Colonel Henry Normand MacLaurin Clicking on Photo will return to Page K,L,M

MacLAURIN Colonel Henry Normand (Mentioned in Despatches) HQ, 1st Australian Infantry Brigade Commanding Officer of 1st Australian Infantry Brigade, Australian Imperial Force Born 31st October 1878 at Sydney, NSW [Birth certificate: 1878 03296 NSW] Educated: Blair Lodge School, Polmont, Scotland; Sydney Grammar School; Sydney University (BA) NSW Single; Barrister-at-Law, of 155 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW Next of Kin listed as: Brother; Dr. C. MacLaurin, of 155 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW. Photos of Colonel MacLaurin are known to exist in the following locations: Anzac Memorial p46. Bean Vol. 1 p520. Argus 7 May 1915 p8. Age 8 May 1915 p14. Adelaide Observer 8 May 1915 p38. Sydney Town & Country Journal 12 May 1915 p26. Sydney Mail 12 May 1915 p8* & p9**. Swifte p48

Previously served 18 years in NSW Scottish Rifles; Lieutenant 1903, attained rank of Major. Transferred in 1913 as Lieutenant colonel to, and commanded, 26th Australian Infantry Regiment.

Fourth son of: Father; Sir Henry Normand MacLaurin. Mother; Elizabeth Ann MacLaurin. Father born in Scotland; doctor and Chancellor of the University of Sydney.

**Group photo: Colonels Onslow-Thompson & MacLaurin, Majors Irvine & Macnaghten, all on horseback. Mentioned in Despatches list. (Melbourne Herald 9 Sept 1915 p1).

Shot dead on the side of the hill which bears his name by a sniper firing from Russell's Top, in rear of the Australian positions; possibly the same sniper who had killed Major Irvine ten minutes earlier: 'Major Irvine, MacLaurin's brigade-major, collected 200 stray men in Monash Valley and was about to send them to the left, when he was told that the need for them there had passed. To satisfy himself of this he climbed to Steele's Post, and stood there observing, in a position exposed to the rear to the Turkish snipers who during this day's heavy fighting had crept onto Russell's Top. Major Brown of the 3rd and half a dozen others shouted to him that he would be sniped at. "It's my business to be sniped at," he said. The next moment he was killed by a shot from behind. Irvine was shot at 3p.m. Ten minutes later MacLaurin, standing in his shirtsleeves behind the southern shoulder of the ridge which bears his name, was shot from the same point. He died without knowing of Irvine's death.' (Bean V1 p520-1) (Diagram of sniper shots also on p521).

Colonel MacLaurin was buried near where he fell. In 1919 his grave was moved into 4th Battalion Parade Ground cemetery.

Several weeks after his death, an order was issued promoting Colonel MacLaurin to the temporary rank of Brigadier General. (Bean V1 p50, 51-3, 82, 92, 95, 130-1, 296, 520, 521. Mentioned 211, 213, 318, 525, 526).

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