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IFHAA Military Records

Military Register - World War 1

The Military Register lists those who have served in military units during war and survived as well as those who served in times of peace. This section is also for listing  Australians who left our shores and enlisted in the military forces of another country.

Walter Francis Lionel BURTON (Submitted by Barbara Joan SAINSBURY 8 August 2000)
Conflict: World War I
Unit: 32nd Field Artillery
Service Number:  38325
Highest Rank: Gunner
Date of enlistment:  19 April 1917
Returned to Australia:  7 March 1919
Date of death: 1950
Place of death:  Enmore, Sydney, NSW
Buried:  Field of Mars, Sydney, NSW
Memorial: Burrawang, Moss Vale, NSW
Awards:  
Overseas Service: France
Born: 17 December 1897 - Moss Vale, NSW
Parents: Walter BURTON and Isabella RALPH
Religion: Church of England
Occupation: Clerk
Age at enlistment: 19 years and 4 months
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  
Notes:

Embarked at Sydney 32nd Field Artilliary,16th May 1917. Left Southampton, 30th Jan 1918. Proceeded to France 20th March 1918, Taken on strength 1st Div Ammunition Column 27th March 1918.Admitted to 3rd Gen.Hosp. 29th Oct, 1918.
Alan CALDWELL (Submitted by Vivienne Caldwell 6 January 1999)
Conflict: World War I
Unit:  39th Battalion
Service Number:  2692
Highest Rank: Private
Date of enlistment: 11 August 1916
Returned to Australia: 22 March 1918
Date of death: 1972
Place of death: Wollongong, NSW
Buried:  Wollongong General Cemetery
Memorial: Corrimal Public School, Corrimal Presbyterian Church
Awards:  
Overseas Service: Yes
Born: 29 March 1898
Parents: Cunningham CALDWELL and Alice Clara HARRIGAN
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Coal miner
Age at enlistment: 18 years
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  Corrimal
Notes:

When Alan 'Winger' Caldwell enlisted in August 1916 his brother, Bruce, was already on his way to the Western Front.  Although gassed, Alan returned to Australia but Bruce did not.
Alfred Edward KEYS (Submitted by Lorraine Key 28 July 2000)
Conflict: World War I
Unit:  57th Battalion
Service Number:   
Highest Rank: Captain
Date of enlistment:  
Returned to Australia:  
Date of death:  24 April 1948
Place of death: Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Buried:  
Memorial:  
Awards:  
Overseas Service:  
Born: 1894 - Victoria, Australia
Parents: Alfred Edward KEYS and Maryann (nee WATSON)
Religion:  
Occupation:  
Age at enlistment:  
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  
Notes:

 
Arthur Ernest READ (Submitted by Vivienne Caldwell 6 January 1999)
Conflict: World War I
Unit:  England. 1st Oxfordshire Light Infantry.  5 Machine Gun Corps, Oxford and Bucks.
Service Number:  5401 Oxfordshire Light Infantry, 27398 5 Machine Gun Corps. 
Highest Rank: Company Sergeant Major 
Date of enlistment:  
Returned to Australia:  
Date of death: 20 May 1950
Place of death: Griffith, NSW
Buried:  
Memorial:  
Awards:  
Overseas Service: Yes
Born: 19 July 1880 - Redfern, NSW
Parents: William READ and Emily Anne Ida ROGERS 
Religion:  
Occupation:   Soldier and orchardist 
Age at enlistment: 14 years, but had given year of birth as 1876 instead of 1880.
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  England
Notes:

Arthur Ernest READ

 Arthur Ernest Read was the fourth of ten children born to William and Emily Read.  Family stories maintain that Arthur left home and went to England specifically to join the army and hopefully go to war.  If this was the case then he certainly achieved his aims, serving in India, South Africa and travelling between England and Europe with troops during World War I.   He was moved to reserves on 12 February 1919. 
In 1921 Arthur  returned to Australia with his wife, Bertha Cooley and their ten children, the youngest of whom had been born at sea.  After staying with Arthur's mother in Redfern for a year or so, the family moved on to a soldier settler's farm at Griffith.  Another five children were born in Australia, making a total of ten girls and five boys.  All five sons served overseas during World War II and all returned safely.  Arthur, aged 60 years, also tried to enlist but this time was unable to fool the authorities.
Frank Homeshaw ROBINSON (Submitted by Cheryl Bruce 14 March 1999)
Conflict: World War I
Unit:  2 Battalion, C Company
Service Number:  340
Highest Rank: Private
Date of enlistment: 22 August 1914
Returned to Australia: 8 October 1918
Date of death: 6 April 1957
Place of death: Parramatta, NSW
Buried:  Rookwood Cemetery, NSW
Memorial:  
Awards: Military Medal awarded for 'Bravery in the field'
Overseas Service: Yes
Born: 25 October 1886 - Cannock, Staffordshire, England
Parents: Abraham Robinson and Fanny Louisa Homeshaw
Religion: Church of England
Occupation: Hospital attendant
Age at enlistment: 27 years
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  Sorrel Street, Parramatta, NSW
Notes: Frank served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.  He was a stretcher bearer when he won the Military Medal for "bravery in the field" at Meteren, France on the night of 23/24 June 1918.
John RODGERS (Submitted by Valmai McKenzie 20 May 2007)
Conflict: World War I
Unit: 2nd Tunnelling Company, AIF
Service Number:  7219
Highest Rank: Corporal
Date of enlistment:  3 January 1917
Returned to Australia:  30 September 1919
Date of death: 31 March 1934
Place of death:  Gympie, Queensland
Buried:  Rockhampton, Queensland
Memorial:  Australian Mining Corps Memorial
Awards: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Overseas Service: France - Cambrai Salient, The Defence of Amiens, The Hindenburg Line
Born:  17 July 1878 - Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Parents:  Patrick and Bridget (nee Slattery) Rodgers/Rogers
Religion:  Roman Catholic
Occupation:  Coal Miner
Age at enlistment:  36 years
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  Bluff Colliery, Bluff, Queensland
Notes: John (Jack) Rodgers/Rogers emigrated to Australia with his parents & 2 older brothers, James and Thomas, on the "Eastminister" arriving in Maryborough on 23 Mar 1887.
A coal miner by trade, Jack worked at the Howard/Burrum Collieries before moving to the Bluff Colliery (near Rockhampton) around 1905. He was an active member and official of the Miners Union and became a Justice of the Peace in 1914. He married Mary Ann Allan on 16 July 1902 in Maryborough. and they had four sons: John, Andrew, Archibald & Henry; and one adopted daughter, Doris. Jack first enlisted in the AIF on 18 Mar 1916 but was discharged on 22 Sep 1916, because his wife was seriously ill. Just 2 weeks after arriving on the Western Front in France, Jack suffered the effects of gas poisoning along with other members of the 2nd Tunnelling Coy. He spent several months recuperating in England before rejoining his company on 5 Jun 1918. Post war, Jack returned to work at the Bluff Colliery but respiratory problems caused him to retire on an invalid pension a few years later. His wife, Mary Ann, and his brother James both died during an Influenza epidemic in September 1929.

Jack spent the last 4 years of his life at the Gympie General Hospital, Queensland. A newspaper reporter from an article in the Gympie Times (Dec 1933) described Jack as follows:

"To meet and converse with Jack Rodgers is to understand fully the real meaning of the 'Digger spirit'. Sixteen years of suffering from the effects of gas, four of which have been spent bed-ridden continuously have left him -- cheerful. He radiates cheerfulness; his laugh and humour are infectious; and year in and year out he sits up in bed and gasps like a pent-out runner."

Aged 55 years, John Rodgers died of respiratory and cardiac failure in Gympie on 31 March 1934.
Charles George WADE (Submitted by Lynn Taylor (nee WADE) 2 June 2000)  
Conflict: World War I
Unit:  2nd Battalion - AIF
Service Number:  916
Highest Rank: Enlisted as a Private with promotions to Lance-Corporal, Corporal, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and finally Captain
Date of enlistment: 20 August 1914
Returned to Australia: 4 May 1917
Date of death: 26 June 1973
Place of death: Sydney, NSW
Buried:  Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, NSW
Memorial:  
Awards:  
Overseas Service: Gallipoli, Lone Pine and Poziers
Born: 31 December 1892 at Molong, NSW
Parents: Robert Thomas WADE and Sarah Ann (nee THOMPSON)
Religion: Anglican
Occupation: Teacher
Age at enlistment: 22 years and 8 months
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  Sydney, NSW
Notes:

Charles was discharged from the Army due to illness. This illness plagued him until his death in 1973.
Muriel Leontine WAKEFIELD (Submitted by Vivienne Caldwell 13 January 1999)  
Conflict: World War I
Unit: Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) 2 AGH
Service Number:   
Highest Rank: Sister
Date of enlistment: 24 November 1914
Returned to Australia:  
Date of death:  
Place of death:  
Buried:  
Memorial: Wollongong, Wollongong Presbyterian
Awards:  
Overseas Service: Australian Hospitals serving Gallipoli and the Western Front
Born: c. 1888 at Bathurst NSW
Parents:  
Religion: Presbyterian
Occupation: Nursing Sister
Age at enlistment: 26 years
Place of residence at time of enlistment:  Crown Street, Wollongong NSW
Notes:

Muriel Wakeford left Australian on the 'Kyarra' only four days after enlisting. She was a prolific writer of letters to the press in Wollongong, frequently noting local boys that she had met. In June 1916 she resigned from the AANS to be married - the AIF did not allow nurses to marry although some did and kept it secret. After her marriage Muriel did not return to Australia, going to Africa to live.
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Last modified: 06 January 2008