SHERRIN, Edwin Charles
| Service Number: | 926 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, 14 February 1895 |
| Home Town: | Zeehan, West Coast, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 6 May 1917, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Strand Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium Plot 6 Row A |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 926, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 926, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart | |
| 6 May 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 926, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 926 awm_unit: 40th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-05-06 |
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Edwin enlisted at Claremont on 15/3/16. His brothers Gilbert and Cyril also enlisted at Claremont on 10/3/16 and 16/3/16, respectively. The three brothers were all to join the 40th Battalion, which was composed solely of Tasmanians. Edwin was in "C" Company. His older brother Allan Edward Sherrin, had already enlisted the previous year in May and had served at Gallipoli in the 15th Infantry Battalion. At the time Edwin enlisted, Allan was training with the 4th Pioneer Battalion in Egypt, prior to serving on the Western Front.
Edwin and his brothers embarked from Hobart on "Berrima" on 1/7/16, arrived at Devonport, UK on 22/8/16. They trained at Lark Hill on Salisbury Plain for several months. From there, they proceeded to France from Southampton on 23/11/16. They were billeted near Bailleul.
On 2/12/16 they marched and occupied city of Armentierres as reserve battalion of the 10th Brigade. They were not involved in major battles during the first few months, but there were casualties from snipers. Edwin appears to have been one of these.
Edwin's older brothers Gilbert and Cyril were wounded on different occasions during the first few months in France. Gilbert returned to battle soon after his initial wound in December. Cyril received a head wound in April and returned to Australia. Gilbert was wounded a second time in April and spent 6 months in England recouperating until returning to battle in October. Gilbert remained in France throughout the war, as did Allan. Another older brother, Henry, who was 43 on enlistment, spend 1917-19 in England, as a Private and Lance Corporal at No. 2 Command Depot in Weymouth.
There are no details about the wounds received by Edwin on 5th May 1917. He died of his wounds the next day. The place was recorded as the 9th Australian Field Ambulance, France.The 40th battalion War Diary for 27/4/17 states that the company crossed the River Lys into Belgium and occupied a support position in the defenses of Ploegsteert Wood (just behind the frontline at St Yves). The day after Edwin was shot, the Battalion moved forward and relieved the 39th Battalion in the frontline trenches immediately south of the River Douvre in the sector known as St Yves. Edwin's father, Frederick Sherrin, wrote several times to the War Office searching for further information regarding Edwin's death, but no information is in the War Museum's online records.
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