gallipoli

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Queen_Elizabeth_(1913) "During the attempted military invasion of the Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, the Queen Elizabeth was the flagship for General Sir Ian Hamilton, commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force."

CWGC has this: FREEMAN, DOUGLAS STEPHEN Rank: Lieutenant Date of Death: 03/05/1915 Age: 39 Regiment/Service: Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 15th Bn. Panel Reference 33. Memorial LONE PINE MEMORIAL Additional Information: Son of William and Lucy Rose Freeman, of "Clodagh," Beresford Rd., Rose Bay, New South Wales. Native of Marrickville, New South Wales.

First World War Embarkation Roll - Douglas Stephen Freeman Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Roll title: 15 Infantry Battalion (December 1914) Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918 Date of embarkation: 22 December 1914 Place of embarkation: Melbourne Ship embarked on: HMAT Ceramic Ship number: A40 The digitised record states that he was a mining manager whose residence was P.O., Bundaberg, Queensland; he was Church of England and his father was his next of kin

SOURCE: alh-research.tripod.com/gallipoli_album/index.album/dougl... Captain Douglas Stephen FREEMAN, a 38 year old Mining manager from Bundaberg, Queensland. He enlisted on 29 September 1914 and was allotted to the 15th Battalion, C Company which embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A40 Ceramic on 22 December 1914. Subsequently FREEMAN was Killed in Action, 3 May 1915. Sydney Mail, 26 May 1915, p. 8. The photograph is of Captain Douglas Stephen FREEMAN in the uniform of an 4th Australian Infantry Regiment officer and prior to the Great War, was a Lieutenant in this Regiment. In addition FREEMAN was a Second Lieutenant with the 4th Squadron, 3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment from 6 September 1909 until transferring to the 4th Australian Infantry Regiment. See here for an extensive write-up about Douglas including diary entries by himself and others around him at the time of his death.

Zaphod_B_42 I followed the hyperlink - it was hard reading that with the image of this man in my head. An astonishing individual both in peace and war.

Help piece together the Life Stories of more than 8 million men and women who made a contribution during the First World War at www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org/

See here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Balfe

A digitised copy of his army records can be seen here:- recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/Details... recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=3046839 He was appointed a Second Lieutenant in the 6th Battalion on the 24th August 1914 and promoted to Lieutenant with effect from the 1st February 1915. On his application for a commission he states he is a Medical Student and has 4 years service with the MM Rifles - fifteen months as an officer. His home address is 6 Barkly Street, Brunswick.It looks like his date of birth is recorded as "March the ninth 1890" - but this is a trainee doctors handwriting ! He had embarked at Melbourne on the 19th October 1914 on the transport ship "Honoraria" \ "Honorata" - different spellings on various documents. On the day that he died he was initially reported as wounded and missing. It was only later in the summer that this was updated to killed in action. One of the inquiries sent by his father was on company headed notepaper - "M Balfe & Sons, Importers and Exporters, of 58-62 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Victoria." In a side panel it lists the company as importers of paperhangings, paints, oils, varnishes, brushware, sheet and fancy glass, picture mouldings, etc, as well as sole makers of Balfe's black and colors for ladies straw hats and Balfes school black for blackboards, used in Public and Private Schools and by State Governments. They are suppliers of enamel varnish stains for wood and patent knotting. The business even has a telephone numbers - Brunswick 190. Included in the file is the report of an Infantry Sergeant Collins, made in October 1919 about the death of Lieutenant Balfe. "At Gaba Tepe 25/04/1915. Landed in the early morning about 5.20 am, just reached beach and a bursting shell killed Balfe instantly. He was in command of B Company. Came from Australia with informant on transport Honorato on 19th 1914. Buried at Hillcrest - Shrapnel Gully - Gaba Tepe. Temporary cross erected. Dark complexion, about 25 years of age, thickset. From Victoria." Given the length of time that had elapsed and the other experiences the Sergeant must have gone through, there may be some confusion in his statement, but the fundamentals sound right. It looks like the 6th Battalion War Diary doesn't start until May 1915. Father; Major Matthew Balfe JP. Mother; Sarah Balfe (nee Knott), according to this site, www.anzacs.org/index_ab.html (His army records just refer to his father as M Balfe, but he, (M Balfe) does authorise his wife Sarah to sign for their son's medals in the correspondence in the army records.

Nice work Mooms. We're so lucky to have military records and other repositories now online to fill in the story! Saves so much leg work compared to the 80's! Digital papers are also cool. This item states his parents were mayor and mayoress of Brunswick, Victoria trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/87754397/8486000?zoomLev...