerselaarhoek (Dab trench, Laambeek, Waterfields, Nieuwemolenroad). The headquarter was situated in Berlin Wood. At 3.30 a.m., the Battalion reached the assembly position near the jump-off line. Zero hour had been fixed at 5.25 a.m. About 4.30 a.m. the Germans started shelling the assembly position. The shelling continued until the very start of the attack. At zero hour, the allied barrage opened and the Battalion went forward. Simultaneously with the attack, the Brigade suffered casualties of German machine gun fire and an artillery barrage. The three Battalions (37th, 38th and 40th) pushed towards the first objective, the red line. In the first 200 yards, each company suffered several casualties. “B” Company suffered casualties due to German machine gun fire from the left, coming from Belle Vue Spur and from Augustus Wood. The Company entered Augustus wood from the right and were able to capture a pillbox and 20 prisoners. “B” Company became scattered over the battlefield during the advance up to the first objective. At 7 a.m. the first objective was reached. On the right flank the 40th Battalion was in touch with the 9th Brigade, who had advanced up to the second objective. The position of the Battalion came under heavy German machine gun- and shell fire. Under these circumstances it was decided to dig a line and remain on the Red Line. Due to a prominent tree in the new line, they suffered from heavy machine gun fire. A withdrawal 50 yards back was ordered and they dug in again. Because both left and right flank was up in the air and the possibility of being cut off from Germans coming around from the back in the Bellevue area, again a withdrawal was ordered. The withdrawal commenced at 1.45 p.m. and was spread over an hour and a half. During the withdrawal, the Battalion suffered casualties due to German shell fire. By 3.30 p.m. the withdrawal was complete. The defensive position ran from Augustus Wood to the Belle Vue – Keerselaarhoek road. In the Red Cross wounded and missing files it is mentioned that Edgar Vincent was hit by a shell during the attack on 12 October. Due to the withdrawal his body was never recovered and he was reported missing. His date of death is 13 October but he was probably killed on the 12th. The chaos and difficult terrain of operations made it almost impossible to get an overview on the troops. He is now remembered on the Menin Gate.
Sources 4
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40th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/57/19). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Discovering ANZACs https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/Search/General?query=harper+3052 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, HARPER E V). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
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Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1039511/document/5627181.PDF Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/924018 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=858a0592-fce7-4d81-9004-fcb1a94ba454 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7456989 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=127521 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/c45249 |