BiographyHarry Lea enlisted on 15 January 1917 and he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Anchises.
He was wounded in action at the Battle of Zonnebeke, Belgium and died of his wounds at the 2nd/3rd East Lancashire Field Ambulance Station, Belgium on 14 October 1917.
Although listed as a Private he attended a six weeks’ officers’ training course at Candahar Barracks Tidworth, England from which school he passed with a certificate, having reached the highest standard ever attained by the training battalion.
He fought at Polygon Wood, near Passchendaele, on 20th September, 1917 and escaped unscathed. He was then noted for promotion but died at the Battle of Zonnebeke
Harry Lea had lived in Beecroft Road, Cheltenham.Age21Date of Death17 October 1917Civil employmentBank ClerkEducatedSydney High SchooRelationshipsSon of Mrs Mary Caroline Lea of Beecroft Rd, Cheltenham, NSW
Studio portrait of 3419 Private Harry Noel Lea, 53rd (later 17th) Battalion of Cheltenham, NSW.
Service Information
Service number3419RankPrivateRegiment17th Battalion, Australian InfantryPlace of enlistmentSydney, NSWPlace of embarkmentSydney, NSWDate of embarkment9 OCtober 1917Place of deathPoelchapple, BelgiumBattleThird battle of Ypres (Passchendale)Memorial or CemeteryYpres Reservoir Cemetery, BelgiumMemorial/Cemetery Beecroft War MemorialKeywordsFirst World WarBeecroftWW1