Harold Burfield Taylor
Harold Taylor | |
---|---|
First World War
Second World War
| |
Awards | Military Cross & Bar Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration |
Other work | Analytical chemist |
Early life and scientific career
Taylor was born on 10 August 1890 in
Taylor commenced his analytic career as assistant government analyst in the New South Wales Department of Public Health in 1915. While his work involved analysis of a wide range of products, he became well known for giving evidence in criminal trials involving poisons.[1]
First World War
Taylor volunteered for the
The battalion engaged in the trench warfare that was typical of the front, and took part in the Battle of Pozières.[2] Prior to this, in June, Taylor had been promoted to lieutenant. Early the following year, he was promoted again, this time to captain.[1] At Lagnicourt, Taylor's leadership of his company was crucial in defeating a German attack during the second phase of the Battle of Arras on 15 April,[3] and he was rewarded with a Military Cross (MC).[4][5]
Taylor was recommended for a Bar to his MC on 9 October 1917.[6] This was for his actions during the Battle of Poelcappelle which was part of the Battle of Passchendaele, when he led a small force of two companies to capture German positions in Daisy Wood, near Ypres.[7] The citation for the Bar, appearing in The London Gazette in April 1918, read:
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when held up during an advance. Taking with him one officer and ten other ranks, he attacked the position and succeeded in capturing it, taking fifteen of the enemy prisoners, wounding numerous others, and putting the remainder to flight.[8]
He continued to serve with the battalion until the end of the war and upon his return to Australia, was discharged from the AIF.[1]
Interwar period
Taylor recommenced his analytical work, authoring or co-authoring a number of papers pertaining to chemical analysis of coal and lead amongst other substances. He also completed extensive work in relation to the preservation of milk and earned a Doctor of Science in 1925 from the University of Sydney.[1] By 1934, he was Deputy Government Analyst of New South Wales.[9]
Taylor also continued to be involved with the militia, having resumed his militia career in 1920. A battalion commander by 1926, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in July 1927 and continued to be appointed to command various militia battalions, including the 18th and 56th battalions.[1][9]
Second World War
Shortly after the outbreak of the
Malaya and Singapore
After a period of training in New South Wales, the brigade embarked for Malaya on 2 February 1941 with Taylor travelling in advance of the main body by flying boat.[13] He spent time gauging the current training methods in use amongst the British and Indian units already stationed in Malaya. Observing the terrain in which his soldiers may have to fight, he implemented acclimatisation and jungle warfare training for his brigade.[14]
The brigade was based at
The brigade later withdrew to Singapore Island, its three battalions taking up positions across an eight-mile front on the north western coast of the island.[18] On the night of 8 February, the Japanese launched landings on Taylor's sector, forcing his brigade into a fighting withdrawal. The Japanese advance may have been assisted by Taylor's directions to his platoon and company commanders to withdraw back to their headquarters position if they felt in danger of being overrun.[19]
By 12 February, the Japanese were well established on Singapore Island and advancing on all fronts. That day Taylor, extremely fatigued, asked Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Varley, commander of 2/18th Battalion, to take over temporary command of the brigade. The following day, Bennett promoted Varley to brigadier and made him the permanent commander of the brigade, a command which would last only a few more days before the surrender of Singapore on 15 February.[20]
Taylor spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war of the Japanese. While imprisoned at Changi, he set up and ran an educational program dubbed the Changi University for his fellow prisoners which was significantly diminished as men were transferred to other camps.[21] Sent to prisoner camps in Taiwan and then Manchuria,[1] his scientific knowledge was of benefit in ensuring his fellow prisoners maximised their nutritional intake from the limited rations provided by the Japanese.[22]
Later life
Returning to his scientific career upon his return to Australia after the Second World War, Taylor became the government analyst in March 1946. He continued to be called upon to advise in criminal cases involving poisons, including those by the multiple murderer Caroline Grills.[23] He retired from public service in 1954 although worked as a consultant for several more years. At the time of his retirement he was working on setting standards for the amount of fruit in juices and jams.[22]
Taylor died while under hospital care at Concord on 15 March 1966. He was survived by his wife, Nellie Birkenhead Starling, whom he married in 1940. The couple had no children.[1]
Publications
- Badham, Charles; Taylor, Harold Burfield (1925), Lead poisoning : concerning the standards which should be used in diagnosing this industrial disease, together with a new method for the determination of lead in urine, Sydney, NSW: Govt. Printer, retrieved 25 April 2012
- Badham, Charles; Taylor, Harold Burfield (1938), The lungs of coal, metalliferous and sandstone miners and other workers in New South Wales : chemical analysis and pathology, Sydney, NSW: Govt. Printer, retrieved 25 April 2012
- Badham, Charles; Taylor, Harold Burfield (1941), The lungs of coal miners in New South Wales : chemical analysis and pathology, Sydney, NSW: Govt. Printer, retrieved 25 April 2012
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Reid, Richard E. "Harold Burfield Taylor (1890–1966)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ a b "19th Australian Infantry Battalion". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Bean, 1941, pp. 386–387
- ^ "Recommendation for MC – Harold Burfield Taylor". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ "No. 30399". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 November 1917. p. 12322.
- ^ "Recommendation for Bar to MC – Harold Burfield Taylor". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Bean, 1941, pp. 898–899
- ^ "No. 30614". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 April 1918. p. 4238.
- ^ a b Wigmore, 1957, p. 29
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, p. 106
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, p. 32
- ^ Smith, 2005, p. 53
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, p. 60
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, p. 68
- ^ Smith, 2005, p. 402
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, p. 70
- ^ Smith, 2005, p. 456
- ^ Warren, 2002, p. 222
- ^ Smith, 2005, p. 466
- ^ Wigmore, 1957, pp. 361–362
- ^ Sim, Melanie. "Treasure Trove: The strength of the human spirit shines through Changi University". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Food For Thought in Analyst's Career". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 September 1954. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Women is charged – four murders alleged". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 July 1953. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
References
- OCLC 150466382.
- Smith, Colin (2005). Singapore Burning: Heroism and Surrender in WWII. London, United Kingdom: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-91341-1.
- Warren, Alan (2002). Singapore 1942: Britain's Greatest Defeat. Singapore: Talisman. ISBN 978-981-04-5320-6.
- OCLC 929528394.