Benjamin Gower Hardy
Benjamin Gower Hardy | |
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Second World War
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Awards | George Cross |
Benjamin Gower Hardy,
Early life and Second World War
Hardy was born in Marrickville, Sydney, in 1898. He enlisted in the Australian Army in September 1941 at the age of 43. He was considered too old for active service and was attached to the 7th Garrison Battalion where he was known as an expert on the Vickers machine gun. He was posted to the 22nd Garrison Battalion at Cowra on 12 February 1944.
Cowra breakout
On the night of 5 August 1944, Japanese prisoners armed with improvised knives and clubs stormed the guard posts with what a military court of inquiry termed "a suicidal disregard of life." A total of 231 prisoners were killed during the ensuing fighting and 108 wounded. All of the remaining escapees were recaptured within days. Hardy was killed in the outbreak, as was Private
References
- ^ Michael Ashcroft, George Cross Heroes, 2010
- ^ a b "Fact sheet 198 – Cowra outbreak, 1944". National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.