GITTOES, Reginald D 'Arcy
| Service Number: | 6810 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | 23 May 1893, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Nangus, Gundagai, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Brain Hemorrhage, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 19 April 1926, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
North Gundagai Cemetery, New South Wales |
| Memorials: | Gundagai War Memorial, Tumblong War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Port Nicholson embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 8 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion, SS Port Nicholson, Sydney | |
| 9 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion, WiA France: GSW forehead and eye; lost an eye | |
| 12 Mar 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion, embarked England via Durban for Melbourne on board HMAT Field Marshall | |
| 4 Jul 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6810, 1st Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
'One of Gundagai's soldier boys, Mr Reg Gittoes, has answered 'present' to the last great 'Roll Call' (The Tumut and Adelong Times; Tues 27 April 1926).
Private Reginald D'Arcy Gittoes (Service No:6810) enlisted in the AIF on 3 October 1916, and was attached to 1st Infantry Battalion on 8 November 1916 when he embarked with his Unit from Sydney for Devonport on board HMAT SS Port Nicholson. Private Gittoes served on the Western Front, where he was WiA at Paschendale on 4 October 1917 - GSW to forehead and eye, resulting in the loss of his eye. On 12 March 1918 Private Gittoes embarked from England for Melbourne via Durban on board HMAT Field Marshall, and was attached to 1st Infantry Battalion at Discharge on 4 July 1918. Son Gordon served in WWII.
Reg was born in Nangus via Gundagai, New South Wales in 1893, ninth of eleven children of George William Gittoes (b1851 at Spring Creek, New South Wales) and Agnes Mary Clemson (b1855 in Sydney, New South Wales. George was a Farmer at The Oaks in 1872 when he and Agnes married in Sydney. The couple settled at Nangus via Gundagai, where they raised their family, later moving to Tumblong via Adelong Crossing - George was a Grazier.
Reg was a Farmer at Tumblong via Adelong Crossing in 1913 when he enlisted in the AIF. Following his Discharge, Reg purchased land at the Tarrabandra Soldier Settlement via Gundagai, where he was a Farmer in 1922 when he was married in Adelong to Lily Myra Todd (b1899 in Adelong, New South Wales). In January 1925 bushfires destroyed 45 acres of Reg's wheat crop, grassland and fencing, and he and Lily moved with their son to Sydney later in the year. Reg was a Butcher in Sydny when he died in 1926 - 'Ever since the Great War Reg has not been himself and his friends could see him fading away' (Trove 1926). Following Reg's death, Lily returned to Adelong, later living in Canberra, Forbes and Sydney, where she raised her son and worked as a Hairdresser and Shop Assistant. Lily died in 1981.
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