ALLDAY, Henry (Harry) Robert

Harry Allday was 26 years and 2 months old when he enlisted on 25/11/1916. By profession, he was a clerk, with his next of kin his mother, Mrs. Amelia Allday of 1031 Punt Rd. East Melbourne, later of Pleasant Rd. , Geelong. His wife was then living at 1 Pleasant Rd., Newtown, but he appears not to have been living with her at the time. On 16/12/1916, he embarked for war service, travelling on HMAT Medic A7 and disembarking at Plymouth, England.

From Plymouth, he marched in to Hurdcott where he was placed with the 15th Training Battalion on 18 February, 1917, presumably for further training before being sent to France. Here, however, he was detached from the 15th Training Battalion for duty at the AIF Depot at Tidworth, probably to do clerical work. Then 0n 20 June, he was again transferred, this time to Hurdcott.

After four months at Hurdcott, on 11 October, 1917, he was transferred to the 58th Battalion and a day later, was sent to France. The 58th was at the forefront of the fighting at this time: in October at Corbie, then in April at Villers-Bretonneux and at the last great Allied offensive from Amiens in August. Finally on 28 September, they were fighting at the St. Quentin Canal. Harry Allcott, however, was ill en route to join the troops and remained in hospital at the 5th Australian Divisional Base. On 23 January, his diagnosis was changed, from scabies to VD while in the 39th General Hospital at Havre. He was out of action for 57 days.

On 30 November 1918, Harry Allday was finally taken on strength with the 57th Battalion, stationed in Belgium. It was after the armistice of 11 November, 1918, so he was presumably involved with the organisation of getting the troops away from the battlefields and restoring as much as possible the areas ravaged by war. While he was there, a letter came to the Department of Defence from a Miss E M Reeves, of 10 Myers St Geelong, asking for information about his date of return; a letter from the Department, dated 20/6/1919, is in his record, stating that they were unable to inform her of his date of return, and that this would be conveyed in due time to his next of kin.  On 1/8/1919, Harry Allday was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant, but in October 1919, he became sick with jaundice.

The next communication is from him: on 4 November, 1922, he asked to have his Victory Medal forwarded to him at 13 Elm St Richmond. Harry Allday died in 1973, aged 84.