KIRKE, Errol Wharton
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 April 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, 20 October 1887 |
| Home Town: | Manly, Manly Vale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Convent Schools (Armidale and Orange) & Manly Public School |
| Occupation: | Law clerk |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Pozières, France, 4 August 1916, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Manly War Memorial NSW, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 17th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' |
|
| 12 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Sydney | |
| 4 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 18th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 18 Battalion awm_rank: Captain awm_died_date: 1916-08-04 |
The life of Errol Wharton KIRKE
Errol was born on 28 October 1887 in Dubbo, NSW, and in 1914 he was 26 years old, a Captain in the Cadet Corps of Australia and studying for his final exams as a Barrister while simultaneously employed as Managing Clerk for the solicitors, Ash and Maclean.
Within an hour of the declaration of war, Errol enlisted, sinking his rank of Captain and being appointed Second Lieutenant on 18 August 1914 in The Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. On 19 August, he embarked on HMAT ‘Berrima’. On arrival he was appointed Adjutant to Colonel Paton and after the Occupation was also a Prosecutor in the Court martials.
On 1 January 1915 he was promoted to Lieutenant.
Returning to Sydney on 18 February 1915, Errol was promoted to Captain in the AIF on 7 May. On 12 May he embarked for active service in Egypt where he was second-in-command of a company of the 17th Battalion.
In August 1915 Errol went to Gallipoli, along with his brothers, Basil and Hunter. Shortly after landing, on 22 August, he was transferred to the 18th Battalion
as Officer commanding C Company.
He was killed on 4 August 1916 whilst commanding his Company.
Major-General William Holmes, who had commanded the AN & MEF in Rabaul, wrote to Errol’s sister, “I can only say that Errol distinguished himself in every action in which he took part.
SOURCE: http://www.rfd.org.au/documents/RFD_WarDeclared1914.pdf
Submitted 5 August 2015 by Elizabeth Allen
Biography
Errol Wharton KIRKE was born on 20th October, 1887 in Dubbo, NSW
His parents were Samuel Wharton KIRKE and Ellen CLEMENTS
He enlisted on 16th April, 1915 - Unit 17th Battalion, B Company - Unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Themistocles on 12th May, 1915
He married on 18th January, 1916 by special license to Gwyneth Llewellyn HOLLAND at the Military Chapel, Abbasia, Cairo, Egypt - Gwenyth was the only daughter of the late Hon. J HOLLAND, Cape Town, South Africa and Mrs. HOLLAND of Manly, NSW - She died in 1982 in NSW
3 of Errols brothers also served in WW1 (see story in link)
Errol was Mentioned in Despatches - Awarded and promulgated, "London Gazette" 2nd Jan. 1917 - & Commonwealth Gazette 29th June 1917
He was a member of the ANMEF - LINK (en.m.wikipedia.org)
He was Killed in Action on 4th August 1916 - No Known Grave - he is commemorated in the Australian National Memorial in Villers Bretonneux, France and also the Australian War Memorial
STORY from Newspaper article about Errol (trove.nla.gov.au)
STORY about his Mother (theotheraustraliaday.weebly.com) and a Photo of the Medal (www.awm.gov.au) she was awarded
Click images to start slideshow.