Henry Normand MacLaurin
Henry Normand MacLaurin | |
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First World War
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Awards | Sir Henry Normand MacLaurin (father) |
Early life
MacLaurin was born on 31 October 1878 in
Military career
MacLaurin enlisted in the
First World War
On 15 August 1914, MacLaurin joined the Australian Imperial Force as a full colonel and given command of the 1st Infantry Brigade.[1]
MacLaurin was the youngest of the three original brigade commanders of the 1st Division, and more than ten years younger than any of his four battalion commanders. For a brigade major, he was given a British regular officer, Major Irvine of the Royal Engineers.
MacLaurin's brigade was the last to come ashore at
During the afternoon of 27 April 1915, when a Turkish counterattack threatened, Major Irvine collected 200 stray men in Monash Valley and was about to send them forward when the news arrived that the need for them had passed. Irvine went up to Steele's Post, where he observed the positions. He was warned about Turkish snipers, but brushed off the warnings and was quoted as saying "It's my business to be shot at". Soon after he was fatally wounded by a sniper.
Less than ten minutes later, MacLaurin was standing on the slopes of the ridge that now bears his name. Unaware of Irvine's fate, MacLaurin was in the act of warning soldiers to keep under cover when he too was shot dead, from the same point, possibly by the same Turkish sniper.
MacLaurin was buried by his men near where he fell in a grave marked with a simple wooden cross. In 1919, his remains were moved to the
Family
His father was Normand MacLaurin. His eldest brother – listed as his next of kin and one of the executors of his will – was Dr. Charles MacLaurin (1872–1925), a lecturer in medicine at the University of Sydney and the author of Postmortem and other books.[4] His two younger brothers were H.C.H. MacLaurin and J.B. MacLaurin
See also
- List of Australian generals
References
- ^ "Henry Normand MacLaurin – Discovering Anzacs". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ Mentioned in Despatches: 'London Gazette', second Supplement, No. 29251 (5 August 1915); 'Commonwealth Gazette', No. 133 (28 October 1915).
- ^ Henry Normand MacLAURIN, The AIF Project, www.aif.adfa.edu.au
- ^ Charles MACLAURIN, The AIF Project, www.aif.adfa.edu.au
External links
- Ross Mallett, Henry Norman MacLaurin Biography in General Officers of the First AIF, www.unsw.adfa.edu.au
- Colonel Henry Normand MacLaurin, Anzac Officers who died at Gallipoli, www.anzacs.org