Saumarez Homestead 33rd Battalion and Lieutenant Colonel Harold White Memorial Flagpole, Armidale

About

The memorial is a large timber flagpole located in the garden on the north-eastern side of Saumarez Homestead in Armidale, NSW. A bronze plaque attached to the flagpole includes the dedication and details of Lieutenant Colonel Harold Fletcher White's military service and decorations. At the top of the plaque is the emblem of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces.  Harold Fletcher White was born on 13 June 1883 at Armidale, NSW. As a married grazier of Bald Plain, Guyra he enlisted as a Major in the 33rd Battalion, D Company on 27 April 1916. His unit embarked from Sydney on board the HMAT A74 Marathon on 4 May 1916. White became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Australian Imperial Force and received a number of decorations for service including twice Mentioned in Despatches, the Distinguished Service Order, the Crox de Guerre (France) and he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. The 33rd Battalion was formed at a camp in the Armidale Showground, NSW in January 1916 under Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Morshead. Most of its recruits came from the New England region. The 33rd Battalion joined the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division and left Sydney for the United Kingdom in May 1916. The battalion served in the Western Front in Belgium and France and took part in the Allied victories against the Germans. It disbanded in May 1919 (Source: Australian War Memorial '33rd Australian Infantry Battalion'). Funding for the memorial was provided by a Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grant, awarded in 2018. Access to the memorial is by appointment/tour of Saumarez Homestead.

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