SAWYER, Ernest Richard
| Service Number: | 206 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 January 1915, Oaklands, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Warrow, South Australia, 20 February 1882 |
| Home Town: | Port Lincoln, Port Lincoln, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Port Lincoln Public School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 10 June 1918, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
Dive Copse British Cemetery, Sailly-le-Sec Dive Copse British Cemetery, Sailly-le-Sec, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cowell Men from Franklin Harbour WW1 Roll of Honour, Cowell War Memorial, Port Lincoln & District Honor Roll WW1, Port Lincoln Garden of Remembrance |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 206, Oaklands, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 206, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 4 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 206, 27th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 8 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 206, 27th Infantry Battalion, Villers-Bretonneux | |
| 10 Jun 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Driver, 206, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 206 awm_unit: 27 Battalion awm_rank: Driver awm_died_date: 1918-06-10 |
Help us honour Ernest Richard Sawyer's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Cowell RSL
Ernest Richard (Dick) Sawyer was born in the Hundred of Warrow and grew up at Port Lincoln with seven siblings. Sawyer was educated at the Port Lincoln Public School. Prior to the war he worked as a share farmer at Carpa, Franklin Harbour and was well regarded by the local community. His brother William August Sawyer served as a Private with the 9th Light Horse and returned from service.
Ernest Sawyer enlisted 12th January 1915. He served with the 27th Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in Belgium and France. He embarked from Adelaide 31st May 1915 on HMAT A2 Geelong via Fremantle bound for Egypt. While at sea off the west coast of Australia, Private Sawyer wrote a letter to his family, corked it in a bottle and threw it overboard. It was not until 1973 that the letter was found on a beach near Fremantle and was forwarded to his family in Port Lincoln.
Sawyer embarked from Alexandria on 4th September 1915 to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli.
After Gallipoli, Sawyer returned to Alexandria for further training and was hospitalised for 5 days in Ismailia in February 1916. He rejoined the 27th Battalion in February 1916 and was remustered as a Driver. Private Sawyer completed further training for the use of gas helmets. The Battalion moved further north to ‘The Nursery’ sector near Armentieres conducting trench raids before moving to the Somme River Valley in June. Sawyer fought at Pozieres in July and August. At the beginning of September, the Battalion was billeted near Warloy-Baillon and completed further training.
Driver Sawyer took leave in Paris for a few days in March 1918 before returning to his unit in France. His right arm was wounded in action 8th April 1918 in the Albert Area, Ancre Sector. He was mildly wounded again on 5th June at Sailly-Le-Sec but remained on duty. Tragically Driver Sawyer was instantly killed by a barrage of shells 10th June 1918 between Sailly-le-Sec and Morlancourt. He was buried in Dive Copse British Cemetery near Sailly le Sec.
Biography contributed by Cleve Area School
Ernest Richard Sawyer was born on the 20th of February 1882 in Warrow, South Australia. He lived in Port Lincoln, South Australia along with his parents Charles and Julia Sawyer. During his schooling, he attended Port Lincoln Public School. The religion he believed in was Methodist. Before Ernest enlisted he worked as a farmer.
Ernest (Service number 206) enlisted in the AIF at Oaklands, South Australia on the 12th of January 1915 as a 32-year-old man, weighing around 70.7kgs, height measuring around 5 foot 7 inches, and he had grey eyes with fair hair. His rank was a driver. He was in the 27th Infantry Battalion. After training, he embarked on the 31st of May 1915 from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A2 Geelong.
He was killed in action in France on the 10th June 1918 at the age of 36 years. He was buried in the Dive Copse British Cemetery, Sailly-le-Sec in Picardie, France.
Ernest Richard Sawyer is commemorated in these places: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cowell Men from Franklin Harbour WW1 Roll of Honour, Cowell War Memorial, Port Lincoln & District Honor Roll WW1, and Port Lincoln Garden of Remembrance.
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