Herbert George Lewis
From Our Contribution
 | |
 Ancestry.com | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth |
not known "not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation. |
| Place of Birth | Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Death | 26 Aug 1916 |
| Place of Death | Caudry France |
| Age at Enlistment | 22 years, 7 months |
| Description |
5'6¾" (1.70m) tall ; 142 lbs 64.41 kg ; sallow complexion ; grey eyes ; dark hair |
| Occupation | Timber worker |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Newtown, Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Father , Mr Joseph Lewis |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 3862 |
| Date of Enlistment | 14 Sep 1915 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 11th Battalion, 12th Reinforcement, transferred to 51st Battalion, D Company / 13th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 22 Nov 1915 ‒ 14 Dec 1915 |
| Ship Embarked On | RMS Mongolia |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 14/16 Aug 1916 Mouquet Farm Prisoner Of War 14/16 Aug 1916 Died from Wounds 26 Aug 1916. |
| Monument |
Jarrahdale War Memorial Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat, Victoria |
| Medals |
1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
Herbert was born in Jarrahdale, Western Australia in December 1892 to Joseph and Marry Ann Lewis. He, and his brothers Reginald and Arthur, attended Jarrahdale School and played football with local teams. Herbert worked as a mill hand at the Jarrahdale Mill with his father and later moved to Muja, near Collie.
War Service
Enlisted at Jarrahdale. After 2 months basic training at Blackboy Hill camp he was allocated to the 12th reinforcement draft for the 11th Battalion, travelling with them to Egypt where on 2 Mar 1916 he was taken on strength by the 11th Battalion. However, on 3 Apr 1916 he was transferred to the 51st Battalion's D Company at Serapeum in Egypt. Later, on 23 Apr 1916 he was admitted to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Abbasia for 5 days during which time he was struck off the strength of the 51st Battalion as unfit. On 4 May 1916 he was transferred to the 3rd Training Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
At Alexandria on 7 Jun 1916 he embarked on HMT Huntspill for Marseilles where he disembarked on 14 Jun 1916. On 23 Jul 1916 as one of 130 reinforcements, he was again taken on strength by the 51st Battalion who at the time were training at Halloy, south west of Arras.
During the 51st Battalions time in the lines near Mouquet Farm, Herbert was wounded and then captured by the Germans. It was learnt later that he had died while a prisoner, and had been buried by them.
Herbert's Red Cross file contains information from the German Lazarett Section 2 IX/A.K. at Caudry that shows Herb was admitted to the Caudry Lazarett on 20 Aug 1916, and that he died 26 Aug 1916 from a fractured skull. He was buried on 28 Aug 1916. (How was he treated between the 16th and 20th Aug 1916, or did he lie on the battlefield for much of that time?)[1].
Notes
Buried in Caudry Old Cemetery, France (Row C, Grave No 5)
- ↑ "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Herbert George Lewis". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.