Born: 21 November 1897
Died: 17 July 1918
A driver who enlisted in the AIF on 27 May 1915, aged 17 and half years, six months short of the minimum enlistment age. He embarked for Egypt on 25 June with the 19th Battalion and arrived on 23 July 1915.
The battalion landed at Gallipoli on 21 August. He was evacuated on 10 December to Mudros, Greece and then Egypt to be treated for diphtheria. He landed at Marseilles, France on 25 March 1916 and immediately proceeded with the battalion to northern France.
He was wounded (left ear and arm) in action on 16 September 1916 near Ypres, Belgium when his unit came under intense shelling while in the front line. He was evacuated to England for treatment and convalescence. He was transferred to the 5th Training Battalion in England on 11 November to prepare him to return to his unit.
He was absent without leave (AWOL) from 18 November 1916 to 24 January 1917 for which he lost pay, was fined and confined to barracks. Immediately after this he went to hospital, then soon after was AWOL from 7 April to 18 May. He was court martialed and sent to prison for 90 days as well as forfeiting his pay for that period and the time he was AWOL.
On 1 November 1917 he married Florence Rose Withers. This was a bigamous marriage for her as her husband, Alfred Roland Waite, was still alive and they were not divorced.
He rejoined the 19th Battalion in Belgium on 9 December 1917. He was evacuated on 26 February 1918 with trench feet and eventually was evacuated to England for treatment and convalescence.
He rejoined his unit in the front line at Villers-Bretonneux, France on 10 July and was killed in action on 17 July 1918.
His twin sister Ruby Mary Jaggers who was his next of kin lived at Mosman. [JSB]
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