OATES, Augustus James
| Other Name: | Oates, Augustus - WW1 Service Record |
|---|---|
| Service Numbers: | 8, V144074 |
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914, Enlisted at Queenscliff, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Major |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia , 13 September 1891 |
| Home Town: | Ballarat, Central Highlands, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, 2 August 1976, aged 84 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Hamilton Public Cemetery, Victoria Presbyterian, XXX1V, 5. Interred on 5 August 1976. |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Avenue of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 8th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Queenscliff, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked 8, 8th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Melbourne | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement 8, 8th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Apr 1915: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 7th Infantry Battalion, From 8th Battalion | |
| 19 Aug 1916: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, Conspicuous bravery at Pozieres, 25-26 July 1916. For conspicuous gallantry during operations in holding the enemy at bay on several occasions with revolver fire, thus enabling the erection of barricades and the evacuation of the wounded. He also organized and led bombing attacks with great courage and skill. London Gazette on 22 September 1916, page 9270, position 7 Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 14 December 1916, page 3381, position 108 | |
| 4 Jan 1917: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette on 4 January 1917, page 254, position 140 Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 29 June 1917, page 1392, position 73 | |
| 12 Feb 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Captain, 7th Infantry Battalion, Discharged in London, England to take up commission in the Indian Army |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , V144074 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, V144074 | |
| 12 Sep 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , V144074 | |
| 12 Sep 1944: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Major, V144074 |
Help us honour Augustus James Oates's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of James Oates and Ellan Mary Oates nee Sullivan of Stanley Street, Ballarat, Victoria.
Prior to enlisting Augustus had worked with J. Wilson of Ballarat, Victoria for six years.
Medals: Distinguished Service Order, 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, Mentioned In Despatches. The British War Medal and the Victory Medal were award by the Indian Army
In October 1921 he was serving in India with the 2/67th Punjabs, Indian Army.
Husband of Esther Nellie Barrett Oates nee Horne. Augustus and Esther married during 1929c in Victoria
Biography contributed by Chris Buckley
Major Augustus Oates (Service No:8) enlisted in the AIF on 18 August 1914, and was Signaller Sergeant attached to 8th Infantry Battalion on 19 October 1914 when he embarked with his Unit from Melbourne for Gallipoli on board HMAT A24 Benalla. Commissioned in April 1915, Lieutenant Oates took part in the second wave landing at Anzac Cove with 7th Infantry Battalion on 25 April 1915. Captain Oates then embarked from Alexandria for Marseilles in March 1916, and was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order for his conspiuous gallantry at Pozierres in July 1916 (London Gazette; 22 Spetember 1916) and received a Mention in Dispatches in January 1917 (London Gazette; 4 January 1917). Discharged from the AIF in London on 12 February 1918, he transferred as Major to the Indian Army, serving with 2nd Battalion 67th Punjabi Indian Regiment. Major Oates served in Warazistan and Afghanistan (and was awarded the Military Cross for action on the Khyber Pass), and post WWI served in Arabia, before returning to Australia in 1922. Major Oates served with the ACMF (Service No:V144074) as Intelligence Officer with Corps HQ (1 December 1941 - 12 September 1944), and was awarded the Australian Efficiency Decoration.
Gus was born in Bungaree via Ballarat, Victoria in 1891, eldest of ten children of James Oates (b1871 in Ballarat, Victoria) and Ellen (Nellie) Mary Sullivan (b1872 in Burrumbeet, Victoria). James (a Miner) and Nellie married in 1894 in Ballarat, and lived in the region (Ballarat, Bendigo), where they raised their family and James was a Miner and Fettler.
Gus was working in Ballarat as a Bricklayer in 1914 when he enlisted in the Army, returning from England to Melbourne in 1922 on board the Ormonde. Gus settled at Englefield via Balmoral, where he was a Grazier. In 1929 he married Esther Nellie Barrett Horne (b1905 in Warrnambool, Victoria) - Esther was a Nurse in Melbourne. Gus and Esther settled at Gatum via Balmoral, where they raised their family and Gus was a Grazier. Gus died in 1976 and Esther in 1990.
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