Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert Deer was the fourth child of eleven, born to Susanna and James Deer of Cambridgeshire, England. With his brother, William, he emigrated to Australia late 1912. He worked in the Franklin Harbour district as a labourer and farmer.

After 30/8/1916 enlistment and initial training at Mitcham Depot, Private Deer departed on 23/10/1916 from Adelaide via Fremantle for further training at Codford England with 13th Training Battalion. On 12/3/1917 he departed for France, posted to the 50th battalion. He was badly wounded during an enemy bombardment in an action near Passchendaele Belgium on 18/10/1917.

Private Deer was first posted as missing, then later, wounded and missing. His death on 18/10/1917 in action was not confirmed until 27/12/1917. The report noted he was buried at the military cemetery Broodseinde near Ypres Belgium.

The following are witness statements, filed by the Red Cross, who reported seeing Herbert wounded in the field.

Red Cross File No 0901113F

 Statement, 4321 Pte T.H. MARSHALL, D Company, 50th Bn (patient, Havre Hospital), 4 March 1918:  'He was in D. Company, 14th. Platoon. I knew him slightly; he was in a bombing section with me. About the 18th. October, we came back from the line into supports near a big wood before you get to Passchendaele. I saw Deer carried out of the line by S/Bearers with a badly wounded leg. I never heard if he got to the D/Station. Light shelling was going on.'

Second statement, 733 Sergeant S. SAMPSON, D Company, 50th Bn (patient, 7th Canadian General Hospital, Etaples), 30 April 1918: 'Deer was in my pl. - XIV. Behind Passchendaele Ridge at Zonnebeke in October we had just got relieved and were back holding supports when the Germans started a bombardment. Deer was in a shallow dugout when he was killed instantly by a piece of shell. I saw him buried with 6 others in one grave. The names were marked on a wooden cross.'

Herbert’s sister, Kathleen, wrote letters to the Red Cross and to the soldiers who were witnesses, determined to uncover what happened to her brother and to give the family closure.

Private Herbert Deer is remembered at the Menin Gate at Ypres which lists the names of 55,000 soldiers (including 6,000 Australians) recorded missing in Belgium.

Links/Information:

World War 1 Biographies (Folder, located at Cowell RSL) Stocker, B.

National Archives Record

Adelaide National War Memorial (WW1), CowellHB1*, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient)*, WallarooHB4*

Herbert Deer | Australian War Memorial

Virtual War Memorial | Herbert DEER

https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=76746

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1036035/document/5536119.PDF

State Records of South Australia; Gepps Cross, SA, Australia; Official Lists of Passengers Arriving in South Australia from Overseas-1888-1940; Series: GRG41_34

https://historyscape.org.uk/familychart.php?personID=I10590&tree=maintree&sitever=standard&tngprint=1

Written by S Grund Cowell RSL Remembrance Pk plaque

Births Dec 1886   Deer Herbert Linton 3b 513

Enlisted 30 August 1916 6th Regiment, transferred to 50th Battalion 18 March 1917.

He was 30 and the son of James and Susannah Frances Deer, of Frogshall, Balsham, Cambridgeshire.He is remembered on the Balsham War Memorial. He is one of two Australian casualties of the Great War who are commemorated on the Balsham War Memorial and in te Roll of Honour Book which was  created to accompany the memorial. This is displayed inside the church in Balsham.

Balsham is a rural village and civil parish in the county of Cambridgeshire, England, which has much expanded since the 1960s and is now one of several dormitory settlements of Cambridge. The village is south east of the centre of Cambridge beyond the A11 road.