The AIF Project

War service: Egypt, Western Front

Embarked Melbourne, 18 February 1916; disembarked Suez, 22 March 1916.

Taken on strength of 29th Bn, Brighton Beach, 1 April 1916.

Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 16 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916.

Reported missing in action, 19/20 July 1916.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 23 August 1917, pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 20 July 1916'.

Handwritten note on B.103: 'Believed buried in vicinity of Fleurbaix, Sh.36.'

Statement on Red Cross File No 1330314, 313 Corporal E. O'DONNELL, 29th Bn, 17 January 1917: 'At Fromelles during the attack he was killed whilst going into No Man's Land, by a shell. I witnessed the casualty.'

Second Statement, 2051 Pte T.C. HIGGINS, 29th Bn, 24 April 1917: 'I saw Casualty (sic) destroyed by shell fire at Fleurbaix on the 19th July. Casualty was hot just as he reached the front of the parapet. There was nothing left of him.'

Note on file: 'No trace Germany[.] Cert. by Capt. Mills 10-10-19.'

Second statement, Red Cross Files No 1330405, 356 Corporal F. WEBSTER, A Company, 29th Bn, undated statement: 'All the above men [166 L.R. BATEY, 1470 M.L. BRUNN, 80 S. FARLOW, 2033 R. GILL, 2050 J.I. HIGGINS, 320 F. PARRY, 361 H.J. WESTMORLAND, 1314 E.J. WILKIN, 1314, 1262 F.S. WOODCOCK] were in No. 3 Platoon along with himself and his brother ... The nine above named men were killed on the afternoon of July 19th. or in the morning of July 20th, 1916, when the Bn went into action at Fleur Baix (sic). All the above were killed either by Shellfire (sic) or Machine Gun, and were buried at the left hand of the sap which runs in to the back of Water Farm (POZIERES). This was a very large grave and contained about twenty or thirty bodies, and is marked by one big cross. They were all buried by a fatigue party from D. Company and some of the bandsmen. Informant was at the burial on the 22nd. July and saw the remains of the nine men named above, properly buried. Informant and his brother were the only two men left alive out of the Platoon, his brother was in charge at the time.'