GREENHALGH, Edwin
| Service Number: | 2428 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Singleton, New South Wales, Australia, 4 March 1891 |
| Home Town: | Singleton, Northumberland, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 July 1916, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rue-David Military Cemetery, Fleurbaix |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Singleton War Memorial, Warkworth Public School Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2428, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 1915: | Involvement Private, 2428, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Jul 1915: | Embarked Private, 2428, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orsova, Sydney | |
| 28 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2428, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Served on Gallipoli from 28/8/15 to 19/12/15 | |
| 3 Jul 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2428, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2428 awm_unit: 3 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-03 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by David Greenhalgh
Ted Greenhalgh worked on the land near Singleton NSW when he enlisted at the age of 24. His diary and correspondence to his family, which can be found in the AWM (ref:MSS1647) show a very calm and laconic approach to the war.
A good example is his diary entry for 14/7/1915: "Leaves Liverpool for the front, arrives in Sydney at 7 o'clock, marches to the boat, leaves", which is a remarkably understated account of that experience.
He served for four months on Gallipoli, during which his diary records some near misses, merely stating the fact with no comment. He entered the firing line at Sailly, France, on 21/4/1916, and his diary again records some close encounters with German shells. However, he remained unscathed until being killed by an artillery barrage at Fleurbaix in the early hours of 3/7/1916.
His letters and diary are so matter of fact that it is hard to get a feel for his personality. After the war, his mother engaged in a long correspondence with the army about his rank; they finally conceded that he had been promoted to lance-corporal, though the headstone on his grave says "Private" to this day.
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