Bertie Greenfield

Bertie Greenfield

Internet
VC Corner Memorial wall L Reynolds photo May 2023
Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1888
Place of Birth	Worthing, Sussex, England
Death	20 Jul 1916
Place of Death	Fromelles, France
Age at Enlistment	26 Years, 10 months
Description	5' 4½" (1.63m) tall ; 142 lbs 64.41 kg ; dark complexion ; brown eyes ; dark brown hair
Occupation	Brickmaker
Religion	Methodist
Address	208 Railway parade, West Leederville, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mr Edward Greenfield
Military Information
Reg Number	1275
Date of Enlistment	19 Jul 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	32nd Battalion, D Company
Date of Embarkation	18 Nov 1915 ‒ 18 Dec 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A2 Geelong Adelaide to Port Suez
Fate	Killed in Action 20 Jul 1916 at Fromelles, France
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel) VC Corner Memorial Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour WA State War Memorial Australian War Memorial
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

A month after beginning training with the 16th Depot Company, Bertie was allocated to the newly formed 32nd Battalion which comprised 2 companies raised in Western Australia, and two in South Australia. The Western Australian companies travelled to South Australia to join the rest of the unit before travelling to Egypt.

Following a further six months of training and guarding the Suez Canal Zone, they embarked on the HMT Transylvania in Alexandria (17 Jun 1916) for Marseilles in southern France where they arrived on 23 Jun 1916.

On 19 Jul the 32nd Battalion, as part of the 8th Brigade, were on the left side of the Australian attack on the German lines at Fromelles. Bertie is one of 400 men captured by the Germans during the battle, and on 20 Jul 1916 he was officially posted as Missing.

An extensive Red Cross File held at the AWM includes the following:"Missin 20.7.16. Greenfield (D Coy) was in the attack on the Fromelles front on this date and Informant was told by Sgt (then Cpl) Bishop of D Coy. 1215, that he last saw Greenfield on the German parapet. He was groaning and seriously wounded. He was seen when retiring but it was impossible to bring him in." 1216 Sgt Bosville MG Section..

His records indicate that on 24 Nov 1916 a German List dated 4 Nov 1916 was received by the Wounded and Missing Inquiry Bureau stating "The identification marks found on the prisoners of War are inspected by the General War Bureau and shown in the list as under "Dead".

On 13 Mar 1917 his Identification Disc was received from Germany with the news that he was deceased and he was therefore declared to have been Killed in Action 20 Jul 1916.

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  VC Corner Australian Cemetery & Memorial
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Notes

1917 Feb-Mar edition of The Drill of the Foot-Hills. Listed as per on the memorial i.e. T Greenshilds. [No one by the surname Greenshilds enlisted during WW1, and there are no matches using the surname Greenshield(s). Bertie Greenfield was a brickmaker and although the address given for enlistment is West Leederville, it is very likely that he was known to either the Beenup or Cardup brickyards.]

External Links

• AIF Project