Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

1893 Cecil Ernest Lee SKITCH was born at Stockport, South Australia, on 6 March 1894 and attended school at Millicent before being enrolled at Mount Gambier on 4 October 1909 by his father Ernest William Skitch, primary school teacher and later school inspector, of O’Halloran Terrace, Mount Gambier. He left this school on 31 December 1910.

He enlisted in Adelaide on 4 October 1915 (21, station book keeper, single, Church of England) naming his mother, Alice Stitch of Malvern, South Australia, as his next of kin. He embarked from Adelaide on the ‘Borda’ on 11 January 1916 as a reinforcement for the 3rd Light Horse, joined the 1st Light Horse Reserve Regiment in Egypt on 1 March 1916, and was hospitalised with influenza from 14 to 20 March. He was transferred to Artillery Details on 15 May 1916 and embarked from Alexandria on 28 May. He was detailed for duty with Headquarters AIF Depots in England on 19 September 1916, promoted to the rank of ER/Corporal (Records) on 29 August 1917, married Marie Elizabeth Croft at St Faith’s parish church, Stoke Newington, London, on 29 September 1917, hospitalised again with influenza from 8 to 16 October 1917, promoted to ER/Sergeant on 5 November 1917, hospitalised from 2 to 12 March 1918 and again from 13 to 30 April 1918. As a result he was marched out for return to Australia on 24 May 1918, left England from Liverpool on the ‘Essex’ for return to Australia for a change as a result of debility on 4 June 1918, disembarked on 1 August, and was discharged from the AIF on 27 September 1918.

Published in Ours: the origins and early years of Mount Gambier High School and Old Scholars who served in the Great European War by Graeme Roulstone

Lancelot Chaplin Taylor was born in November 1895 in Port McDonnell. Son of Morgan Edward TAYLOR and Emily Florence fmly GOLDSWORTHY nee CHAPLIN.  His mother Mrs Emily Taylor was listed as his next of kin. His mother's most laterly advised address was Grey Terrace Rosewater. After enlistement on the 16th March 1916, into the 2nd Depot Battalion he underwent basic training in Adelaide most probably at Mitcham Camp although this is not specified. He was allocated to the 6th reinforcements of the 50th Battalion. Private Chaplin embarked with his draft on the HMAT Port Melbourne and proceeded to Great Britain where he joined the 13th Training Battalion. He subsequently embarked for France from Folkestone on the 10th April, joining the 50th Battalion on the 15th April near Etaples. He was promoted in the field to Lance Corporal on the 2nd July 1917. Lancelot was admitted to hospital whilst on leave in Great Britain in late January 1918. He was transferred between a string of hospitals including Stamford, Dartford, Longbridge and Codford over most of the rest of 1918. The nature of his condition is unclear from the available documentation. He did not finally rejoin his unit until after the war's end in January 1919. He returned to Australia on the "City of Exeter" on 12 July 1919. He was awared the British War Medal 17669 and the Victory Medal 17497 He is commemorated on an Honour Board at Dublin, South Australia