Harry was my Grandfather, born on 6th April 1864; to parents James Robert and Anne Maria Bond of Kilburn London England. He enlisted in the Australian military forces; in Bunbury Western Australia, on Thursday 12th April 1917, he was a family man with a cheeky smile.
Harry Bond and his wife Kate Elizabeth were living in Balingup Western Australia in 1917; three of their five children Violet aged seventeen, Lena Rose aged fifteen and Cyril Leonard aged thirteen were still living in the family home in Forrest Street Balingup. (Kilburn house) Eldest daughter Lilian Bertha was living in Perth Western Australia with her husband Arthur Fitzgerald Chapman from c1916 and she was aged twenty-three in 1917. The Eldest son Robert Vivian was aged twenty-one and convalescing in Boscombe military hospital England on 1st April 1917. He was suffering from the aftereffects of a gas attack in the front-line trenches of France, where he was serving at the time. He had been serving in the Australian military since 1914 and was not supportive of his father Harry enlisting for military service. He may have been comforted in his assumption that his father would be home looking after things; during this time of conflict.
Harry would have had compelling incentives to remain at home where he had his loving wife and three teenage children depending on his support and his being around. We must give him credit for the decision he made back then to enlist and serve his time, do his bit. Knowing of his son Robert’s close call to death and possibly knowing of other local men who had not survived gas attacks in the trenches; he surely took account, of the possibility that he may not return.
On the 12th of April 1917 in the town of Bunbury Western Australia Harry Bond of Balingup enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, unit A.S.C (May, Reinforcements)
The A.S.C (Army Service Corps) was a complicated unit of Companies that provided other units with specialised services. The enlistment paper has no birth date entered, but Harry has stated his age as being forty-four years; a clear understatement by nine years given his birth date is 6th April 1864 in London England. Harry was putting his age down from fifty-three to forty-four; to be eligible for enlistment for service in the army, and he has achieved his goal, for the time being. In his application, he has nominated his calling as a baker. He was possibly putting himself forward to an area in the army where he may not see too much action; in the catering services.
He appears on English records for the last time with his London family in the 1881 England Census; Occupation Carpenter. In pre and post-war Balingup records, his calling moves from gardener to fettler and back to carpenter over a forty-five-year period. There is no mention of Harry having baking skills in any Electoral Rolls pre or post-war Balingup.
It’s from here in Harry’s enlistment record that he begins to state truths in that his wife is Kate Elizabeth Bond and that his permanent address is the town of Balingup WA, also he has no prior military service nor had he ever been rejected for military service. Harry next indicates that he is perfectly willing to be inoculated against smallpox and enteric fever, he was not about to let a jab or two in an arm stop him from enlisting. Finally, near the bottom of the enlistment record, he allows no less than three-fifths of his army pay for the support of his wife and children.
Amongst other military records for Harry, is a Will document that simply informs us that his will has been lodged with the Secretary of the Roads Board Balingup W.A, and an indication that he has taken account of the possibility he may not return. Age enlistment requirements in 1917 would have been made clear to all men offering themselves for military service, 18 – 47 years of age. By reducing his age Harry would have been offering to give three years of service. We have men under age and men over age who are willing to do what is necessary to be enlisted into the services during WW1. In Harry Bonds's case, he may have been attracted by the prospect of three years of reliable income for his family and an opportunity to travel back to the UK and his hometown of London. Thousands of servicemen may have managed to work around the age requirement and Harry would not have been in a minority group at the time, but a group with multiple reasons for why they enlisted.
Training camp at Black Boy Hill Perth Western Australia was home for Harry and his fellow soldiers, from 1st May 1917 with periodic visits back to his family in Balingup. Military records indicate approximately a three-month time frame between training and embarkation for Sydney on 1st August 1917 to sail for the UK on 21st of September 1917 on board SS Orita Halifax, disembarking in Liverpool, UK 3rd October 1917. A very busy time for the men after signing up and training, before they are shipped off across an ocean.
Mr Harry Bond returned to camp from long leave on Monday, the 21st. He expects to sail for France on or about the 23rd inst. Trove; National Library of Australia, The Blackwood Times Bunbury WA, Balingup Notes. Fri 25th May 1917
This must have been a traumatic time for the family, knowing that their father was going off to war overaged and may well find himself on the front line in France. Baking bread or not they considered the front a dangerous place for him.
While Private Harry Bond was going through his training at Black Boy Hill or at some time after, his wife Kate was at work behind the scenes thinking up a way to scuttle her husband’s plans of a full three years of service in the army or at best preventing his movement to France.
Son Robert Vivian Bond may have received news from his mother, Kate; of his father’s successful enlistment and subsequent deployment to England and on to France and at some time he decided to intervene and have his father discharged from active service on the grounds of being over age.
From October 1917 through to December 1917 Harry's service in England seems to be going well, there are no statements in his service record to suggest he has been discovered.
On the 31st of January 1918, his service record indicates that his game is up, he has been sprung and he is to return to Australia (discharge) because of senility. The family have got their way and their father is coming home where he belongs, thankfully to Viv's intervention. On the 6th of April 1918, Harry returned to Fremantle Western Australia on board RMS Osterley, and the records state, Discharged 5th MD 24th April 1918.
Harry and Kate Bond remained living in Balingup up until August 1946 when they made the move to Bunbury, there are abundant community records at Trove Australia in the form of newspaper articles from the Balingup News giving acknowledgements of their community participation.
Harry his son Robert Vivian and other returned soldiers received a big welcome home from the Balingup town community, this is well documented in Balingup News at Trove Australia.
Copyright © Noel Bond. Researched and written by Noel Bond, No written part of this Blog may be reproduced in any form, by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.
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