Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Mortimer Ey was born in Gladstone, South Australia on December 10th, 1888. In his earlier years, he attended Flinders Street Public School, Adelaide, South Australia. After going to school, Mortimer began to work a steady job as a farm labourer, harvesting and tending to animals. Mortimer lived a stable life as a Protestant in East Parade, Kensington, South Australia with his mother, Mrs. H. Hodgson. His exact address was 496 Victoria Road, Osborn SA 5017. He had a close relationship with his parents and his sister ( next of kin) Mrs Leopold. It subsequently emerged he was married to Sarah Ey. He had no military experience before the war.

Mortimer Ey enlisted at Oaklands, South Australia, in 15/12/14. Once enlisted, he embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A54 Runic on 19 February 1915. He must have received minimal training in Egypt because he arrived on Gallipoli on 7/5/15. He was taken off the peninsula sick on 23/8/15 and missed the rest of the campaign.

He went with the 10th Battalion to France, landing at Marseilles on 3/4/16. He fought with the 10th at Pozières and was wounded at Mouquet Farm on 21/8/16, suffering from shell shock. Over the following year and a half he was repeatedly ill and was twice absent without leave for days at a time. On the second occasion, in August 1918 he was court martialled for desertion. He was found not guilty of desertion but was convicted of being A.W.L. and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour (I.H.L.). This sentence was suspended.

Mortimer boarded a ship to return to Australia on 14/12/18 and was discharged on 14/4/19. EY Mortimer received the following medals for his service in the war: 

·       British War Medal

·       Victory Medal

·       Completion Medal

 He would have felt a mixture of feelings when he got back from the war. He would have felt happy to see his family, but most of all, probably traumatised, as he would have seen many horrible things.  When he arrived back home, it was more than likely that he would have had some time off to relax, before continuing his job as a farmer. He would have returned back to his home at 496 Victoria Road, Osborn to his mother. Sadly, EY Mortimer died on September the 22nd 1968. His body can be found at the Cheltenham cemetery in Adelaide South Australia.

Through his life, we can gather that EY Mortimer was a great man who expressed the qualities of a true ANZAC by serving his country through enlisting and fighting in the war. By doing this, he put his life on the line and gave up his free and comfortable life as a farmer to serve a greater cause, with no guarantee he would come back. Though it is not proven, it is likely that he showed ANZAC values like supporting his team during such a terrifying and dangerous time.