BARLOW, Edward Charles
| Service Number: | 58 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 August 1914, Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | London, England, 1884 |
| Home Town: | Kilkenny, Charles Sturt, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Springbank, SA, 17 October 1959, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia RSL Walls |
| Memorials: | Woodville Kilkenny Church of St. Edward Honour Roll, Woodville Saint Margaret's Anglican Church Lych Gate |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sapper, 58, 3rd Field Company Engineers, Adelaide, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 1914: | Involvement Sapper, 58, 3rd Field Company Engineers, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Sep 1914: | Embarked Sapper, 58, 3rd Field Company Engineers, HMAT Geelong, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 58 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Woodville High School
Edward Charles Barlow was born in London in 1884. His parents are unknown but he had a sister, Ada Mary Spencer. Sometime in his lifetime before 1914, he migrated to South Australia and lived in David Terrace, Kilkenny where he was raised. He was a bricklayer by profession when he enlisted for overseas service in the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 30 years on 24th August 1914 from Morphetville, Adelaide. Before enlisting in the A.I.F, he also possessed military experience of serving in the Canadian Royal English Army for 2-106/365 years. His allocated service number was 58 in the unit, 3rd Field Company Engineers on embarkation from Melbourne on 22nd September 1914 to Alexandria. Soon after, he became sick with a haemorrhoid on 18th February 1915 and was admitted to a hospital for recovery. He was discharged from the hospital a week later on 25th February 1915.
Service papers
According to his service records, Edward Charles Barlow was 5’7” tall and weighed 154 lbs. He was a fair skinned individual with blue eyes and light coloured hair and possessed a mark at his 5 Vae left knee which distinguished him from other individuals. He embarked on his journey to Alexandria from Melbourne on 22nd of September 1914 on the ship HMAT Geelong A2.
Location of service
Gallipoli has difficult terrain as it is a desert landscape with cliffs and gorges. Each Division had three Field Engineer Companies under command, numbered the same as the Brigades of the Division. During the war, his unit was responsible for preparing and supervising the construction of defensive and gun positions, excavation of trenches and dugouts, erection of wires and other obstacles, preparation of command posts for signalling, field engineering, road and bridge construction and route maintenance as well as for supplying water to the army.
Experiences of war
Edward Charles Barlow was posted to different military campaigns in Eastern Europe around the Mediterranean Sea like Gallipoli, Mudros, Alexandria, etc, to support the army as well as to fight against the Ottoman Empire on behalf of the British Empire. During his tenure of 4 years in the AIF, he was also promoted and demoted numerous times from his initial "Sapper'' rank. First he was appointed as Temporary 2nd Corporal in Gallipoli on 1st September 1915 and was again reverted back to his permanent rank as Lance Corporal in Mudros on 16th November 1915 when he was evacuated after being diagnosed with haemorrhoids and admitted to the hospital. In Tel-el-Kebir on 18th December 1915, he was reverted to Sapper rank and hospitalised in Ghezireh after being diagnosed with Hernia on 30th December 1915. He was again diagnosed with Haemorrhoids in Heliopolis on 1st January 1916 but was discharged from hospitalisation in Tel-el-Kebir on 22nd January 1916.
A major event in his military career occurred in the Serapeum campaign on 1st March 1916. However, soon after he was again hospitalised on 3rd March and was discharged after 21 days on 25th March 1916. In his period of hospitalisation, he was again promoted to Temporary 2nd Corporal and was transferred to 5th Divisional Engineers on 9th March.
He again fell ill on 3rd April 1916 but was quickly discharged from the hospital after 2 days. Following his recovery, he was transferred to 14th Australian Field Artillery Brigade, 26th April 1916. Edward Charles Barlow was transferred to hospital on 8th May 1916 and was transferred again a week later to 54th Battalion on 15th May. A week later, he was again posted to 14 Battalion on 24th May. The following day on 25th March, he was taken on strength to 5th Divisional Engineers in Moascar.
On 30th June 1916 in Alexandria, he was sent O/seas to join British Expeditionary Force. On 17th July 1916, he was transferred to 5th Trench Mortar Battery. On 5th November 1916, he was seriously ill and admitted to hospital in France due to Myalgia and 2 days later he was transferred to 1st Australian Caaulaty Clearning Station on 7th November 1916 to be transferred on the 9th November 1916 to the hospital train to Hardelot France for treatment and recovery. For further recovery, he was transferred to 7 Convalescent Depot on 22nd November 1916 in Boulogne, France where he was discharged a week later to rest camp on 29th November and then from the rest camp, he was transferred to Etaples on 4th December 1916.
Following his series of illnesses and recoveries, Edward Charles requested to be sent to England for leave on 10th August 1917 but his appeal was rejected by the Australian General Base Depot on 22nd August 1917. He was demoted to Gunner rank from Sapper rank on ground of A.I.F Order 962 at England on 16th December 1917. Soon a month and two days later, Edward Charles was diagnosed with Rheumatic Arthritis and was sent to England from Havre for treatment on 18th January 1918. This began the ending of his tenure in the A.I.F . He was deemed unfit from service due to medical disability as a result of Synovitis in his left knee and was declared to be repatriated to Melbourne on 4th March 1918 from England. He arrived in Australia after 3 months on 17th June 1918.
Edward Charles Barlow was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal on 13th June 1921 and 21st May 1922 respectively.
Life after the war
He embarked to Melbourne, Australia from England on 4th March 1918 and arrived in Australia on 17th June 1918. After he arrived in Melbourne, he disembarked to Adelaide on 15th August 1918 and was discharged from the A.I.F on 30th August 1918 which officially ended his military career. It is not much known about his life after the First World War. In recognition of his service for the Australian Army, he is enlisted on the Honour Roll and the Lynch Gate at St Margaret’s Anglican Church, Port Road and Woodville Roads, Woodville, Charles Sturt.
Unfortunately, Edward Charles met his demise on 17th October 1959 at the age of 76 years in Springbank, SA and is buried in Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, Mitcham.
Bibliography
Service records, Edward Charles Barlow, National Archives of Australia, accessed 30th November-https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3049580&S=3&R=0
Explore, People, Virtual War Memorial of Australia, accessed 30th November 2023-https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/110340
Search, People, Collection, Australian War Memorial, accessed 30th November 2023-https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1780683
Advanced Search, People, Australian War Memorial, accessed 30th November 2023-https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=BARLOW%2C+Edward+Charles&people=true
Collection, Australian War Memorial, accessed 30th November 2023-https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51323
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