McGARVIE, Hector Archer (1896-1917)Hector Archer McGarvie was born on 20 January 1896, the son of William Keith McGarvie and Jean nee Archer. He was enrolled at Geelong College on 11 April 1911 continuing at the School to December 1911. His address at the time of enrolment was 'Greenwood' Pomborneit. Hector grew up at Greenwood and commenced his education at Pomborneit State School in September 1900.
He was only five years old, when his mother, Jean passed away. Then the following year, his father married Mary Edmonston, of Addington, north-west of Ballarat.
In 1911, Hector took himself to Geelong College where, according to family lore, he knocked on the door one April day and said;
'My father says I have to come here, so here I am!’ He completed his education there in December 1911.
.JPG)
H A McGarvie (War Service).
For the next four and a half years he worked on his family’s property, before he travelled to England at his own expense where he enlisted (No. 157966) in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA), as a Gunner. After attending an Officers’ Training School he graduated as a Second Lieutenant to serve with D Battery 52nd Brigade (RFA).
He was killed in action, aged 21, at the Third Battle of Ypres on 8 July 1917.
His name is listed on the Geelong College Great War Memorial Tablet as
McGarvie, H. A.'
Rex Perry, a 2nd Lieutenant, wrote to McGarvie’s parents:
‘You must have heard by now the news about Hector and I am writing to say how extremely sorry I am and I hope that both you and Mrs. McGarvie will accept my sincerest sympathy. I can perhaps feel for you a little as I have unfortunately lost one brother in this war. I was not with your son at the time of his death but the facts were as follows. We changed our major lines on the morning of the 8th and after doing that he went forward with Major Potter to spy out the land for a Battery position and while doing so a stray shell came over and I regret to say killed Colonel Belcher, Major Potter, and Hector, and wounding Lt Palmer. Death was instantaneous, and he was buried at Dickebusch Belgium Cemetery at 3:15 p.m. on the 9th. It has been a great blow to us and everyone in the Battery is extremely sorry especially the left section which your son looked after as he was very much liked by both officers and men. I am enclosing a list of things I am sending to you direct, the more personal articles, and the rest have been sent to Cox & Co., who will doubtless write you on the subject. This Battery has had rather a warm time of it since April 9, I being the only officer left of the original Battery. I am giving his grave my personal attention and you can rest assured Mr & Mrs McGarvie that it will be properly looked after so long as I or any of the Battery are in this part. If there is anything I can do for you please write and if it is within the bounds of possibility it will be done.'
Hector McGarvie is buried in Dickebusch New Military Cemetery Extension - Grave II.D.30.
John Hamilton related in his book, Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You
:
‘In June 1916, word had apparently come from England, via his old school Geelong College, that ex-public school boys were being sought for training as officers in the British Expeditionary Forces. So Hector paid his own fare to England, trained as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery - and was killed instantly on 8 July 1917 by a bomb blast near Ypres in Belgium. He was just 21 years old.’
Hector McGarvie’s brother, David, enlisted in the AIF at Colac, and was one of only two survivors of his troop in the charge of the 8th Light Horse at Walker’s Ridge, Gallipoli, on 8 August, 1915. Patsy Adam Smith wrote in her book, The Anzacs: 'All the officers - ten men - were killed, but Private D McGarvie and two others got as far as the parapet of the Turkish trenches. . . . Two nights later McGarvie, wounded through the ankle, reached the safety of his own lines. The other two men were not found.'
In December, 1915, after many weeks in hospital in Cairo where he narrowly avoided having his foot amputated, he returned to Melbourne, and was medically discharged.
Their older brother, Keith enlisted as Sgt K McGarvie (No. 420), John Hamilton again wrote:
‘He became an original Anzac, joining the 8th Battalion, and went ashore at the Landing on 25 April, 1915. He too was an excellent rifle shot and survived the war to become a leading dairy farmer, agriculturist and politician, representing the electorate of Warrnambool. In 1965, he was among the veterans who returned to Anzac Cove for the fiftieth anniversary (he had returned to Australia from Gallipoli on 29 July 1915).'
Sources: Based on an edited extract from 'Geelong Collegians at the Great War' compiled by James Affleck. pp70-71 (citing Commonwealth War Graves Commission; 'The Biographical Dictionary of the Western District of Victoria' (edited by Gordon Forth, individual article written by David Collyer); John Hamilton, 'Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You: The fatal charge of the Light Horse, Gallipoli, August 7th 1915'; Photo David Collyer; Pegasus August, 1919.)''