Henry Dalziel VC

b. 18/02/1893 Irvinebank, Queensland, Australia. d. 24/07/1965 Brisbane, Australia.

Henry Dalziel (1893-1965) was born on 18th February 1893 at Ragged Camp, near Irvinebank, North Queensland, Australia. He was commonly known as “Dal” or “Harry” in the family. His father, James, originally from Victoria, married Eliza Mary “Maggie” McMillan on 14th August 1889 at Northgate, Queensland. They were living at Smith’s Creek, Queensland, when his sons, Henry and Victor discovered tin samples which led to the opening of Boulder Mine near Emuford. The mine became one of the largest in the area. Harry had ten siblings.

Harry was educated at Mount Garnet School 1902, Irvinebank and Atherton State School, all in Queensland. He worked as a fireman on the Queensland Government Railways on the line between Millaa Millaa and Malanda.

Henry Dalziel VC

Dalziel enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force on 16th January 1915 and embarked with reinforcements for the 15th Battalion. Joining his unit at Gallipoli in July, he served in the battle of Sari Bair in August and was eventually evacuated with his battalion to Egypt. Sadly a bout of rheumatism saw him evacuated back to Englandm where he was treated at King George Hospital, Stamford and later in September at 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth. He was posted to Weymouth in January 1916 and returned to Egypt on 28th March.

He went to France on 14th August 1916 from 4th Training Battalion, Rollestone Camp, Wiltshire. He would rejoin the 15th Battalion on 4th September. He was appointed driver on 9th September and attended a course at the School of Farriery on 1st April 1917. He was absent without leave on 7th May until apprehended by the military police, for which he was awarded a 7 days’ detention. He reverted to private at his own request. On 16th October 1917 he was wounded by shrapnel in the arm at Polygon Wood, near Ypres. He was evacuated to England and was admitted to Colchester War Hospital, and was later treated at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Dartford. He would not return to the Western Front until 30th May 1918. He rejoined the 15th Battalion on 7th June 1918.

For valour during the battle of Hamel on 4th July Dalziel would earn the thousandth Victoria Cross awarded. When his battalion’s advance met with strong resistance from a heavily armed enemy garrison at Pear Trench, Dalziel as second member of a Lewis-gun team helped his partner to silence machine-gun fire. When fire opened up from another post he dashed forward and, with his revolver, killed or captured the crew and gun, thus allowing the advance to proceed. During this action the tip of his trigger-finger was shot away; he was ordered to the rear, but instead continued to serve his gun in the final storming of Pear Trench. Although again ordered back to the aid-post he began taking ammunition up to the front line, continuing to do so until he was shot in the head.

Dalziel’s wound was so severe that his skull was smashed and the brain exposed. Many thought he would die within the hour. Skilful treatment kept him alive albeit to moderate health. He received extensive medical treatment in England before sailing for Australia in January 1919. He arrived in Melbourne on 7th March. While travelling home by train, he received a hero’s welcome at every station from Townsville to Atherton. On 8th April 1920, at the Congregational Manse, South Brisbane, he married Ida Maude Ramsay, a nurse who had served with the 17th Australian General Hospital. They took up a soldier-settlement block, which they named Zenith, on the Tolga railway line. As Dalziel was unable to cope with the day-to-day duties of a small mixed farm his wife assumed most of the work-load. Sadly the marriage had failed by 1933 and they had separated. There were no children.

His interest in farming waned after a few years and Dalziel left her to run Zenith and moved south. He worked in a Sydney factory in the late 1920s but by 1933 had settled in Brisbane where he was out of work for some time; he later received a war pension. In the early 1930s he joined the Citizen Military Forces, becoming a sergeant in the 9th/15th Battalion. He developed an interest in song-writing, cultivated at first during long periods of hospitalization; some of his songs, such as A Song of the Tableland and Love Time, Merry Love Time, were published in England. In 1935, Harry entered into a de facto relationship with Elsie “Dallo” Kanowski and they had three children together in 1942, 1944 and 1946. On 14th June 1940 he re-enlisted in the Australian Military Forces in Brisbane and was appointed pioneer sergeant. He was posted to Caloundra Infantry Training Depot to assist in training recruits. He served until he was discharged in 1943.

In 1956 he went to London for the V.C. centenary celebrations at Hyde Park. Dalziel died of a stroke on 24th July 1965 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Greenslopes, Brisbane, and was cremated with military honours at Mount Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane, following a served at St John’s Anglican Cathedral. His ashes were buried in the Garden of Remembrance, and there is a memorial plaque.

Dalziel’s medal group containing the VC, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19, War Medal 1939-45, Australian Service Medal 1939-45, King George VI Coronation Medal 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953 were sold at Noble Numismatics in Sydney in November 2010 for AUS$525,000 (£326,665) and were purchased by Kerry Stokes AC, who donated them to the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA.

BURIAL PLACE: MOUNT THOMPSON CREMATORIUM, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA. GROUND NICHE 1, PLOT M, ROW C.