ECCLES, Harold

Harold Eccles enlisted on 24 April, 1915. He was 23 years old, single and a salesman for Dairy Produce. he lived at 112 Hotham Street, East Melbourne, and gave as his next f kin his father, Edward Eccles, of 7 Oak Road, The Cliff, Broughton, Manchester. On 16 November, he was called up and sent for training to Seymour, where he was attached to the 7th Reinforcements of the 24th Battalion.

The 24th Battalion had been formed in May, 1915, and, after only a week in camp, had been dispatched to Egypt. Here they had military training in July, before being sent to Gallipoli, where they fought alongside the 23rd Battalion at the battle of Lone Pine. Twenty four soldiers had been detached and and sent to Salonika to be packhorse handlers. The 24th battalion were evacuated from Gallipoli in December, along with the other Anzac troops. The two groups were reunited in Egypt in early 1916 and proceeded to the Western Front in May.  Their first battles were at Pozieres and Moquet Farm in July and August 1916.

The new recruits, like Harold Eccles, were also sent to Egypt for training, leaving Melbourne on board HMAT Commonwealth A73 on 26 November, 1915. It was at Serapeum on 24 February, 1916, that the new recruits were transferred from the 24th Battalion to the 8th Battalion. The 8th Battalion had lost one-third of its men during the attempt tp capture Krithia and this may explain the transfer. On 26 March, the 8th Battalion  proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force, and on 31 March, 1916, left for France, disembarking at Marseilles. Harold Eccles had been promoted to temporary Sergeant on 28 February and on 10 May, 1916, was promoted, this time to Corporal, at the Western Front.

The 8th Battalion disembarked at Marseilles on 31 March, 1916, and marched in to the Western Front. Their first battle in the front line was at Pozieres on July, 1916, where they lost 81 men.  From here, they were sent to Ypres in Flanders, then back to the Somme in the bitter winter of 1916-17. In October, Harold Eccles had been sent to hospital in the field, but his record has no report of the nature of his illness. In spring, the Allies were engaged in pushign the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line and during this operation, Eccles was wounded, suffering a gun shot woudn to his foot on 19 April, 1917.

It was evidently quite severe and he was evacuated from Boulogne to England on board the Princess Elizabeth for treatment. He was sent for treatment to hospital at Eastbourne and then, on 25 May, 1917, on furlough to Perham Downs. Here he committed a crime - charged on 27 June, 1917, with threatening a Senior Officer. He pleaded not gilty, but was foudn to have committed the offence, reduced to ranks and given nineteen days' jail.

From Perham Downs,  via Southampton, he returned to France on 23 July and marched in to the front.  the front. By now, the 8th battalion were back in Belgium, in the Ypres salient. Harold Eccles again proved his leadership qualities and on 20 August, was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. On 12 October, the 8th fought at Passchendaele. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, with 12,000 allied casualties. Harold Eccles performed magnicently, and on 1 December, 1918, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions that day.

The extract from the London Gazette, Supplement 30512, dated 6 February, 1918, cites his conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as runner during an attack. He was the only runner left in his company and he carried the whole of the work  ... through enemy barrages regardless of danger and more than once buried by shellfire. He guided a relieving unit to their position under a heavy bombardment and showed the greatest courage and determination throughout.

Harold Eccles remained with the 8th Battalion for the duration of the war. In March-April, they part of the forces resisting the German spring Offensive. On 8 August, 1818, the 8th fought in the Allied offensive near Amiens, 'the blackest day of the German Army in this war' as General Ludendorff described it. They were still at the Front when the German surrender was announced on 11 Novemeber, 1918. 

Harold Eccles was sent back to Melbourne in 1919, but it was not possible to trace his movements after that. By 1936, he was living at 58 Spurway Street, Ermington, near Parramatta, and working as a nurseryman. He continued  ot live there and work in the same trade unti 1968, when he would jave been 76 years old. However, Trove uncovered a newspaper article from the NSW regional paper, The Cumberland Argus of 16 December, 1942, which announced that Alderman Harold Eccles had been elected Mayor of Ermington-Rydalmere, near Parramatta, and that he had won the Distinguished Conduct Medal with the AIF at Passchendaele in 1917. He had entered Council four years before.