Harold Corbett
Encyclopedia
Harold William Corbett (1892–1917) was a pioneer Australian rugby league
footballer and soldier who served in World War I
and died on the Western Front
.
Public School. He played for the Eastern Suburbs
and Annandale clubs of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. Corbett was in the Easts' squad during their first and second premiership years of 1911 and 1912. He was the 56th player to play first-grade for Eastern Suburbs.
His father William Francis Corbett (1857–1923) and brother Claude Corbett
were both well-known Sydney sporting journalists.
in 1915. He embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A21 Marere in August 1915 as a Sergeant
in the 19th Battalion of the 5th Brigade (New South Wales). The 19th Battalion had been raised in 1915 and was first sent to Gallipoli
where it fought against the Turks, before being withdrawn from the peninsula and being sent to France
in early 1916, where it served in the trenches along the Western Front
as part of the Australian Corps
.
In 1917, the 19th Battalion was involved in the attack on German
forces after their retreat to the Hindenburg Line
. Corbett was killed in action on 3 May 1917 being the first day of battle of Second Bullecourt. Hs has no known grave but is commemorated at the Commonwealth Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux
.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer and soldier who served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and died on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
.
Rugby
Brought up in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Corbett attended WaverleyWaverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
Public School. He played for the Eastern Suburbs
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and Annandale clubs of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. Corbett was in the Easts' squad during their first and second premiership years of 1911 and 1912. He was the 56th player to play first-grade for Eastern Suburbs.
His father William Francis Corbett (1857–1923) and brother Claude Corbett
Claude Corbett
Claude Gordon Corbett was a highly respected Australian sporting journalist who wrote, and was the sporting editor for Sydney's Sun newspaper in the early twentieth century. He also played first-grade rugby for St George, Newtown and Eastern Suburbs...
were both well-known Sydney sporting journalists.
War service
Harold also gave his occupation as "Journalist" when he enlisted in the first AIFAustralian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
in 1915. He embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A21 Marere in August 1915 as a Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 19th Battalion of the 5th Brigade (New South Wales). The 19th Battalion had been raised in 1915 and was first sent to Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
where it fought against the Turks, before being withdrawn from the peninsula and being sent to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in early 1916, where it served in the trenches along the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
as part of the Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
.
In 1917, the 19th Battalion was involved in the attack on German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
forces after their retreat to the Hindenburg Line
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
. Corbett was killed in action on 3 May 1917 being the first day of battle of Second Bullecourt. Hs has no known grave but is commemorated at the Commonwealth Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.-History - World War I:...
.