KIRWIN, Dick
| Service Number: | 2833 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 42nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Normanton, Queensland, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Normanton, Carpentaria, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fireman |
| Memorials: | Normanton Carpentaria Shire Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2833, 42nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 2833, 42nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 2833, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Sydney |
Indigenous Australian Dick (Richard) Kirwin
Indigenous Australian, Dick (Richard) KIRWIN, 42nd Infantry Battalion
Dick KIRWIN, [also Kerwin] was born in Normanton, in 1892 and was employed as a fireman with the railways, before enlisting 6 October 1916; he named a friend, Sarah Bell as his next of kin.
Kirwin was assigned to the 6th Reinforcements for the 42nd Infantry Battalion and after initial training at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera, he embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Demosthenes bound for England and France.
In July 1917 he joined the Battalion when they were being billeted in Belgium. While serving with the 42nd in France in September 1918, Kirwin was severely wounded in his left arm and invalided to hospital in England. He was repatriated to Australia in December 1918, and discharged medically unfit.
Kirwin having gained his exemption from the 'Aboriginals Protection Act, 1897' meant that he was free to marry Topsy Hudson in 1924, and gain employment away from Aboriginal reserves.
In 1939 he was working as a stockman for the vast pastoral station Van Rook, 140 km north of Normanton; he died in November 1953, age 60.
Submitted 24 January 2021 by Lynette Turner
Click images to start slideshow.