S3751
FEIGE, Kurt Gerhard
| Service Number: | 682 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 August 1914, at Morphettville |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Eudunda, South Australia, Australia, 28 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Monash, Berri and Barmera, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Baker |
| Died: | Bowel Cancer, Berri, South Australia, 11 April 1954, aged 62 years |
| Cemetery: |
Berri Cemetery, S.A. |
| Memorials: | Curramulka Uniting Church WW1 Pictorial Roll of Honor , Curramulka War Memorial, Unley Wayville Honor Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 682, 10th Infantry Battalion, at Morphettville | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 682, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 682, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Driver, 682 |
Help us honour Kurt Gerhard Feige's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Glenunga International High School
Kurt Gerhart Feige was born in 1891 in Eudunda, South Australia. When he enlisted in 1914, he was an unmarried, 5”8, Australian born man who had worked as a baker, he had served a total of 12 months of military service, 6 months compulsory and 6 months as a junior cadet. From birth, he was a Christian who followed the Church of England, like many other Australian-born First World War servicemen.
Kurt Gerhart Feige enlisted on the 28th of August, 1914 in Morphettville, South Australia, about a month after the First World War started. His unit (10th Battalion) embarked to Egypt on the 20th of October 1914 onboard transport HMAT A11 Ascanius. On arrival to Egypt, his unit was trained for the invasion of Gallipoli.
The 10th Infantry Battalion under the 1st Australian Division first served during the Gallipoli Campaign after their training in Egypt. The Australians, along with numerous New Zealand, British and French forces, attempted to take the Dardanelles straight from the Ottoman Empire during 1915. Australia’s role was to provide tens of thousands of men so the operation could be successful.
Kurt Gerhart Feige served as a Private with the 10th Battalion, AIF and was wounded at the landing at Gallipoli. He was evacuated and after recovering, was remustered from Private to Driver WEF 19 APR 16. He served as a Driver under the 1st motor transport section for the remainder of the war
These units were crucial to bringing supplies up for the soldiers at the front, however, they most likely would have fought alongside frontline units at other times. The 10th Battalion also served during the Egypt campaigns against the Ottomans fighting along the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula. Australians were often used in the Mediterranian theatre as the warmer climate suited the Australians better than the French, British and Canadians. His unit also served along the Western Front in Pozieres, the Somme, Amiens and then the German Kaiserschlacht Offensive. All Australian soldiers at the time were issued with British Lee-Enfields of different variants and it is highly likely that my soldier would have used one in combat. Kurt Gerhart Feige received the British 1914-1915 star medal which was awarded to all Commonwealth combat units who fought between 1914 and 1915. He was also awarded the British War Medal for his service during the First World War and finally awarded the British Victory Medal for campaign service with the British Empire.
Just before the war ended Kurt Gerhart Feige left aboard the Kaisar-i-hind on the 8th of October 1918 from Taranto, Italy. On the 2nd of December 1918, he disembarked from Melbourne just in time for Christmas. Then on the 31st of January, he was officially discharged from the military. His war records are stored in the Australian War Memorial Archive. Later, on the 12th of April, 1954 he passed away aged 62. He is now buried in Berri Cemetery, South Australia.
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