| Regimental number | 3043 |
| Place of birth | Cygnet, Tasmania |
| School | State School and Hutchins School, Hobart, Tasmania |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Occupation | Orchardist |
| Address | Cygnet, Tasmania |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23.5 |
| Height | 5' 6" |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
| Next of kin | Father, Robert Harvey, Cygnet, Tasmania |
| Previous military service | Nil |
| Enlistment date | |
| Date of enlistment from Nominal Roll | |
| Place of enlistment | Claremont, Tasmania |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 40th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/57/2 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A48 Seang Bee on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 40th Battalion |
| Fate | Killed in Action |
| Place of death or wounding | Bony, near St Quentin, France |
| Age at death | 25 |
| Age at death from cemetery records | 25 |
| Place of burial | No known grave |
| Commemoration details | Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France Villers-Bretonneux is a village about 15 km east of Amiens. The Memorial stands on the high ground ('Hill 104') behind the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, which is about 2 km north of Villers-Bretonneux on the east side of the road to Fouilloy. The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux is approached through the Military Cemetery, at the end of which is an open grass lawn which leads into a three-sided court. The two pavilions on the left and right are linked by the north and south walls to the back (east) wall, from which rises the focal point of the Memorial, a 105 foot tall tower, of fine ashlar. A staircase leads to an observation platform, 64 feet above the ground, from which further staircases lead to an observation room. This room contains a circular stone tablet with bronze pointers indicating the Somme villages whose names have become synonymous with battles of the Great War; other battle fields in France and Belgium in which Australians fought; and far beyond, Gallipoli and Canberra. On the three walls, which are faced with Portland stone, are the names of 10,885 Australians who were killed in France and who have no known grave. The 'blocking course' above them bears the names of the Australian Battle Honours. After the war an appeal in Australia raised £22,700, of which £12,500 came from Victorian school children, with the request that the majority of the funds be used to build a new school in Villers-Bretonneux. The boys' school opened in May 1927, and contains an inscription stating that the school was the gift of Victorian schoolchildren, twelve hundred of whose fathers are buried in the Villers-Bretonneux cemetery, with the names of many more recorded on the Memorial. Villers-Bretonneux is now twinned with Robinvale, Victoria, which has in its main square a memorial to the links between the two towns. |
| Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial | 132 |
| Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Parents: Robert and Eliza HARVEY, Cygnet, Tasmania |
| Other details |
War service: Western Front Embarked Adelaide, 10 February 1917; disembarked Devonport, England, 2 May 1917. Proceeded overseas to France, 30 August 1917; taken on strength, 40th Bn, in the field, 13 September 1917. Detached to 10th Brigade Signal School, 31 January 1918; rejoined Bn, 22 March 1918. On leave to United Kingdom, 8 August 1918; rejoined Bn from leave, 25 September 1918. Killed in action, 29 September 1918. Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal |
| Miscellaneous details | Second given name incorrectly entered on Embarkation Roll as Balford. |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, HARVEY John Balfour
Red Cross File 1290310G |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
