ROSS, Donald
| Service Number: | 1753 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 January 1916, Bathurst, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, 1888 |
| Home Town: | Campbelltown, Mount Alexander, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Campbelltown State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , Bathurst, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 7 Aug 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , Battle for Pozières , SW to left shoulder. Evacuated to ARS. Rejoined unit 12 August 1916. | |
| 27 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , Mouquet Farm | |
| 19 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1753, 45th Infantry Battalion , 'The Winter Offensive' - Flers/Gueudecourt winter of 1916/17 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Donald Ross, (Service Number 1753) was born in Glasgow, Scotland about June 1888. He worked for the Railways on the Cullerin to Jerrawa Duplication and Deviation. The address he gave on enlistment was Gemalla.
He enlisted at Bathurst on 26th January 1916, giving his mother, Georgina Munro of Campbelltown, Victoria, as his next of kin. Ross left Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 14th April 1916 and in May reached Egypt where he was taken on the strength of the 45th Battalion. He left Alexandria for passage through Marseilles, where he passed on 8th June, to France and the Western Front. In August he was wounded with shrapnel to his left shoulder, but this have been slight for he re-joined the Battalion only five days later.
Ross was killed in action on 19th November 1916. Pte. J P Rose (5451) stated:
‘He was killed at Gueudecourt on November 19th by shrapnel while inspecting a stranded Tank. He was a great man for machinery and was examining the Tank when Fritz shelled it. He was killed outright.’
G E Bolling (1611) reported that Ross had gone:
‘out to have a look at a tank and to collect souvenirs when a shell killed him on the spot.’
Although his body was retrieved and buried nearby, the location was later lost, and he has no known grave. He is remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.