Private Harry Doyle (2426)

Harry Doyle was a K’Gari man, and while most of his family originated from Fraser Island, Tasmania, Harry was born in Bluff Downs, Charters Towers, Queensland on 3rd of July, 1897 (Memorial, 2017). Harry’s family were transferred from Fraser Island to Yarrabah in the late 1890’s. It is believed that both of his parents passed away and he was left with no legal guardian. He was a simple farm hand living at Behana Siding, Gordonvale Line, Queensland before enlisting to fight in the war (Crump, 2014). He was single at the time he joined up and not in a relationship (Australian Imperial Forces, 2017). On his enlistment forms Harry listed no immediate family or guardian; he listed in his next of kin as a close friend called George Madden. Prior to his enlistment, it is believed Harry had not attended school as he had started work at a very young age (Crump, 2014).

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The records show that at the time Harry had various distinguishing features; including a tattoo on his right forearm where his initials ‘H’ and ‘D’ were inscribed. He had black hair and brown hazel eyes with a slim face. Harry would have been quite short to be accepted in the forces, as he was only 5 feet and 7 inches, and weighed around 129lbs (NAA, 2017). Harry enlisted in Cairns (NAA, 2017) on the 22rd of May 1917 and was 20 years old. He was initially a private in the army and no doubt due to his previous experience with horses as a stockman, transferred to become part of the Light Horse Brigade where he became a trooper. His enlistment was quite late into the war, just over a year before the First World War ended (Crump, 2014).

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Harry travelled on the HMAT Ulysses which sailed from Sydney on the 19th of December 1917. They initially disembarked at Suez Canal with the 11th Light Horse Regiment and the 4th Light Horse Regiment, and then made their way across land to the Moascar Camp located in Ismailia, Egypt (Springfield Digital College Collections, 2001). Harry and his regiment were taken to an isolation camp as a precaution; as all incoming soldiers from overseas were isolated as a preventative measure to avoid diseases such as measles and/or infections spreading through the camps. The men usually remained there for a maximum of two weeks. However, after only three days in the isolation camp Harry was sent to a rest camp (Light Horse, 2011; NAA, 2017).