Military Medal group to a Sgt. Who served with 1BN and 28BN, for an action at Strazeele, who was later Killed in Action at Morlancourt.
Military Medal Geo.V impressed ‘ 1880 SJT: R.H.HART 1/AUST: INF:’
1914/15 Star Trio impressed ‘ 1880 PTE. (SJT. On Pair) R.H.HART 28BN. A.I.F.’
Richard Hugo Hart from Lobethal, South Australia, enlisted into the 28BN. at Perth, Western Australia on 11/5/15. Embarking from Australia 1/9/15 Hart eventually found his way to his Battalion in France on 9/10/16. His brother states (letter in Archive file) that he was a ‘man of no fear’ and in less than a month of active service Hart was W.I.A. with a gun shot wound in his back. This was on 5/11/16, two days after he transferred to the 1st. BN.
Hart was again W.I.A. (gassed) on 11/3/18 and after a period in England rejoined his unit in France on 5/7/18. The following month Hart was involved in an action that was to earn him the Military Medal (L.G. 13/11/18). His citation reads:
‘South of Strazeele on the morning of the 12th. July 1918 Sergeant HART was one of a party of five who left our lines with the object of endeavouring to mop up the enemy posts some 200 yards in front of our lines. All the enemy posts were captured without loss to the party, 28 prisoners and 4 machine guns being captured. Sergeant HART showed great courage and initiative throughout and rendered great assistance to his Officer in directing operations. Later, after his Platoon moved forward and occupied the position he continued to do good work and after his Officer was wounded he took command and skilfully carried out his duties.’
About a month after winning his Military Medal Hart was tragically Killed in Action at Morlancourt, France on 23/8/18. One eye witness account in his Red Cross file states:
‘......was a Sergeant in 5th. Pltoon. 1st. Battalion , B . Company. Short, Dark, had M.M. He was killed just after the hop off on the left of Preyart on 23rd. August about 4.30A.M. A Machine Gun bullet got him through the forehead. He was killed instantly, and fell back on my knee. I helped to bury him where he fell the same evening, about dusk, and we put up a rifle and disc on the grave.’
Sergeant Hart is mentioned in Bean’s Vol.VI page 419 notes. Group is court mounted for display and comes with a photo of his grave headstone, copies of his Archive and Red Cross files. ....... VF
