Born on the 23rd of September 1913 at Gloucester, NSW, Horatio was the eldest of four children to Horatio and Alice.
Marrying Olive Jeanne Wickham in 1939 and working as a carpenter, the family lived in Tyrell Street Gloucester, however after Horatio’s enlistment, Olive relocated to Watson Street, New Lambton.
The 2/20th Battalion was formed on the 15th of July 1940 at Wallgrove, Sydney and was attached to the 22nd Brigade, 8th Division. The battalion was organised into a headquarters and four rifle companies, designated A to D. The battalion’s recruits were mainly drawn from Sydney, Newcastle and the New South Wales north coast.
Enlisting at Newcastle with the 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion on the 28th of June 1940, he was immediately marched in to 4 RRB. On 29th of July was taken on strength with the 2nd/20th Battalion at Wallgrove as the battalion was concentrating and commencing training. The battalion moved to Ingleburn in August, where rudimentary basic training was completed and on the 17th of September, Horatio was appointed Special Group 11. In November, after marching through the streets of Sydney, the battalion embarked for Bathurst by train. Horatio was granted Pre-Embarkation Leave from 19th to the 28th of December while at Bathurst.
Embarking from Darling Harbour on the 2nd of February 1941 aboard the ocean liner ‘Queen Mary’, the battalion arrived at the naval dock in Singapore on the 18th of February. While on board Horatio was admitted 10th Australian General Isolation Hospital on the 9th to have a wart removed from his right hand. He was discharged on the 11th.
Upon arrival, the 2/20th were moved by train to Bagan Pinang and from there marched to Port Dickson, in south-west Malaya where it conducted further training. From the 6th to the 12th of April, Horatio was detached to the 2nd/18th Battalion, who had arrived at Seremban in March. On the 27th of April he was admitted to Camp Reception Station (CRS) Seremban with the mumps and discharged on the 16th of May to rejoin his unit. Horatio was awarded special leave to Singapore between the 9th and the 15th of July before the battalion was redeployed to Mersing in early August to construct defences there.
On the 9th of November he was admitted to Advanced Air Station (AAS) messing with a bruised crutch and on the 13th of November, was transferred to 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station at Main Dressing Station (MDS) Kota Tinggi. On the 22nd of November Horatio transferred to the 13th Australian General Hospital, which had just been relocated from Singapore to Tampoi, just 6 ½ kilometres from Jahor Baru. He was treated for Dyspepsia, a stomach ailment. He was discharged to return to his unit on the 25th of November and was taken on strength on the 2nd of December.
Following the Japanese landings on 8th of December 1941, the battalion was subsequently involved in fighting as part of the Malayan campaign. The first strikes of the Japanese attack fell on British and Indian troops in the north of the country, and initially the Australian units, which were based in primarily in the south around Johore, did not see much fighting. On the 7th of January 1942, ‘C’ Company was detached to form part of a special unit to delay the Japanese advance at Endau on the north coast. They clashed with the Japanese on a number of occasions before withdrawing to the battalion main defensive position at Mersing on the 26th of January. Meanwhile, the remainder of the battalion at Mersing also clashed with the Japanese on a number of occasions and was heavily bombed. After being rejoined by ‘C’ Company, the 2nd/20th Battalion withdrew to Singapore Island on 31st of January, where it took up positions on the northern flank of the brigade sector.
Situated on the north-west coast of the island, the 22nd Brigade was allocated a frontage of 8 miles (13 km) – considerably larger than normal – along a stretch of coastline that was hard to defend due to the tidal flats and islets that punctuated the terrain. When the Japanese assaulted the island on the 8th of February 1942, the main assault fell on the 22nd Brigade’s area, with the 2nd/20th bearing the brunt of the initial attack. Stretched across a brigade-sized frontage of 7,000 yards (6,400 m), which ran north along the coast from the Serimbun River to the Kranji River, and which included the Namazie Estate, an airfield and the main supply route that ran along the sealed Lim Chu Kang Road, the 2nd/20th Battalion’s lines, held by a total of about 750 men, were eventually infiltrated by the assaulting Japanese. After initially inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese the battalion, threatened with encirclement, was forced to withdraw to a new position along Lim Chu Road.
Although still intact, it was apparent that this position would shortly be overwhelmed and the battalion was again ordered to move south, during which it became scattered. The initial Japanese assault cost the battalion heavily. Casualties on the first night amounted to 334 killed and 214 wounded, including the commanding officer, second-in-command and three of the four company commanders.
Separated, the individual elements of the battalion continued to conduct a fighting withdrawal but were subsequently captured on the outskirts of Singapore city on the night of 15th of February 1942, along with the bulk of the British Commonwealth forces on the island after the garrison commander ordered a surrender. A report on the of 13th of April 1942 stating that Horatio was missing on the 16th of February 1942 was, later reported on the 11th of April 1946, that he was listed missing on the 10th of February in Malaya presumed dead. He was 28 years old.
