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Harry Harcourt
British and Australian Army officer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Harry Gladwyn Harcourt, DSO & Bar, OBE, MC[1][Note 1] (13 February 1895 – 20 December 1970) was an officer in the British Army and later the Australian Army who commanded an Australian commando unit during the Second World War.
Harry Gladwyn Harcourt | |
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![]() Australian and US officers conduct an orders group at Wanigela, New Guinea in October 1942. Harcourt is the officer wearing the beret | |
Born | 13 February 1895[1] Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England[2] |
Died | 20 December 1970(1970-12-20) (aged 75)[3] Hobart, Tasmania, Australia[4] |
Allegiance | United Kingdom Australia |
Service/ | British Army Australian Army |
Years of service | 1914–1927[4] 1940–1946[1][5] |
Rank | Major[1] |
Commands held | 2/6th Independent Company[6] |
Battles/wars | First World War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Order & Bar Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (3) Silver Star (United States) Order of St. Vladimir (Russia) Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russia) Légion d'honneur (France) Croix de Guerre (France)[7] |
Harcourt's military career began in 1914 when he was commissioned into the British Army. During the First World War he served on the Western Front, commanding a machine gun unit. He gained promotion quickly, advancing to the rank of major by the end of the war. He also received a number of notable decorations. Later, Harcourt served during the Russian Civil War before emigrating to Australia in 1929. Following this, he worked as a public servant in Tasmania before the outbreak of the Second World War when he joined the Australian Army and subsequently went on to serve in the Australian commandos, taking part in the fighting in New Guinea and Borneo.
Following the end of the war, Harcourt retired from the military and returned to working for the Tasmanian government. He died in 1970 at the age of 75.