TUTT, Harold Silvester Cecil

Harold was a son of William and Mary Tutt who lived at Copeton NSW. At the age of nineteen, and with his parents permission to serve overseas, Harold enlisted at Bingara in January 1916. He joined the 33rd Battalion, B Company at the Armidale Camp. Whilst home on final leave he was one of four men presented with a gold fountain pen by Copeton citizens. His battalion departed Australia for England in May 1916 on HMAT A74 Marathon.

After further training he was sent to France in November. The following year Harold was appointed Lance Corporal, then promoted to Corporal. During March 1918 he was wounded and a second time in August. He was returned to England for treatment of a gunshot wound at Weymouth Military Hospital. At the beginning of 1918 he wrote to his Mother saying ‘… I went through all the big push and battle at Messines … without a scratch. Then I went in at Messines again … and it was a very rough corner, being heavily shelled day and night …’ (Inverell times 5 April 1918)

Harold returned to Australia and was medically discharged in May 1919. At Copeton he was given a ‘welcome home’ and presented with a gold inscribed medal. Harold died in 1975 and was buried at Inverell. His name is recorded on the Copeton Roll of Honor.