Not Forgotten. 5725 Lance Corporal Arthur James HARRIS, 28 Battalion AIF, World War 1

Private Arthur James Harris, a farmer, was born in Horsham, Victoria the son of John Paul and Mary Jane Harris who, at the time of Arthur’s enlistment, were storekeepers at Minnivale. Arthur Harris was educated at the state school at Burbank’s near Coolgardie, enlisted on the 6 March 1916 in Dowerin in the 11th Battalion and embarked for England via H.M.T. Ajana on 15 July of that year, proceeding to France where he was taken on strength with the 28th Battalion on 18 November 1916.

In November 1916 he was admitted to hospital with sore feet, presumably trench foot, rejoining the battalion on 20 January 1917. Arthur Harris was promoted to lance corporal on 18 January 1917 and temporary corporal on 24 February 1917.

The 28th Battalion was raised at Blackboy Camp in Western Australia on 16 April 1915 from recruits previously earmarked for the 24th Battalion, which was instead being raised in Victoria. The battalion was on the Gallipoli Peninsula between September and December of 1915 and proceeded to France in 1916. In part as a consequence of the tremendous losses incurred during the Somme Offensive in 1916, German forces on the Western Front between Cambrai and St Quentin withdrew to a new defensive line during February and March 1917, shortly after Arthur Harris joined the 28th Battalion. This complex system of defensive fieldworks and mutually supporting fortifications was named the "Hindenburg Line. This was the last and strongest of the German army’s defence, consisting of three well-defended trench
systems established in 1917.

As the British and allied forces advanced in the wake of the German army, they were met by wellprepared rear-guard forces which were only removed after difficult fights. One of these actions took place at Lagnicourt between 26 and 27 March 1917. The British launched a major offensive around Arras, leaving their line weak in several places, including Lagnicourt.

Private Harris was killed in action on 26 March 1917 at Lagnicourt, 9 miles north east of Bapaume in France and was buried in one of a group of isolated graves west of Lagnicourt which later became Queant Road British Cemetery where Arthur Harris is commemorated as part of a special collective memorial with a headstone engraved with his details and full regimental description and “known to be buried in this cemetery”. Arthur Harris was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

He was the brother of Sergeant John William Harris, MM, who died of his wounds and was buried at Ville-sur Corb