Private Lorne Alfred O'Brien

Lorne Alfred O’Brien was born at Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 May 1894 to parents John Daniel O’Brien and Eliza Ann O’Brien (née Clarkson). O’Brien was the second of nine children and had five brothers and three sisters. O’Brien’s mother was born in New Zealand and married his father in Victoria in 1890. His parents returned to New Zealand, where three of their children were born. The family returned to Australia around 1900.

O’Brien served in the school cadets for two years, as well as spending two years in the New South Wales Lancers. His enlistment form records his occupation as clerk. However, in an interview in June 1920, O’Brien confirmed he had a flourishing tailoring business in Sydney before his enlistment.

O’Brien enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Melbourne on 4 August 1915 and was attached initially to the General Reinforcements of the Army Medical Corps. O’Brien embarked for Egypt aboard the troopship Karoola on 7 March 1916 and in April was taken on strength with the 13th Field Ambulance at Serapeum, Egypt. After a short period in hospital with influenza, O’Brien was sent to France. He arrived in Marseilles on 13 June 1916. In July 1916, O’Brien was hospitalised with diphtheria and tonsillitis. Discharged from hospital in August 1916, O’Brien was taken on strength with the 8th Field Ambulance in October 1916. He was also attached at times to the 8th Field Company Engineers during the period to December 1917.

During the night of 26–27 October 1917 at Ypres, Belgium , a heavy artillery shell struck his billet, killing 8 men and wounding 16 others. Although dazed by the explosion, O’Brien assisted in extracting the dead and wounded men from the wreckage and attending to the wounded. He later collapsed from exhaustion and the effects of the explosions, as well as bombing by enemy aircraft. For this action O’Brien was recommended for, but not awarded, the Military Medal.

In December 1917 O’Brien was attached to the 5th Australian Divisional Concert Party, known as “The Kangaroos”, and he performed with this concert party until February 1919. During this period O’Brien performed in a concert somewhere in France on 23 August 1918, singing “Oh! For the sight of a girl” and “All going to the seaside”. A program of a performance by this concert party on 13 November 1918 records O’Brien as the Wardrobe Master. O’Brien received approval for paid leave in England, from February to May 1919, to attend the Thornton Institute in London to take a course in tailor’s cutting. This leave was later extended to July 1919 after O’Brien was hospitalised for a month in March–April 1919 with boils caused by furunculosis.

In July 1919, O’Brien was transferred back to the 8th Field Ambulance and on 28 August 1919 embarked for Australia aboard the troopship Anchises. O’Brien disembarked at Melbourne on 8 October 1919 and was discharged on 30 November 1919.

Following his discharge, O’Brien joined the musical comedy company “The All Diggers Company” with six other returned servicemen. This company performed a three-act musical comedy Mademoiselle Mimi across Australia during 1920 and 1921. From about April 1921 the company was restructured with five members performing revusicals, light entertainment combining elements of the revue and musical theatre, in New Zealand and later in Australia until March 1922. O’Brien also performed for the Fullers’ New Revue Company in 1922.

After his period with the musical comedy company, O’Brien returned to his former trade of tailor and was a director and shareholder in a company formed in 1928, O’Brien and Earle Pty Ltd, Collins Street, Melbourne which traded as master tailors.

O’Brien married Elizabeth Kathleen Sisson at Heidelberg, Victoria in 1925 and the couple had daughters Lorna Marguerite in 1928 and Denise Jeanne in February 1929.

Lorne Alfred O’Brien died at South Yarra, Victoria, on 1 April 1959 at the age of 64. Elizabeth Kathleen O’Brien died at Kew, Victoria in March 1966 at the age of 65.