PARTON, Rupert Edward
| Service Number: | 5078 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 January 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 20th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Essendon, Victoria, Australia, June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Salesman |
| Died: | Rockdale, New South Wales, Australia, 21 September 1980, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5078, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 5078, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ajana embarkation_ship_number: A31 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 5078, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ajana, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Rupert Edward Parton was born in June 1897 at Moonee Ponds, Victoria. (1) He was the son of Edward William Parton and Mary Ann Parton, who later moved the family to Sydney, living at “Carthona”, Belgrave Street, Waverley. Rupert attended Sydney Technical High School, appearing in the 1912 class list, and remained until before his enlistment in 1916. (2) After leaving school, he worked as a salesman, a respectable occupation for a young man of the time. His attestation papers also show prior service in the militia infantry for three years and nine months with the artillery, suggesting discipline and an early interest in soldiering. (3)
Parton enlisted at Casula, NSW, on 31 January 1916 aged 18. (4) Initially posted as a private with the 20th Battalion, he embarked from Sydney aboard HMAT Ajana on 5 July 1916. (5) He was later reassigned, joining the 36th Battery, 9th Field Artillery Brigade in England before serving with the 8th Field Artillery Brigade and the 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column. (6) His duties included manning field guns, transporting ammunition, and maintaining lines under constant enemy fire. Parton experienced the brutal realities of the Western Front, including freezing winters, relentless shellfire, and the ever-present threat of death.
His service was marked by significant hardship and resilience. In December 1916, while in France, he was wounded when buried by an exploding shell, suffering concussion and back injuries and being listed as “buried 1 hour” on his casualty sheet. (7) After a long period of recovery, he returned to the front, only to be wounded a second time during the Third Battle of Ypres at Broodseinde on 4 October 1917, fracturing his foot under heavy bombardment. (8) Despite these serious injuries, he resumed duty in 1918, continuing to serve in artillery roles during the German offensives and Allied advances.
Parton survived the war and embarked for home aboard HMAT Kildonan Castle on 19 February 1919, arriving in Sydney and being discharged from the AIF on 9 May that year. (9) After the war, he returned to civilian life in Sydney, living by 1927 at 73 Tabrett Street, Banksia, near Rockdale. (10) While his exact occupation after the war remains uncertain, his longevity suggests a successful reintegration into society despite the physical and emotional scars of service. Rupert Edward Parton died at Rockdale, NSW, on 21 September 1980, aged 83, after a long life far removed from the muddy fields of France and Belgium. (11)
Endnotes
1. NAA B2455, Attestation Paper, Rupert Edward Parton.
2. Sydney Technical High School, 1912 Class List.
3. NAA B2455, Service Record – Militia Service.
4. Ibid.
5. NAA B2455, Embarkation Details.
6. NAA B2455, Unit Transfers and Service Cards.
7. NAA B2455, Casualty Form – Wounded 6 Dec 1916.
8. NAA B2455, Casualty Form – Wounded 4 Oct 1917.
9. NAA B2455, War History Index (RTA & discharge).
10. NSW Police Gazette, 26 October 1927, p. 544.
11. Australian Cemeteries Index, Rockdale, 1980.
Bibliography
● National Archives of Australia (NAA): B2455, Parton Rupert Edward, Service Record.
● Virtual War Memorial Australia (VWMA): Profile of Rupert Edward Parton.
● Australian War Memorial (AWM): 20th Battalion & Artillery Unit War Diaries, 1916–1918.
● Sydney Technical High School Honour Roll & 1912 Class List.
● NSW Police Gazette, 26 October 1927.
● Australian Cemeteries Index, Rockdale, 1980.