Harry Doncaster ED (1906 - 1944)

Ancestors

Biography

Cowra Breakout 1944

Harry Doncaster was born on 17th July 1906 in Ballarat East, Victoria, Australia. He was the second of three sons of William Doncaster and Alice Surtees. ^[1]

Being tall and athletically built, Harry was well known in Ballarat for his sporting prowess, winning several trophies for middle-distance track events as a member of the Ballarat YMCA Harriers Club. ^[2]

He became a stonemason. ^[2]

As soon as he was old enough, Harry enlisted in the Commonwealth Military Force; serving in a part-time capacity. Working his way up through the ranks, he was eventually commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. ^[2]

Harry married English-born Jessie Lourie in 1930 in Ballarat. ^[3] They made their home at 818 Doveton Street, Ballarat, where they had a son, John (1937-). ^[2]

On 26th November 1939, just weeks after the declaration of the Second World War, Harry transferred from the Militia to the newly created Second Australian Imperial Force, his nation's all volunteer expeditionary force. ^[4] He was posted to the 2/8th Infantry Battalion, which was initially a unit of the 17th Brigade, but soon re-allocated to the 19th Brigade, 6th Division. He joined the battalion at Puckapunyal, Victoria, where training was being conducted. The battalion departed Melbourne for the Middle East on 14th April 1940. ^[5] Harry's father passed away in the June.

The 2/8th trained in British Mandated Palestine and Egypt in preparation for its first campaign, against the Italians in eastern Libya. It played only a small role at Bardia (3-5th January 1941) but suffered the heaviest casualties of any Australian unit during the battle for Tobruk (21-22nd January 1941), after having to attack a strong point constructed around a line of dug-in tanks. The 19th Brigade led the divisional advance onwards to Benghazi, which was reached on 6th February; the Italian forces surrendered the next day. In early April 1941 the 2/8th deployed to Greece with the 6th Division. Here they came up against the crack German tanks and paratroopers and were pushed south until Greece surrendered. Some 200 members of the battalion were taken straight back to Egypt, while another 400 were landed on Crete and fought the Germans valiantly but fruitlessly. It was during this latter campaign, in Greece and Crete, that the 6th Division became part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, thereby becoming the Second World War's ANZACs. The battalion was re-united in Palestine on 3rd June and in October it joined the force garrisoning Syria. It left Syria in mid January 1942, embarked for home on 12th February, and arrived at Adelaide on 28th March. In June, the 19th Brigade was deployed to defend Darwin and the 2/8th remained there for what became a boring and frustrating year. ^[5]

Harry was posted to training duties with the 19th Infantry Training Battalion, at Cowra, New South Wales. ^[4] Near the battalion was the No.12 Prisoner-of-War Camp which, by early 1944 housed Italian POWs (from the North African campaign in which Harry had served) and Japanese POWs (from various South East Asian and South West Pacific battles, including some pilots from the Darwin bombings).

Lieutenant Harry Doncaster, whose army mates used to call him 'Hack', was killed by escaped Japanese prisoners-of-war soon after dusk on 5th August 1944. ^[6] He had only arrived back to his battalion from compassionate leave that morning, after the breakout. ^[2] In the early hours of that day, some one thousand Japanese POWs took part in the greatest prison-break ever at Cowra, New South Wales (there were 1,104 Japanese POWs in B Compound, however, many did not participate in the breakout). Just on dusk, trainee soldiers from the 19th Infantry Training Battalion, most of whom were eighteen years of age, and their officers and non-commissioned officers were sent out in teams to round up escapees from the Cowra POW Camp. Due to the speediness of establishing the teams and the fact the soldiers were yet trainees, the soldiers were issued bayonets only and the officers carried no weapons. Harry's search team found a group of escapees. A couple of the trainees ran when confronted by the escapees, however, Harry stood firm (with a plam-sized rock in his hand) with the intent of talking them into surrendering. The escapees, however, swarmed Harry and attacked him with clubs and knives. The remainder of the team arrived too late to help. ^[7]

Harry Doncaster's name is located at panel 33; Supplementary panel 8 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, and on the Cenotaph in Ballarat. He is buried in the Cowra War Cemetery. ^{[8] [9][10][11]}

It is often incorrectly stated that Harry was killed in action. Cowra was not classified as a combat zone and, therefore, as were the other three Australians who died that day, he was 'killed on duty' or 'died in military service'.

AWM 044570 Sunday Telegraph Headlines reporting the mass breakout of Japanese POWs at Cowra ~Supplied: Australian War Memorial

Burial of Australian soldiers killed during breakout of Japanese prisoners at Camp 12B, Cowra POW and Internment Group Compound ~Supplied: Australian War Memorial AWM 044119.

Memoral Plaque at Cowra for Harry DONCASTER Cowra War Cemetery • Cowra, New South Wales, Australia GPS Coordinates: Lat: -33.740528 Long: 148.691444. • Plot: Plot D. Row D. Grave 12. Front Inscription This memorial was erected to honour VX 52878 Lt. H. (Harry) Doncaster E. M. A brave soldier of the 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion. He was killed near here in the line of duty on 5th August, 1944. Erected by the 2/8th Battalion Association and the Cowra Breakout Association. Land site donated by Mary Weingarth.

At the end of the war, Harry was posthumously awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945. He was also awarded the Efficiency Medal, for his twenty years service in the Militia. The medals were issued to his widow.

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #15580/1906; accessed 9 Aug 2015
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} McLachlan, Mat. The Cowra Breakout. Hachette Australia, Sydney NSW, 2022. ISBN 978-0-7336-4762-8
3. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #1678/1930; Jessie's surname listed as Laurie; accessed 18 Jan 2023
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: VX52878 (V58006) Lieutenant Harry Doncaster; accessed 18 Jan 2023
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/8th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 18 Jan 2023
6. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #16294/1944; accessed 9 Aug 2015
7. ↑ Gordon, Harry. Voyage from Shame: The Cowra Breakout and Afterwards. University of Queensland Press, Brisbane QLD, 1994; accessed 9 Aug 2015
8. ↑ Australian War Memorial roll of honour: VX52878 Lieutenant Harry Doncaster; accessed 9 Aug 2015
9. ↑
   UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947 • Accessed 9 Aug 2015

   DONCASTER, Lieut. HARRY, VX52878. A.I.F. 2/8th Bn. Australian Infantry. 5th August, 1944. Age 38. Son of William Charles and Alice Doncaster; husband of Jessie Doncaster, of Ballarat, Victoria. Plot D. Row D. Grave 12

10. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial ID 66309044; accessed 9 Aug 2015
11. ↑
    Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current • Accessed 9 Aug 2015

    Name Lieutenant Harry Doncaster • Death Date 5 Aug 1944 • Cemetery Cowra War Cemetery • Burial Place Cowra, New South Wales, Australia • Inscription: Australian Infantry • Note: VX52878 • Plot: Plot D. Row D. Grave 12. • Maintained by: IWPP Custodial Account • Originally Created by: International Wargraves • Record added: Mar 01, 2011

See also

• WikiTree: World War Two
• Gordon, Harry. Voyage from Shame: The Cowra Breakout and Afterwards. University of Queensland Press, Brisbane QLD, 1994; accessed 9 Aug 2015.
• McLachlan, Mat. The Cowra Breakout. Hachette Australia, Sydney NSW, 2022. ISBN 978-0-7336-4762-8.
• Monument Australia.
• Australian War Memorial
• RSL Virtual War Memorial Australia.
• Squire Park Breakout Memorial.
• National Australia Archives: Cowra Breakout, 1944; accessed 9 Aug 2015.