Geboortedatum: 02/12/1885

Geboorteplaats: Battersea, Surrey, Engeland, Verenigd Koninkrijk

Beroep: Dominee

Land: Engeland, Verenigd Koninkrijk

Strijdmacht: British Expeditionary Force

Rang: Chaplain 4th Class

Service nummer: 43130

Dienstneming datum: 17/10/1914

Eenheden:  —  Army Chaplains' Department attd. Drake Bn.  (Laatst gekende eenheid)

Datum van overlijden: 31/10/1917

Plaats van overlijden: Wallemolen, Passendale, België

Doodsoorzaak: Killed in action (K.I.A.)

Leeftijd: 31

British War Medal Medaille

Military Cross Medaille

Victory Medal Medaille

Chaplain 4th Class Harding Wilfrid John of the Army Chaplains' Department was administered to the Drake Battalion of the 189th Brigade of the 63th (Royal Naval) Division. He died on the 31st October 1917, while working as a stretcher-bearer during heavy fighting. He helped the stretcher-bearers in search of wounded men under heavy enemy fire and was subsequently killed by a shell just behind the line, while returning from no man’s land north of Wallemolen (Source Trench, Varlet Farm, Bray Farm, Berks Houses). For his actions he was awarded the Military Cross (London Gazette, 18 Jan. 1918) “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty; continual tending the wounded during four days’ operations and repeatedly crossing ‘No Man’s Land’under heavy fire to carry them in to the front line.”

Drake Battalion (The National Archives, Kew (TNA) WO 95/3114/1). http://www.nmarchive.com/ Gebruikte bronnen

Jerrold D., The Royal Naval Division, (Uckfield, The Naval and Military Press, 2009). Gebruikte bronnen

McCarthy Chris., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018). Gebruikte bronnen

Reay S., The Half-shilling Curate, A personal account of war and faith 1914-1918 ( Warwick, Helion & Company Limited, 2018). Verdere verwijzing

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/838428

Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=5fa979ec-38c3-49ba-a715-22a0a937b49e

Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/1551171