Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Bertie was the son of William P ROSS & Clara Hannah WEBB and was born on the 5th of June 1892 in Natimuk, VIC.

His parents were married on the 15th of June 1889 in Horsham, VIC.

His father was the son of John Charles ROSS & Cecilia Elenor WEBB and was born on the 5th of July 1864 in Macclesfield, SA.

His mother was the daughter of Henry WEBB & Hannah Ann WHYATT and was born on the 7th of May 1871 in Mt Gambier, SA.

Bertie was the 2nd child born into the family of 3 children. But his older sister had died before he was born.

His father was a farmer and Bertie gained a little sister; Daisy Florence, on the 27th of December 1896, but unfortunately she died as an infant the following year.

Sadly, Bertie was only 5 years old when his mother died on the 10th of March 1898 in the Horsham Hospital, VIC, from a haemorrhage during Typhoid Fever.

Not long after the death of his mother, Bertie and his father moved back to Macclesfield and after he finished his schooling he became a very handy horseman and gained employment with Mr Frank William B Mustard, a carrier of Macclesfield.

His father then remarried to Harriet (Lottie) LOVICK on the 21st of May 1904 in the parsonage at Mt Barker.

Harriet was the daughter of James LOVICK & Harriett PEASE and was born on the 13th of August 1873 in Macclesfield, SA.

His father died in Macclesfield on the 26th of September 1912 and Bertie buried him in the Macclesfield Anglican Cemetery.

With the outbreak of WW1, Bertie tried to enlist in 1915, but was rejected on account of his teeth.

At the age of 25, Bertie tried to enlist again and finally he was successful.

He enlisted into the AIF on the 30th of July 1917 in Strathalbyn, SA and was allotted the service number 3366.

He listed his uncle; Samuel Howard Ross, of Macclesfield, as his next of kin.

Bertie was called into Mitcham Camp on the 24th of September and posted to B Company. And after four weeks he was posted to C Company.

On the 19th of December he was transferred to the 43rd Battalion, 8th Reinforcement and he spent his last Christmas in South Australia before being relocated to Broadmeadows, Victoria on the 1st of March.

Bertie embarked from Melbourne on board RMS Ormonde on the 7th of March 1918, disembarking in Suez on the 4th of April.

On the 30th of April 1918 he was transferred to Port Tewfik and embarked for Southampton, England, disembarking on the 15th of May and was posted to the 9th Training Battalion in Fovant.

Two weeks later he was transferred to 50th Battalion Detail at the 12th Training Battalion in Codford.

On the 22nd of July he became ill with Influenza and was admitted into the hospital for 9 days.

Bertie proceeded to France on the 15th of August and marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot (AIBD) in Harfleur, near Le Havre.

He was taken on strength, from the reinforcements, two days later and posted to B Company in the 50th Battalion, who were at their billets in Rivery.

Bertie was now officially part of "Hurcombe's Hungry Half Hundred"!

They left their billets on the 6th of September for the front line at Beaumetz and then Soyecourt.

On the 11th of September they relieved the 29th Battalion, just east of Vendelles.

Early in the morning of the 13th of September they attacked the enemy’s position and during this advance Bertie’s platoon, in B Company, lost touch with the other platoons through following the retreating enemy. They advanced right through the wood before they realised the danger of being cut off from the other platoons by the enemy.

They had to fight their way back through the wood and during this Bertie suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his head.

He was admitted into the 12th Field Ambulance and 2 days later was transferred to the 41st Casualty Clearing Station at Proyart.

He was then transferred 140 kilometres and admitted into the 6th General Hospital in Rouen on the 16th.

He remained here until the 23rd of October when he was discharged from hospital and marched into the AIBD in Harfleur, near Le Havre and was still here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November 1918.

Bertie rejoined his Battalion eight days later who were in their billets at Fresnoy-le-Grand

The Battalion then made their way to Dinant, via Saint-Aubin, arriving on the 16th of December.

Christmas Day 1918 was spent here and they were provided fresh mutton chops for breakfast. For dinner they had soup, roast meat and 3 varieties of vegetables, plum pudding with rum sauce.

They were also given 160 litres of beer per company and a double issue of rum. By this time the Battalion consisted of 27 Officers and 602 other ranks, which would have equalled approximately 1 litre of beer each.

They remained at Dinant for all of January and February preparing for their demobilization and return to Australia. They then moved to Sart Eustache, via Denee on the 7th of March.

Bertie gained 2 weeks leave to England on the 27th of March and when he returned to his Battalion they had moved onto Aiseau.

On the 10th of May, Bertie and the remainder of the Battalion marched out for their embarkation back to England.    

They embarked for Southampton on the 20th of May, disembarking the following day and were posted to No.4 Group in Hurdcott, awaiting embarkation back to Australia.

Bertie finally embarked for Australia on board the City of Exeter on the 12th of July 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 22nd of August.

Bertie returned to Macclesfield and on Friday the 12th of September a welcome home social was held in the Macclesfield Institute for Bertie, Lance Corporal BWJ BLUNDEL and Private WS SMITH.

The residents presented them with a leather wallet and a gold medal was presented to them by the Macclesfield Football Club.

Bertie was discharged on the 14th of September 1919 and awarded the British War & Victory Medals.

Bertie gained work as a railway employee and married Alma Blanche MURPHY on the 25th of February 1922 in the St James Catholic Church, Macclesfield, SA.

Alma was the daughter of Michael MURPHY & Hannah Jane GRAY and was born on the 24th of August 1897 in Macclesfield, SA.

Their marriage created quite a stir in the small town as Alma was a devote Catholic and Bertie was of Church of England religion.

Before her marriage, Alma was a school teacher and taught at Narrung in 1918, before being transferred to Flaxley Public School in 1919 and to Coomandook the following year.

On the 3rd of April 1923 Bertie purchased allotment 82 in Macclesfield. This allotment is located on the south corner of Sturt & Cunliffe Street (now 15 Cunliffe Street) and was his grandfather’s, Henry WEBB.

Bertie was then transferred to Coomandook Railway Siding as a packer and he leased his home in Macclesfield to his uncle; Thomas Henry ROSS.

They welcomed their first son; Raymond Alfred, on the 12th of April 1924. Alma came home to her mother and gave birth to him in the Mt Barker Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

Alan William was then born on the 9th of April 1928 in the Mt Barker Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

Whilst at Coomandook, Bertie played cricket for the Amalgamated Pastime Club.

Sadly, Alma died on the 7th of May 1934 in the Adelaide Hospital, following an operation. Her funeral left her mother’s residence, Mrs H J MURPHY of Macclesfield and she was buried in the Macclesfield Cemetery; Fence Graves, Plot 507A.

After Alma’s death Raymond remained with Bertie in Coomandook and attended the Coomandook Siding School.

Alan was sent back to Macclesfield to be raised by his paternal step grandmother, Harriet (Tottie) ROSS and attended the Macclesfield Public School.

In the 1939 bush fire Bertie’s little house in Macclesfield was gutted. Luckily, his uncle Thomas was rescued from the burning home by Mrs T Brennan, who pulled her dress over her head to shield her face from the flames.

With the outbreak of WW2, Bertie enlisted into the 8th Battalion SA, C Company, Volunteer Defence Corps on the 18th of April 1942 in Coomandook, SA and was allotted the service number S74409.

He listed his son; Raymond Alfred Ross, of Coomandook SA, as his next of kin.

The 8th Battalion was based in Murray Bridge and were charged with defending the Bridge.

The following month Raymond enlisted into the RAAF and was given the service number 48574.

Raymond was based at 2 BAGS (Bomber & Gunnery School), in Pt Pirie and whilst here he met Miss Ida May COLLINS. Whilst on leave from Ascot Vale on the 11th of March 1944, Raymond married Ida in the Central Methodist Mission in Pt Pirie.

Raymond later served with 82 Squadron in Bankstown and then 78 Squadron in Moratai and Tarakan.

Bertie was discharged on the 4th of October 1945 because of the disbandment of his corps.

By 1946 Alan was married with a child and living in Tailem Bend and was employed as a Youth Porter with the S.A.R (South Australian Railways).

On the 16th of April 1946 Alan enlisted and was allotted the service number SX500325 and posted to the 1st Signal Training Battalion at Balcome Camp on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. Alan only served in Australia.

Raymond was discharged from the RAAF on the 18th of March 1946 and Alan was discharged on the 26th of February 1947.

In 1947 Raymond was the bridegroom at his uncles wedding, when Bernard Murphy married Nell Barnett in the St James Catholic Church, Macclesfield.

Bertie returned to Coomandook and then in 1952 he married Violet Caroline WALTERS nee FRY.

Violet was the daughter of Ephraim Charles FRY & Marcella JOHNSON and was born on the 13th of January 1900 in Woodside.

She was previously married to Herbert Kingswell Wills WALTERS.

They had lived at 18 Bishop’s Place, Kensington and Herbert had died in the Adelaide Hospital on the 19th of August 1929.

After Bertie & Violet married they moved to 280 Churchill Road Prospect in 1953 and then in 1960 they moved back to Macclesfield, and lived in the new home where the old home once stood.

Bertie became a member of the Macclesfield RSL Sub Branch and was well known in the township for the beautiful roses he grew. Rodney McNamara would always comment on what beautiful roses he had, so he gave Rodney one of his roses, named “Peace”.

Bertie died on the 25th of June 1970 in Macclesfield and was buried in the Macclesfield Cemetery; Fence Grave, Plot 507B, next to his first wife, Alma.

His grave is still unmarked as of 19.04.2024, but this will be rectified shortly.

Violet died on the 25th of December 1988 in Lobethal and was buried in the Macclesfield Cemetery; Row 2, Plot 238, with her parents.