Person

Harker Davidson was born in Lambton, New South Wales, Australia sometime in 1879. At an unknown point in time he decided to move all the way to County Durham in England, the reason for this is unknown but it could be because he had family in the area. He did marry Marry Davison, and together they had four children; two boys and two girls. He was employed at Brandon Colliery were he and his family lived. He did not enlist in the army in the early stages of the war and was therefore, likely conscripted into service after May 1916 when the Military Service Act was extended to married men. He enlisted at Durham City and was assigned to the 5th Durham Light Infantry Regiment (DLI) who were shipped to France.

The military situation in 1917 for the British and French on the western front had improved; the costly battle of the Somme was over. The Germans had also had a costly defeat at Verdun which prompted the German Army Chief Paul von Hindenburg to change tactics. The new orders were to enact a defence in depth strategy which involved multiple layers of trench lines and a retreat to the fortifications of the Hindenburg line. Therefore, the British and French intended to force the Germans back further by stretching the Hindenburg line, thus compromising the entire German front and thereby forcing a retreat. The British intended to do this at Arras.

The 5 DLI had been assigned to the 150th Brigade of the 50th Northumbrian Division and it deployed to Arras as part of the British Third Army. The objectives for the 50th brigade were the German positions south of the River Scarpe which cut through Arras. On 23 April the 150th brigade advanced along the Cojuel river south of the Scarpe, attempting to capture German held high-ground positions. However, they were pinned by an artillery barrage and, then, when they reached the positions in question, were flanked and took huge loses. Harker was likely killed in this exchange.

For his service he was awarded the Victory Medal and British War Medal. He is also remembered on the Arras memorial in France.

Civil Parish: Durham

Birth date: 1879

Death date: 23-Apr-1917

Armed force/civilian: Army

Residence: Lambton, New South Wales, Australia (Birthplace)
20 Sunderland Street, Brandon Colliery (1911 Census)

Employment: Coal Miner (1911 Census)

Family: Wife: Mary Davison
Sons: John Edward Davison, Thomas Stephenson Davison
Daughters: Margret Davison, Florence Eileen Davison

Military service:

1st/5th Battalion Durham Light Infantry
Regimental Number: 200835
Private
Enlisted: Durham
Disembarked: France

Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal

Memorial(s): Arras Memorial Bay 8
DLI Book of Remembrance, Durham Cathedral
Commemorative Roll, Australian War Memorial, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory

Gender: Male

Contributed by Daniel Hyatt