NEWTON, Rupert Henry David
| Service Number: | 5879 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Petersham, New South Wales, Australia, 20 September 1889 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Boilerfmakers' Striker at Eveleigh Railway Workshops |
| Died: | Illness, France, 25 October 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension Plot IV, Row J, Grave No. 12 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 5879, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 5879, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 12 Oct 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 17th Infantry Battalion, Promoted in France. | |
| 25 Oct 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 5879, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5879 awm_unit: 17th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-10-25 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Rupert Henry David Inglis NEWTON was born on 20th September 1889. He was born and raised at Petersham, NSW. He joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways on 4th November 1915 as a Striker (Boilermaker's Assistant) in the Locomotive Branch based at Eveleigh. On 20th March 1916 he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces.
He joined the AIF with the rank of Private (Service Number 5879) and after initial training he was posted to the 16th Reinforcements to the 17th Infantry Battalion. As he was married when he enlisted, he nominated his wife, Eallsonora Harriett (Newton), as his next of kin. Their home was at Stanmore, NSW.
On 7th October 1916 Rupert embarked aboard HMAT A40 ‘Ceramic’ for England at Sydney and disembarked at Plymouth, England, on 21st November 1916. He reached the 5th Training Battalion at Rollestone, England, on 7th December 1916 and left England for France on 16th January 1917. After spending just over one month at the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples, he was taken on strength of the 17th Infantry Battalion on 19th February 1917.
On 7th March 1917 he reported sick, with haemorrhoids, and spent six days in hospital together with a further six days convalescing at Rouen before being discharged to the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot on 19th March 1917. However, it took him ten days to make his way from Rouen to Etaples where he marched in on 29th March 1917.
On 8th May 1917, just after the second battle of Bullecourt, he re-joined the 17th Infantry Battalion. On 19th September 1917, he reported sick with an ulcerous right leg and was sent to hospital in Boulogne. It was not until 4th January 1918 that he was discharged, and he marched in to 2 Company Australian Infantry Base Depot at Le Havre on 7th January 1918. He eventually re-joined the 17th Infantry Battalion on 27th January 1918 but was only on duty for four days before he was sent to hospital again, this time to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station, with a septic right leg. He re-joined the 17th Infantry Battalion on 1st March 1918.
Between March and October 1918, the 17th Infantry Battalion participated in the battles that pushed the German Army ever closer to defeat: Amiens on 8th August, the attack on Mont St Quentin on 31st August, and the forcing of the Beaurevoir Line around Montbrehain on 3rd October. Montbrehain was the Battalion's last battle. After all this, on 12th October 1918, Rupert was promoted to the rank of Corporal (Temporary) and then on 14th October he reported sick with broncho-pneumonia. He was admitted to the 3rd Australian General Hospital at Abbeville where he died on 25th October 1918.
His grave is in Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension, Abbeville, Picardie, France. His place of association is Petersham, Sydney, NSW.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.