Pictured here during a regimental sports day somewhere at the Étaples Military Camp in the Pas De Calais sometime in 1918 Gunner Harry Wilson of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force stands for Henry Sanders for a portrait.
Wilson was a known national champion, having achieved significant success in athletics, winning multiple national titles between 1915 and 1923, including championships in the 100 yards, 220 yards, and hurdles events. During the First World War, he worked on munitions in England before enlisting with the New Zealand Field Artillery, and later serving in the Pay Corps in London. After the war his athletics career continued to flourish as he partook in the 1919 Inter-Allied Championships, placing third in the 120m hurdle.
After the war, he competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, finishing fourth in the 110-metre hurdles, that year he also married Sybil Hippsley and settled temporarily in Buckinghamshire. His athletic career was impacted by a leg injury at the 1924 Australasian championship, yet he remained as New Zealand’s flag bearer for the event.
During the Second World War he served as a Second Lieutenant in the New Zealand Territorial Force; he survived the war and Harry lived a full life, passing away in 1979 at the age of 83