KNIGHT, Bertie Rowbottom
| Service Number: | 2594 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 June 1915, Cobram , Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Benalla, Victoria, Australia, 30 June 1895 |
| Home Town: | Cobram, Moira, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 27 June 1916, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Berks Cemetery Extension Row A, Grave 18, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Benalla War Memorial, Cobram Barooga RSL War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2594, Cobram , Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2594, 7th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 26 Aug 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2594, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Melbourne |
Help us honour Bertie Rowbottom Knight's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Bertie enlisted in Cobram at the age of 19 the same day as his brother Hugh who was 21, they gave their address as "Tarnpirr" Cobram. Bert also stated he had been a member of the Cobram Rifle Club for 18 months. Arriving in Egypt in late 1915 after serving for a few weeks at Gallipoli, Bertie got into a bit of strife being charged in January 1916 with being absent without leave for two days, also breaking bounds, and losing all of his kit. He was fined 7 pounds for the kit and awarded 28 days field punishment for the other offences. He wrote a letter in January 1916, which was published in the Cobram Courier, “I have been in the land of the Pharaohs for about 6 weeks and I do not think I have seen anything worth talking about, the country is not what it is cracked up to be, ...my only wish is to get to the front. I suppose I will stop my bit of lead, but somebody has to stop it. There are a lot of badly wounded men here in hospitals; some have lost both eyes and limbs.”
Bertie was sent to France with the 7th Battalion in March 1916, and he and another man became the first men killed from the 7th Battalion at Ploegsteert in Belgium when a shell landed in their trench, also badly wounding Hugh Knight, Bertie's brother who was with them at the time. Hugh recovered from his wounds and was sent back to Australia. Bertie was buried in Belgium, a few weeks short of his 21st birthday.
Biography
Bertie Rowbottom KNIGHT was born in 1895 in Benalla, Victoria
His parents were Charles George KNIGHT and Lucy Sarah PERRIN
He enlisted on 5th June 1915 with the 7th Australian Infantry Battalion - Unit embakred Melbourne on HMAT Anchises on 26th August, 1915
His brother 2595 Pte. Hugh Menoah KNIGHT (/explore/people/71856) also served in WW1 and returned to Australia in 1917
Bertie was Killed in Action on 27th June 1916 and is buried in the Berks Cemetery Extension in Belgium, Row A, Grave No. 18 - he also has a memorial plaque at the Benalla Lawn & Memorial Cemetery in Victoria
OBITUARY - The Argus 5th August, 1916
Our dear brother, Private Bertie Rowbottom Knight, Killed in Action in France June 27, 1916 aged 21 years 6 days.
They gave their life for their country - for honour, faith and right
With us their memory ever lives - They fought a noble fight
Midst the roaring of the battle, and the rain of shot & shell
Fighting for home and country - They like heroes fell.
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