FAHY, Michael Patrick
| Service Number: | 3420 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 September 1914, No 2 Squadron 15th ALH 15 months, 4th Bn Regiment 12 months |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 4th Motor Transport Company |
| Born: | Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, 26 October 1883 |
| Home Town: | Ipswich, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Engine driver |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 26 December 1945, aged 62 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 7 |
| Memorials: | Ipswich Men and Women of Ipswich WW1 Roll of Honour, Toowoomba Queensland Railways Toowoomba Employees Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 3420, 1st Divisional Ammunition Column, No 2 Squadron 15th ALH 15 months, 4th Bn Regiment 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Driver, 3420, 1st Divisional Ammunition Column, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Driver, 3420, 1st Divisional Ammunition Column, HMAT Borda, Melbourne | |
| 24 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Gunner, 3420, 4th Motor Transport Company, 5th Division Motor Transport Company |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Australian World War One veteran Private Michael Patrick Fahy (Service No. 3420), is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with a plaque in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 15 April 2023, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Michael Patrick Fahy was born on 26 October 1883 in Ipswich, Qld, to Martin Fahy and Ellen Fahy (nee Marsh).
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane on 28 September 1914 aged 30, stating his occupation as engine driver and naming his father Martin as his next of kin. On 22 December 1914, he embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Borda from Melbourne.
He joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, seeing early service during the Gallipoli campaign. Shortly after arrival, he experienced illness and was evacuated through Malta to England, where he was treated before returning to duty. His service was marked by multiple hospitalizations for illnesses including pleurisy and conjunctivitis, which led to periods of evacuation and recovery, but he consistently returned to active duty.
By early 1916 he was back in Egypt at Serapeum, where he was posted to the 4th Division Artillery. He subsequently embarked for France, disembarking at Marseilles in June 1916, and joined the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front.
Throughout his service in France, Fahy was transferred between several units, including the 11th Field Artillery Brigade and later the Australian Army Service Corps, reflecting the fluid manpower needs of the AIF during the war. He undertook logistical and transport roles essential to supporting front-line operations. In 1917 he was granted leave to the United Kingdom before returning to his unit.
Later that year he transferred to the 5th Australian Divisional Supply Column and, at his own request, reverted to the rank of Private. In 1918 he was reassigned within divisional transport units before embarking for return to Australia later that year aboard transport vessels via the Middle East. After more than three years of overseas service he was discharged, having contributed to the sustained logistical and operational efforts of the Australian Imperial Force.
Following the war, he continued working as an engine driver, and by 1937 he was recorded as residing in Toowoomba, still employed in that occupation.
Private Michael Patrick Fahy died on 26 December 1945, aged 62, and was buried in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He was unmarried with no known children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity has now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
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