THIS week's photo shows Bathurst's Harold McIntosh posing with his wife. He was a leader in Bathurst's civic affairs as well as an outstanding soldier who rose through the ranks to command a regiment on active service. He fought in South Africa and Egypt.
Harold McIntosh was born on June 14, 1868 at Bathurst. He was the eighth child of John Nepean McIntosh, a Bathurst solicitor, and his wife Mary Ann, née Black.
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A good student and a gifted sportsman, he attended All Saints' College, becoming school captain in 1885, and later graduated from the University of Sydney.
He served his articles with his father's firm, McIntosh and Company, before settling on the family property, Bunnamagoo, at Rockley.
IN NEWS AROUND BATHURST:
He joined a half-company of the NSW Mounted Rifles in Bathurst in 1895 as he was known to be a good horseman.
In 1897, he decided to accompany a privately funded detachment of his regiment to sail to England to compete in military tournaments and to train with British Army regiments.
The tour culminated in the military celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
He was initially promoted to sergeant, however, two years later, he joined the Mounted Rifles regiment's Special Service Squadron which had been raised to see active service in troubled South Africa.
In November 1899, the A Squadron of the NSW Mounted Rifles was ready. This first draft of good shots and daring riders boarded the transport ship Aberdeen, which reached Cape Town in South Africa on December 6.
Keen to play his part, the young Sergeant McIntosh participated in all the chief campaigns, including the relief of Kimberley, the action around Paardeberg, the entrance into Bloemfontein and capturing Pretoria. While on service, he was commissioned lieutenant.
He returned to Sydney in January 1901, only to return in April with the 2nd NSW Mounted Rifles.
He served mainly in the Transvaal, where he was promoted to captain.
Home again, he married Florence May Lee on October 5, 1904 at Bathurst's All Saints' Cathedral.
After World War One was declared, he enlisted as a captain in the Australian Imperial Force. He signed up on May 4, 1915 and was one of few with experience.
He was chosen to command B Squadron of the 12th Light Horse Regiment and was promoted to major on June 1, 1915, embarking for Egypt a couple of weeks later.
The unit had little time to get over the voyage before they were sent to Gallipoli on August 29, after which they were broken up and used to reinforce other light horse units.
He was injured in the thigh the following day, had to be evacuated and was subsequently sent to England for treatment.
By the time Captain McIntosh sailed back to Egypt to rejoin his 12th Light Horse Regiment, it was being reformed.
He was appointed second-in-command in February 1916 and, some four months later, promoted to lieutenant-colonel where the unit operated in Egypt and Sinai.
With the reorganisation of the 4th Light Horse Brigade in early 1917, the 12th Light Horse Regiment became part of the brigade.
The horsemen began preparing for the Turks on the Gaza-Beersheba front.
Lieutenant-Colonel McIntosh went on to lead his regiment in the 2nd battle of Gaza in mid-April, where it was heavily committed at Atawineh Redoubt.
Days later, he was injured by a piece of shrapnel as a pellet severed an artery in his groin.
His medics had him evacuated for treatment. On April 24, 1917, however, his wound reopened as he lay in a hospital train at El Arish and the medical orderlies found him dead the following morning.
