SCHADEL, Ernest John
| Service Number: | 2228 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 April 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Nowra, New South Wales, Australia, May 1893 |
| Home Town: | Bellambi, Wollongong, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway porter |
| Died: | Killed in action, Gallipoli, Turkey, 7 August 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Corrimal War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Nowra Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2228, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 2228, 3rd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Karoola embarkation_ship_number: A63 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 2228, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Karoola, Sydney |
Help us honour Ernest John Schadel's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Private Ernest Schadel (Service no. 2228) was one of three brothers in his family to enlist. Only one brother returned, and he was then a decorated veteran. Ernest was born in Nowra in May 1893 and was a 22-year-old working as a railway porter at Bellambi at the time of enlistment.
He embarked with 6th Reinforcements 3rd Battalion during June 1915. Ernest arrived on Gallipoli on 4 August 1915 just in time for the battle of Lone Pine.
At some stage during the bloody hand to hand fighting Ernest was killed in action between 7/12 August 1915 and has no known grave.
A mate who was at Lone Pine with him said he worked with Schadel at Corrimal, NSW, before enlisting. He knew Ernie well and described him as “dark, short and thick set, with a bright cheery manner and was known as ‘Ernie’ to all”. He could shed no light on Ernest’s fate.
Ernest’s older brother, 1661 Cpl. George Edward Schadel, 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment was killed in action near Jerusalem in modern day Israel on 14 July 1918, aged 29.
A younger brother, Captain William Herbert Schadel M.C. 45th Battalion, enlisted in 1914 as a 19-year-old private and ended the war as decorated infantry Captain.
Ernest was reported as missing at Lone Pine, like many other Australians. The families of these men had to endure long periods of uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones. This story which appeared in the Illawarra Mercury during late October 1915, is typical of the faulty information and inaccuracies which were recorded.
“News that has caused great concern and sorrow in the town has been circulated around that Private Ernie Schadel has been found dead at Gallipoli. As far as can be ascertained, the news has not been officially received by his relatives and we sincerely trust that it is unfounded and that young Schadel is still alive and well. He was reported missing some weeks back, but was subsequently found and taken to a hospital, where he was supposed to have been seen by his brother and a friend, John Riordan, but the report states that he had recovered and had gone back to the firing line, where he was again missed, and found dead a few days after. Young Schadel was on the staff at the local railway station, and was very popular with the public, being very obliging and attentive to the interests of the public.”
In fact, no one had seen Schadel since the day he went into battle, and it was November 1916 before news reached Sydney of the confirmation of his death.
The Schadel brothers also lost a brother-in-law in 1917, 1317 Pte. William Henry Beattie 2nd Battalion AIF, killed in action during 1917, was married to a sister.
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