Harry Harcourt

Harry Gladwyn Harcourt
Australian and US officers conduct an orders group at Wanigela, New Guinea in October 1942. Harcourt is the officer wearing the beret
Born	13 February 1895 Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England
Died	20 December 1970(1970-12-20) (aged 75) Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Allegiance	United Kingdom Australia
Service/branch	British Army Australian Army
Years of service	1914–1927 1940–1946
Rank	Major
Commands held	2/6th Independent Company
Battles/wars	First World War Gallipoli campaign Western Front Russian Civil War North Russia Campaign Second World War New Guinea campaign Borneo campaign
Awards	Distinguished Service Order & Bar Officer of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches (3) Silver Star (United States) Order of St. Vladimir (Russia) Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russia) Légion d'honneur (France) Croix de guerre (France)

First World War

Russian Civil War

Second World War

Harry Gladwyn Harcourt, DSO & Bar, OBE, MC (13 February 1895 – 20 December 1970) was an officer in the British Army and later the Australian Army who commanded an Australian commando unit during the Second World War.

Harcourt's military career began in 1914 when he was commissioned into the British Army. During the First World War he served on the Western Front, commanding a machine gun unit. He gained promotion quickly, advancing to the rank of major by the end of the war. He also received a number of notable decorations. Later, Harcourt served during the Russian Civil War before emigrating to Australia in 1929. Following this, he worked as a public servant in Tasmania before the outbreak of the Second World War when he joined the Australian Army and subsequently went on to serve in the Australian commandos, taking part in the fighting in New Guinea and Borneo.

Following the end of the war, Harcourt retired from the military and returned to working for the Tasmanian government. He died in 1970 at the age of 75.

Harcourt was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, in Essex, England, on 13 February 1895. In 1914, he entered the British Army as a second lieutenant with a Regular commission. Initially, he served with the 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, taking part in the disastrous Gallipoli campaign before he was seconded to the Machine Gun Corps with whom he served on the Western Front in France and Belgium. With this service Harcourt was quickly promoted, first to acting captain, then acting major by the time he was 23 years old. Despite holding these acting ranks, he was not substantively promoted to lieutenant until mid-1918, although when it was announced his seniority was backdated to November 1917. At one point he held three different ranks, a substantive rank of second lieutenant, a temporary rank of lieutenant and an acting rank of major. For his service during the war, Harcourt received a Distinguished Service Order, a Military Cross, and was mentioned in despatches three times. He also received the French Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur.