Rank: Lieutenant
Service Number: 102327
Regiment: Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. 47th (Oldham)
Awards: Military Cross
Died: 27 October 1942
Age: 29 years old.
Arthur was the only child of the Reverend Alfred Thomas Harre, A.K.C. and his wife Louisa Jane Harre. He was born on St. Dunstan's Day, the 19th May 1913 at St. Dunstan's Vicarage, Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. When the family returned to England on the 29th July 1914, his father took up the position of Rector of All Saints Church in Kenley and Hon. Chaplain to H.M.Forces until his retirement in 1939. They lived at The Vicarage, 3 Valley Road, Kenley. His mother Louisa died in the spring of 1937. His father remarried in October 1943 to Marjorie Charlotte Vivian Harris. They lived in Purley in Surrey.His father died on the 14th December 1945.
Arthur was educated in the Junior School of The King's School, Canterbury from September 1920 to March 1925 before going on to St John's School in Leatherhead until 1930. When he left school he went to work for Coutts Bank.
Arthur joined the Westminster Dragoons in 1937. They were part of a Territorial Army and on the outbreak of war in 1939 Arthur was mobilised. On the 19th November 1939 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment. In January 1940 he was appointed to the staff of General Bernard Law Montgomery as a Motor Control Liaison officer.
Taking part in operations in Belgium he was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940. From there, he escaped by swimming from the beach to a boat. On the 11th July 1940 he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the campaign. This was announced in King George VI's 1940 Birthday Honours List and printed in the London Gazette Supplement "Birthday Honours" on the 11th July 1940. Returning to England he served first as an Aide de Camp to General Montgomery and later as a Staff Captain. On the 28th January 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
Wishing to see more action he applied for and was granted permission to return to a front line tank unit. He was subsequently posted to the Middle East and in May 1942 was given command of 7 Troop, B Squadron, 47th Royal Tank Regiment.
During the Battle of El Alamein on the 27th October 1942 his Squadron were attacking an enemy position. The enemy repulsed the first attack so Arthur took personal command of a tank and resumed the attack through a minefield, re-engaging the enemy in the process. Another tank from his squadron hit an anti-tank mine and lost a track. Arthur set out to find and assist the crew. At this time the enemy's anti-tank gun hit Arthur's tank, rendering the 75mm gun useless. As the tank caught fire Arthur gave the order for the crew to abandon the tank. Everyone except Arthur managed to escape from the burning tank.
A brother Officer wrote: He was my ideal; he was a gentleman. I shall never forget him.
General Bernard Law Montgomery wrote: "
He was fighting with his troop in a big tank battle; he did magnificent work and quickly knocked out a number of enemy tanks. Then the enemy retired. Then the Squadron Commander sent out a call to follow up. Arthur went forward with his troop. he did great work, but finally received a direct hit from an anti-tank gun at close range and was killed. He was a magnificent fighter and it is leaders like him that made possible our great victory a few days later. I was very fond of him and was much upset when I heard of his death. I had only, issued orders that he was to come and serve on my staff"
Buried in El Alamein War Cemetery Arthur is also commemorated in the following places:
A Stained glass window is dedicated to him and his father at St. Dunstan's Cathedral in South Africa.
On the War Memorial at Coutts Bank.
On the War Memorial at St John's School in Leatherhead.
King's School Canterbury War Memorial Roll of Honour.
A stir was caused when the War Office sent a letter to his father requesting he repay £26.9s 6d which had been overpaid to his dead son. He was not alone in families receiving this sort of request. Arthur's story printed in the newspapers caused people to write to the Secretary of State for War expressing their disgust at the Government's actions.
(Sources: CWGC, Ancestry, Find My Past, London Gazette, King's School Canterbury, South African War Graves Project, Newspaper Archives, roll of honour website)
(Bio: Woose)
Service Number: 102327
Regiment: Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. 47th (Oldham)
Awards: Military Cross
Died: 27 October 1942
Age: 29 years old.
Arthur was the only child of the Reverend Alfred Thomas Harre, A.K.C. and his wife Louisa Jane Harre. He was born on St. Dunstan's Day, the 19th May 1913 at St. Dunstan's Vicarage, Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. When the family returned to England on the 29th July 1914, his father took up the position of Rector of All Saints Church in Kenley and Hon. Chaplain to H.M.Forces until his retirement in 1939. They lived at The Vicarage, 3 Valley Road, Kenley. His mother Louisa died in the spring of 1937. His father remarried in October 1943 to Marjorie Charlotte Vivian Harris. They lived in Purley in Surrey.His father died on the 14th December 1945.
Arthur was educated in the Junior School of The King's School, Canterbury from September 1920 to March 1925 before going on to St John's School in Leatherhead until 1930. When he left school he went to work for Coutts Bank.
Arthur joined the Westminster Dragoons in 1937. They were part of a Territorial Army and on the outbreak of war in 1939 Arthur was mobilised. On the 19th November 1939 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment. In January 1940 he was appointed to the staff of General Bernard Law Montgomery as a Motor Control Liaison officer.
Taking part in operations in Belgium he was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940. From there, he escaped by swimming from the beach to a boat. On the 11th July 1940 he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the campaign. This was announced in King George VI's 1940 Birthday Honours List and printed in the London Gazette Supplement "Birthday Honours" on the 11th July 1940. Returning to England he served first as an Aide de Camp to General Montgomery and later as a Staff Captain. On the 28th January 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
Wishing to see more action he applied for and was granted permission to return to a front line tank unit. He was subsequently posted to the Middle East and in May 1942 was given command of 7 Troop, B Squadron, 47th Royal Tank Regiment.
During the Battle of El Alamein on the 27th October 1942 his Squadron were attacking an enemy position. The enemy repulsed the first attack so Arthur took personal command of a tank and resumed the attack through a minefield, re-engaging the enemy in the process. Another tank from his squadron hit an anti-tank mine and lost a track. Arthur set out to find and assist the crew. At this time the enemy's anti-tank gun hit Arthur's tank, rendering the 75mm gun useless. As the tank caught fire Arthur gave the order for the crew to abandon the tank. Everyone except Arthur managed to escape from the burning tank.
A brother Officer wrote: He was my ideal; he was a gentleman. I shall never forget him.
General Bernard Law Montgomery wrote: "
He was fighting with his troop in a big tank battle; he did magnificent work and quickly knocked out a number of enemy tanks. Then the enemy retired. Then the Squadron Commander sent out a call to follow up. Arthur went forward with his troop. he did great work, but finally received a direct hit from an anti-tank gun at close range and was killed. He was a magnificent fighter and it is leaders like him that made possible our great victory a few days later. I was very fond of him and was much upset when I heard of his death. I had only, issued orders that he was to come and serve on my staff"
Buried in El Alamein War Cemetery Arthur is also commemorated in the following places:
A Stained glass window is dedicated to him and his father at St. Dunstan's Cathedral in South Africa.
On the War Memorial at Coutts Bank.
On the War Memorial at St John's School in Leatherhead.
King's School Canterbury War Memorial Roll of Honour.
A stir was caused when the War Office sent a letter to his father requesting he repay £26.9s 6d which had been overpaid to his dead son. He was not alone in families receiving this sort of request. Arthur's story printed in the newspapers caused people to write to the Secretary of State for War expressing their disgust at the Government's actions.
(Sources: CWGC, Ancestry, Find My Past, London Gazette, King's School Canterbury, South African War Graves Project, Newspaper Archives, roll of honour website)
(Bio: Woose)
Rank: Lieutenant
Service Number: 102327
Regiment: Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. 47th (Oldham)
Awards: Military Cross
Died: 27 October 1942
Age: 29 years old.
Arthur was the only child of the Reverend Alfred Thomas Harre, A.K.C. and his wife Louisa Jane Harre. He was born on St. Dunstan's Day, the 19th May 1913 at St. Dunstan's Vicarage, Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. When the family returned to England on the 29th July 1914, his father took up the position of Rector of All Saints Church in Kenley and Hon. Chaplain to H.M.Forces until his retirement in 1939. They lived at The Vicarage, 3 Valley Road, Kenley. His mother Louisa died in the spring of 1937. His father remarried in October 1943 to Marjorie Charlotte Vivian Harris. They lived in Purley in Surrey.His father died on the 14th December 1945.
Arthur was educated in the Junior School of The King's School, Canterbury from September 1920 to March 1925 before going on to St John's School in Leatherhead until 1930. When he left school he went to work for Coutts Bank.
Arthur joined the Westminster Dragoons in 1937. They were part of a Territorial Army and on the outbreak of war in 1939 Arthur was mobilised. On the 19th November 1939 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment. In January 1940 he was appointed to the staff of General Bernard Law Montgomery as a Motor Control Liaison officer.
Taking part in operations in Belgium he was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940. From there, he escaped by swimming from the beach to a boat. On the 11th July 1940 he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the campaign. This was announced in King George VI's 1940 Birthday Honours List and printed in the London Gazette Supplement "Birthday Honours" on the 11th July 1940. Returning to England he served first as an Aide de Camp to General Montgomery and later as a Staff Captain. On the 28th January 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
Wishing to see more action he applied for and was granted permission to return to a front line tank unit. He was subsequently posted to the Middle East and in May 1942 was given command of 7 Troop, B Squadron, 47th Royal Tank Regiment.
During the Battle of El Alamein on the 27th October 1942 his Squadron were attacking an enemy position. The enemy repulsed the first attack so Arthur took personal command of a tank and resumed the attack through a minefield, re-engaging the enemy in the process. Another tank from his squadron hit an anti-tank mine and lost a track. Arthur set out to find and assist the crew. At this time the enemy's anti-tank gun hit Arthur's tank, rendering the 75mm gun useless. As the tank caught fire Arthur gave the order for the crew to abandon the tank. Everyone except Arthur managed to escape from the burning tank.
A brother Officer wrote: He was my ideal; he was a gentleman. I shall never forget him.
General Bernard Law Montgomery wrote: "
He was fighting with his troop in a big tank battle; he did magnificent work and quickly knocked out a number of enemy tanks. Then the enemy retired. Then the Squadron Commander sent out a call to follow up. Arthur went forward with his troop. he did great work, but finally received a direct hit from an anti-tank gun at close range and was killed. He was a magnificent fighter and it is leaders like him that made possible our great victory a few days later. I was very fond of him and was much upset when I heard of his death. I had only, issued orders that he was to come and serve on my staff"
Buried in El Alamein War Cemetery Arthur is also commemorated in the following places:
A Stained glass window is dedicated to him and his father at St. Dunstan's Cathedral in South Africa.
On the War Memorial at Coutts Bank.
On the War Memorial at St John's School in Leatherhead.
King's School Canterbury War Memorial Roll of Honour.
A stir was caused when the War Office sent a letter to his father requesting he repay £26.9s 6d which had been overpaid to his dead son. He was not alone in families receiving this sort of request. Arthur's story printed in the newspapers caused people to write to the Secretary of State for War expressing their disgust at the Government's actions.
(Sources: CWGC, Ancestry, Find My Past, London Gazette, King's School Canterbury, South African War Graves Project, Newspaper Archives, roll of honour website)
(Bio: Woose)
Service Number: 102327
Regiment: Royal Tank Regiment, R.A.C. 47th (Oldham)
Awards: Military Cross
Died: 27 October 1942
Age: 29 years old.
Arthur was the only child of the Reverend Alfred Thomas Harre, A.K.C. and his wife Louisa Jane Harre. He was born on St. Dunstan's Day, the 19th May 1913 at St. Dunstan's Vicarage, Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. When the family returned to England on the 29th July 1914, his father took up the position of Rector of All Saints Church in Kenley and Hon. Chaplain to H.M.Forces until his retirement in 1939. They lived at The Vicarage, 3 Valley Road, Kenley. His mother Louisa died in the spring of 1937. His father remarried in October 1943 to Marjorie Charlotte Vivian Harris. They lived in Purley in Surrey.His father died on the 14th December 1945.
Arthur was educated in the Junior School of The King's School, Canterbury from September 1920 to March 1925 before going on to St John's School in Leatherhead until 1930. When he left school he went to work for Coutts Bank.
Arthur joined the Westminster Dragoons in 1937. They were part of a Territorial Army and on the outbreak of war in 1939 Arthur was mobilised. On the 19th November 1939 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment. In January 1940 he was appointed to the staff of General Bernard Law Montgomery as a Motor Control Liaison officer.
Taking part in operations in Belgium he was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940. From there, he escaped by swimming from the beach to a boat. On the 11th July 1940 he was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the campaign. This was announced in King George VI's 1940 Birthday Honours List and printed in the London Gazette Supplement "Birthday Honours" on the 11th July 1940. Returning to England he served first as an Aide de Camp to General Montgomery and later as a Staff Captain. On the 28th January 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
Wishing to see more action he applied for and was granted permission to return to a front line tank unit. He was subsequently posted to the Middle East and in May 1942 was given command of 7 Troop, B Squadron, 47th Royal Tank Regiment.
During the Battle of El Alamein on the 27th October 1942 his Squadron were attacking an enemy position. The enemy repulsed the first attack so Arthur took personal command of a tank and resumed the attack through a minefield, re-engaging the enemy in the process. Another tank from his squadron hit an anti-tank mine and lost a track. Arthur set out to find and assist the crew. At this time the enemy's anti-tank gun hit Arthur's tank, rendering the 75mm gun useless. As the tank caught fire Arthur gave the order for the crew to abandon the tank. Everyone except Arthur managed to escape from the burning tank.
A brother Officer wrote: He was my ideal; he was a gentleman. I shall never forget him.
General Bernard Law Montgomery wrote: "
He was fighting with his troop in a big tank battle; he did magnificent work and quickly knocked out a number of enemy tanks. Then the enemy retired. Then the Squadron Commander sent out a call to follow up. Arthur went forward with his troop. he did great work, but finally received a direct hit from an anti-tank gun at close range and was killed. He was a magnificent fighter and it is leaders like him that made possible our great victory a few days later. I was very fond of him and was much upset when I heard of his death. I had only, issued orders that he was to come and serve on my staff"
Buried in El Alamein War Cemetery Arthur is also commemorated in the following places:
A Stained glass window is dedicated to him and his father at St. Dunstan's Cathedral in South Africa.
On the War Memorial at Coutts Bank.
On the War Memorial at St John's School in Leatherhead.
King's School Canterbury War Memorial Roll of Honour.
A stir was caused when the War Office sent a letter to his father requesting he repay £26.9s 6d which had been overpaid to his dead son. He was not alone in families receiving this sort of request. Arthur's story printed in the newspapers caused people to write to the Secretary of State for War expressing their disgust at the Government's actions.
(Sources: CWGC, Ancestry, Find My Past, London Gazette, King's School Canterbury, South African War Graves Project, Newspaper Archives, roll of honour website)
(Bio: Woose)
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