Edmund Osborn MILNE OBE, DSO, MiD

MILNE, Edmund Osborn

Service Numbers: Officer, NX227
Enlisted: 17 September 1914, Marrickville, New South Wales
Last Rank: Colonel
Last Unit: Railway Supply Detachment
Born: Bundanoon, New South Wales, Australia, 8 November 1886
Home Town: Orangeville, Wollondilly, New South Wales
Schooling: Goulburn Public School and Cleveland Street Public School New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Railway Traffic Inspector
Died: Natural Causes, Concord Repatriation Hospital, Concord, New South Wales, Australia, 11 April 1963, aged 76 years
Cemetery: Rookwood Cemetery & Crematorium
Cremated
Memorials: Goulburn District Railway Employees Great War Honour Roll, Orange Methodist Church WWI Roll of Honor, Orange WW1 Honour Board
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World War 1 Service

17 Sep 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Marrickville, New South Wales
19 Dec 1914: Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, Railway Supply Detachment,

--- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: ''

19 Dec 1914: Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Officer, Railway Supply Detachment, HMAT Berrima, Sydney
13 Mar 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Major, Railway Supply Detachment
3 Jun 1916: Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
14 Jul 1919: Discharged AIF WW1

World War 2 Service

9 Dec 1939: Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Colonel, NX227
11 Jul 1940: Honoured Officer of the Order of the British Empire
16 Nov 1944: Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), NX227

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Biography

FOUR times Mentioned in Despatches, Awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and Awarded the French Croix de Guerre. In WW2 Awarded an OBE

"Edmund Osborn Milne (1886-1963), railway official and soldier, was born on 8 November 1886, at Bundanoon, New South Wales, son of Edmund Milne, railway stationmaster (later deputy chief commissioner), and his wife Emily, née Cork. Educated at Goulburn, he joined the New South Wales Government Railways in 1901 as a probationer in his father's office. He shared a number of his father's interests and was active in ambulance work and rifle-shooting, becoming a lieutenant in the rifle club reserves of the military forces. After joining the railways head office staff in Sydney he became active in the Railway Institute, editing its monthly journal, Budget. He and his father wrote in 1906 The Australian Transcontinental Railway Problem.

In December 1910 Milne was commissioned lieutenant in the Australian Intelligence Corps as railway representative. On 22 September 1914 he enlisted as a lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force from Harden, where he was traffic inspector, and raised the 1st Railway Supply Detachment which embarked for Egypt in December. He was promoted captain in March 1915 and appointed railway transport officer in Cairo in May. His detachment was sent to Gallipoli to operate a light railway intended to connect inland positions with the beach but the short length of track laid along the foreshore never operated. His unit was employed in off-loading and distributing water, rations and medical comforts. In November he was temporarily appointed major and principal supply officer at Anzac in charge of the Army Corps Reserve Supply Depot and next month took command of the 11th Company, Australian Army Service Corps.

After the A.I.F. withdrew to Egypt, Milne became involved in light railway operations at Tel-el-Kebir, Ferry Post, Serapeum and Ismailia. In March 1916 he was appointed senior supply officer with the 4th Divisional Train and promoted major substantively. Awarded the Distinguished Service Order in June, he was mentioned in dispatches in July and in January 1917. Next July he was made deputy assistant quartermaster general of the 4th Division, transferring in September to the same appointment on 1st Australian Corps Headquarters. He was again mentioned in dispatches in December 1917 and December 1918. On 11 August 1918 Milne's sword was used by King George V to invest the corps commander, Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, with his knighthood.." - READ  MORE  LINK (adb.anu.edu.au)

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