Ernest William Serls
From Our Contribution
 Australia's Fighting Sons of the Empire p.142 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 9 Jul 1889 |
| Place of Birth | Fremantle, Western Australia |
| Death | 4 Oct 1917 |
| Place of Death | Hill 40 near Zonnebeke, Belgium |
| Age at Enlistment | 26 years, 9 months |
| Description |
5'6½" (1.69m) tall ; 140 lbs 63.503 kg ; fresh complexion ; brown eyes ; black hair |
| Occupation | Firewood Contractor |
| Religion | Congregational |
| Address | 'Hillside', Armadale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr M. Joseph Serls |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2410 |
| Date of Enlistment | 5 Apr 1916 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 44th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement to 13th Platoon, D Company |
| Date of Embarkation | 13 Oct 1916 ‒ 12 Dec 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A39 Port Macquarie |
| Fate | Killed in Action 4 Oct 1917 on Hill 40 |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (Bedfordale panel) Bedfordale Roll of Honour Armadale Congregational Church Honour Board Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour WA State War Memorial Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
Electoral Roll entry - 1916 labourer living in Armadale.
War Service
Fit for Service ......E.W. Serls, Armadale.[1]
Entered Blackboy Hill camp on 4 May 1916 and was initially allocated to the 67th Depot Company. On 20 Jun 1916 his training had advanced sufficiently for him to be posted to the 4th reinforcement group for the 44th Battalion, and he travelled with them to England aboard HMAT A39 Port Macquarie. Following his arrival in England on 12 Dec 1916, Ernie was posted to 11th Training Battalion before then proceeding on the SS Invicta to France through Folkestone on 4 Feb 1917. Ernie joined the 44th Battalion on 6 Feb 1917 while they were in the line near Armentiès in cold and frosty weather. He obviously performed well in his new unit, as on 11 Sep 1917 he was promoted Corporal.
In the early morning of 4 Oct 1917, the 44th Battalion was involved in an attack on the German lines east of Ypres. This battle became known as the Battle of Broodseinde. Although the battalion obtained their objectives, while suffering what were described as 'reasonably light casualties', Ernie Serls was one of them. Neville Browning's book explains that "Corporal E.W. Serls and Private F.D. McCann were sent from 'D' Company to 'B' Company with a message, but were both killed enroute during the bombardment."[2]
Red Cross file [3]. statement by WEG Dods 876;
"I knew Serls, he had just been promoted Corporal. He was killed at Hill 40 by a shell, I attended his funeral there which was conducted by a padre. He was found lying dead next to Mc Cann...."
Notes
Buried in TYNE COT CEMETERY, BELGIUM - Plot XLI; Row B, Grave 20 . located 9 Kms north-east of Ieper (Ypres) town centre, on the Tynecotstraat, a road leading from the Zonnebeekseweg.
Notes
Ernie was mentioned in The Drill of the Foot-Hills 1917 Feb-Mar edition, but without any detail.
- ↑ "CALL TO ARMS". The Daily News. XXXV, (12,841). Western Australia. 5 April 1916. p. 6 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved 25 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ 'The Westralian Battalion - The Unit History of the 44th Battalion A.I.F., Neville Browning, Advance Press, 2004, page 183
- ↑ "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Ernest William Serls". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.