Skip to main content

Military Monday : Harold Augustine Quirk - service in the Australian Army WW1

Today’s post involves my first cousin four times removed Harold Augustine Quirk.  Harold was born in 1885 the son of Thomas Quirk and his wife Kate née Cullen (see post here for more information on this couple).  On the 23rd October 1906 at St. Patrick’s church Albury he married Elizabeth Agnes Murray (also known as Letty).  They lived at Wagra until 1914 when he sold up the family property and moved his family to Melbourne.  On the 16th October 1914 Harold enlisted in the Australian Army with the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion, Service No. 3168.

Source: Trove. All ABOUT PEOPLE. (1914, November 11). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122205040

Transcript: 
Mr. Harold Quirk, late of Wagra, who left those parts for Victoria a few months ago, is off to the war.  He is at present in camp in Sydney.  He purposes taking a run up to Gundagai in a few days’ time to bid his relatives good-bye.  Harold is a tip-top rifle shot.


Source: Trove. 
ALL ABOUT PEOPLE. (1915, January 2). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122201707

Transcript:
Lieutenant Harold Quirk, late of Wagra, who has joined the Expeditionary Force for the front, paid a visit to Gundagai last week.

As Harold was a private not a Lieutenant at this time according to his military file, I am not sure how they got this information wrong (inflation or error ?).  According to his enlistment papers he had served for five years in the local reserves until the troop was disbanded and maybe they accorded him the incorrect rank due to past local activities.

Acting Corporal Harold Augustine Quirk left Australia from Melbourne on the 29th September 1915 aboard the RMS Osterley (see photograph below from Melbourne in 1917).  He left behind in Melbourne his wife Letty and five children Harold, William, Thelma, Myra and Gordon.  The children ranged in age from about eight years down to one month old, so Elizabeth would certainly have had her hands full!

Source: Australian War Memorial Collection Josiah Barnes collection of First World War negatives and prints.  Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PB0793/


Source: Trove. OUR SOLDIER BOYS. (1916, January 13). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 4. Retrieved from OUR SOLDIER BOYS. (1916, January 13). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122194983


Transcript:
OUR SOLDIER BOYS.
The ex-Wagra boy, Harold Quirk, sends us from Egypt, a photo of a camp mate.  Sergeant F.R. Thomas, who had an encounter with Turkish shrapnel.  The photo is taken in the buff, and 35 wounds are noticeable, exclusive of those not showing on the left arm which is bandaged.


Source: Trove.  IN THE RANKS. (1916, January 24). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 3. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122198647

Transcript:
“I saw Dug. Carr and Harold Quirk the other night in Cairo.  I never dreamt of seeing Harold Quirk here, and I hardly knew him, and he hardly knew me.  Of course, I have grown a bit of a ‘mo,’ and that makes a lot of difference.

It was hardly surprising that Harold looked different to his former Darbalara neighbor Jack Crane.  January 1916 was not a good month for Harold, with him having a number of entries on his Active Service Casualty form in his personal military file (see here). First he was discharged on the 10th January 1916 from the 4th Aux hospital in Cairo after having mumps.  Then on the 14th January 1916 he was admitted to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Heliopolis. Then finally on the 28th January 1916 he embarked to Australia on board the Kanowna for discharge due to Epilepsy.

Source:  Australian War Memorial. Her Majesty's Hospital Ship Kanowna. - Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2097008


Source: Trove.  
WOUNDED MEN RETURN. (1916, March 11). The Bendigo Independent (Vic. : 1891 - 1918), p. 7. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220920948
Transcript:
Wounded Men Return.
BY S.S. KANOWNA.
MELBOURNE, Friday.
Most cheering to the men was the very cordial welcome given this morning to the soldiers who returned from the front by the hospital ship Kanowna.  There were on board the vessel 125 Victorians, 49 South Australians, and 18 Tasmanians.
Disembarkation took place at the Port Melbourne pier at 11 o’clock, and the men were conveyed in motor cars through Port and South Melbourne and the city to the Base Hospital.  The men were very cheerful, and as they were being motored along the streets many of them smoked cigarettes presented to them as they were leaving the pier by ladies of the welcoming committee.
The ladies also handed to the soldiers floral bouquets, with which they decked their tunics and hats.
The reception committee had festooned the pier gate with Australian foliages, and the flags of Britain, France, Japan and Australia waved above the greenery.  Large crowds of people lined the streets, and flags flew from many buildings.
It is expected that the next party of wounded soldiers returning to Victoria will disembark at 10a.m. On Monday.


Source: Trove.  
Home Again (1916, March 16). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 4. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122189529
Transcript: 
Home Again
An ANZAC returns.
Harold Quirk, the first Wagra boy to go to the war, arrived back unexpectedly in Gundagai on Wednesday morning.  He is on the sick list, and came over from Egypt in the hospital ship Kanowna, which arrived at Melbourne on Monday. Harold was one of 32 of his company that put in the last days at Anzac.  “Out of the 32 of us who went to the Dardanelles,” he says, “only 12 of us returned.  We were only 16 days there, but they were days full of excitement. I was nearly ‘outed’ once - a shell knocked down a sandbag parapet and I was one of those buried under it.  When I was got out, it was nearly a case of ‘Up went the donkey,’ but I pulled round and was sent to Malta to recuperate. I have since been suffering badly, and doubt if I will ever be fit to return.   
“ I saw Jack Isaac a few days before I left - he then looked well. Sherdy Gardiner is blooming - he is one of the greatest ‘characters’ that Australia has at the front. He is quite portly, and ‘as happy as Larry.’  Little Bob Isaac was killed by shrapnel - a bullet caught him in the jugular vein.
“Many extraordinary things have I seen. One day a Gundagai lad was out of the trenches, cutting boxes to boil his tea, when the Captain roared at him, ‘Come in out of that you d- fool, or the shrapnel will get you!’  The Gundagai boy shouted back, ‘D- it’ I will till you give us back our rum ration you took from us!’ The reply tickled the captain’s fancy so much that he immediately capitulated.
“We knew little of what was doing, but I don’t think that the Germans will ever try to take the Sues Canal. If they do, - well I can’t say too much, but believe me the Suez will never pass out of British hands.”

Sergeant Harold Augustine Quirk was medically discharged from the Australian Army on the 9th May 1916.  On the 11th October 1916 his War Pension Claim was approved dated from the 10th May 1916.  Harold was granted a fortnightly pension of 15/ per fortnight, his wife Elizabeth granted 7/6 per fortnight, son Harold granted 5/ per fortnight (his Mother was trustee), son William granted 3/9 per fortnight (his Mother was trustee), daughter Thelma granted 2/6 per fortnight (her Mother was trustee), daughter Myra granted 2/6 per fortnight (her Mother was trustee) and son Gordon was granted 2/6 per fortnight (his Mother was trustee).

Source: Trove. 
ALL ABOUT PEOPLE. (1916, June 5). The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural and Mining Advocate (NSW : 1898 - 1928), p. 2. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122200369
Transcript:
Trooper Harold Quirk, who, returned from the front last month; has received his discharge from the military forces, and has secured a position as ledger-keeper in the Metropolitan Board of Works, Melbourne.  Harold writes, that he is feeling fairly well, but is a little shaky and slightly deaf.

Harold and Letty divorced in 1926.  After living in many different locations Harold finally settled in Sydney and it was there that Harold died in 1956.   He was buried at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park (see here).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Kendall Children.

I started this post a while ago and was going to finally finish and post it yesterday however our four grandchildren came over and I got sidetracked.  Our grandchildren range in age now from six down to one;  they are so full of life (each of them lights up a room when they enter it) and we feel extremely blessed to have them in our lives.  After spending the afternoon researching this post, their arrival made this tragedy even more poignant for me and so I appreciated their company even more than usual and hugged them a bit tighter too!  This morning I woke up to a cold, wet and windy Wagga day and the thought of three little girls out in August weather like this, in light weight dresses with no shoes or jumpers impacted on me even more. Those poor babies! One of the girls was found still clasping her doll that she had carried with her over the whole tragic journey. When my husband and I were looking around the Wagga Wagga Monumental Cemetery some time ago we came across a very sad he

Wednesday’s Wedding: William Allardyce Martin and Violet Helen Marguerite Murray

 Today's post involves my husbands paternal Grandparents and their wedding in Singapore on the 14th April 1928.  More posts involving this couple can be found here , here , here , here , here , here  and  here . SINGAPORE WEDDINGS Mr. W.A. Martin and Miss Violet Murray. On Saturday at 8 a.m.at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, a pretty wedding was solemnised between Miss Violet Helen Murray, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Murray, of Singapore, and Mr. William Allardice Martin, of the Prison Dept., Straits Settlements, only son of Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Martin, of Glasgow. The bride, who was given away by her father, looked charming in an Early Victorian frock of satin with the train was also of satin with a lover's knot of georgette and orange blossoms, and carried a bouquet of white lilies and clematis.  The bridesmaid was Miss Molly Murray, sister of the bride, who was becomingly gowned in blue satin charmeuse with hat to match.  The duties of the best man were performed b

Trove Tuesday - The Murder of Patrick McCooey

These articles involve my 5th Great Grandmother Ann Puckeridge (nee Maund) and her son William Puckeridge (my half 4th Great grand Uncle).  Ann was born in England and married her first husband Joseph Puckeridge around 1796.  There are records of two children being baptised in St Marylebone, Middlesex,   England for this couple Sarah (1799-?) and James (1800-?).  Their lives took a turn in 1800, when Joseph was sentenced to death for stealing scotch ticking, this sentence was later remitted to transportation for Life.  In 1801 Joseph, the convict and Ann his free wife arrived in Australia on board the ship Earl Cornwallis , their English born children's fate is unknown.  They went on to have the following children in Australia: William (1802-1877), John (1804-1885), Ann Sawyer nee Puckeridge (1806-1882), Mary Ann (1809-1818), Richard (1812-1881), Joseph (1814-1857) and Henry (1817-1819).   Joseph worked as a brickmaker in Australia and died in Sydney in 1818.  In 1820 Ann married J