First World War Stories by State

The following stories are of men who have served in the First World War. These stories are broken up by state with a short summary of their life and service and link to the individuals digitised profile. The PDF's contain their full stories as commemorated in the Last Post Ceremonies.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Private Charles Henry ALLEN, 10th Battalion

• Born in Booleroo Centre, went to work at the smelters in Broken Hill but six months later joined the AIF.
• He became sniper on Gallipoli. A friend praised him for doing ‘wonderful work’ at the landing.
• Shot during the Turkish attack in May. Friend wrote “he was a credit to his Empire, a credit to Australia and a credit [to his parents]”.
• Last Post Ceremony
   

Lieutenant Colonel Albert MIELL, 9th Light Horse

• Born in Auburn, settled in Crystal Brook as farmer. Married with four children (a fifth died shortly after birth)
• Served in the Boer War with distinction.
• Shot and killed while his regiment was providing fire support for the attack at the Nek.
• Last Post Ceremony
   

Lance Corporal Philip de Quetteville ROBIN, 10th Battalion

• Member of the Norwood & South Australian Aussie Rules football teams and was an accountant for the Bank of Adelaide.
• He married his wife in Egypt. She was working as a nurse in England at the time.
• Robin is known to be one of two men to penetrate the furthest inland on the day of the landing at Anzac Cove. He was killed 3 days later.
• Last Post Ceremony

VICTORIA

Private Frederick ANDREWARTHA, 23rd Battalion

• Born in Richmond, worked as a timekeeper on Victorian railways and a miner.
• Arrived at Gallipoli after The Landing & August offensives
• He was hit by a Turkish bomb thrown into his trench, seriously wounding his left leg, he later died aboard a hospital ship.
• Last Post Ceremony

Private Albert John HANDCOCK, 7th Battalion

• Born at Myrrhee near Wangaratta, moved to Bendigo.
• From a family of men who volunteered – brother Charles died the day before the Armistice, brother Robert hit in the shoulder at Pozières, brother Richard gassed in 1918, brother Frank shot in leg (amputated) and had a paralysed arm.
• Handcock was killed in the confusion of the landing, or days shortly afterwards.
• Last Post Ceremony

Captain Herbert Humphreys HUNTER, 7th Battalion

• Son of a brewer from Bendigo, who went on to became a dentist. And was known locally as ‘one of the finest athletes of his day’.
• ‘in some marvellous way he was not hit by a Turkish bullet untill late in the morning’… He was shot in the foot and as he received treatment he was hit by another bullet and died.
• Last Post Ceremony

Captain (Chaplain) Andrew GILLISON

• Born Scotland, moved to Australia with Family 1905.
• He was a keen marksman and although he enlisted as a chaplain in AIF, took keen interest in training, particularly sharpshooting.
• Men remembered ‘his fearlessness under fire, tireless care for the wounded and the dead, his great gallantry and self-sacrifice’.
• Shot by sniper with another chaplain while trying to bring in a wounded man.
• Last Post Ceremony

NEW SOUTH WALES

Private Julius Sydney BLOOM, 17 Battalion

• Jewish son of a Sydney financier, attended Sydney Grammar School and became an accountant. He was passionate about music, opera and surf life saving.
• He arrived at Gallipoli after the major offensives were over, but was blown up by a Turkish mine that had been laid in secret. He was sitting down reading a letter from his mother when it blew. He was killed instantly.
• Last Post Ceremony
   

Lieutenant Eric Martin SOLLING, 2nd Battalion

• Grew up in Maitland & Orange, and became an optician.
• Killed in action in the early days at Anzac Cove. 
• Last Post Ceremony
   

Lance Corporal Francis George CARNELL, 4th Battalion

• Born in England, he migrated to NSW with family in his mid 30's. Had served in Southern Africa Company Police, the Cape Mounted Police and in the Zulu, Basutoland, Matabele and Boer Wars.
• Dropped his age from 55 to 45 to enlist in the AIF in the First World War.
• He was wounded at Lone Pine, died of wounds and buried at sea.
• Last Post Ceremony

QUEENSLAND

Trooper Herbert Sherlock GOOCH, 7th Light Horse

• Born in Tamworth but raised in Qld. Gooch worked as a draughtsman and sketch artist and became famous as a cartoonist & caricaturist for the newspapers.
• Served in the Boer War and had to ‘revise’ his age down to enlist in the First World War.
• He was noot happy about arriving at Gallipoli so late, deserted his Light Horse regiment to go to Gallipoli early. Killed by a sniper.
• Last Post Ceremony

Private Allen Patrick YEATMAN, 9th Battalion

• Born in England, settled in Townsville as a young man.
• Was a journalist working for the Townsville Bulletin
• Killed during the landing.
• Last Post Ceremony

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Trooper James ANDERSON, 10th Light Horse

• Went to Western Australia after his parents died, attended school there then became a farmer and later a miner.
• Killed at the Nek.
• Last Post Ceremony

Lieutenant Arthur Edward CARSE, 16th Battalion

• Born in Victoria but moved to Western Australia as a child.
• Was a machine gunner in the Citizen’s Militia before the First World War (Western Australian Highlanders). Worked as clerk in records branch of the Dept. of Mines in Perth.
• Shot in the chest and shoulder in the early days at Anzac. He was carried down to the beach by his mates so that he would not be with strangers.
• Hi Last words were “Good luck, boys… God!”
• Last Post Ceremony

CURLEWIS BROTHERS            
Corporal Selwyn Lord CURLEWIS, 16th Battalion
Captain Gordon Levason CURLEWIS, 16th Battalion
Corporal Arthur Grenville CURLEWIS, 12th Battalion

• Four brothers enlisted from WA. Selwyn was killed one week after the landing at Gallipoli. Gordon was killed a week after that. A third brother, Arthur, died of wounds at Lone Pine.
• Corporal Selwyn Lord CURLEWIS Last Post Ceremony
• Captain Gordon Levason CURLEWIS Last Post Ceremony  
• Corporal Arthur Grenville CURLEWIS Last Post Ceremony