Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

He served under the assumed name of Roger, which may have been his nickname which he used, and it is also mentioned at the time of his death. He was born Hubert De Burgh Dillon and he was the son of Hubert De Burgh Dillon and Alice Kate Fitzpatrick. He had served 7 years with the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery, and he was still serving and stationed on Thursday Island when war was declared. He enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force on 7th June 1915 incorrectly giving his birth year as 1891. He embarked overseas with the Siege Artillery Brigade on 17th July 1915, and he served in France from 27th February 1916 with the 55th Battery. Roger was wounded in action on 6th February 1917, and he was admitted into the 1st South African Ambulance with multiple gunshot wounds to his legs. He was evacuated to the 7th Canadian General Hospital at Etaples, France where his left leg was amputated below the knee on 12th February. He was transferred to the King George Hospital in London, and while recovering he was charged on 1st June with being absent without leave from hospital and he forfeited 48 days’ pay. He was returned to Australia on 16th December 1917 where he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force as permanently unfit for further service. He married Elizabeth Violet Ruth Morris on 3rd November 1919 at Hamilton, New South Wales. It appears he, and other members of his Siege Artillery detachment were unhappy that they never qualified for the 1914-15 Star. He actively campaigned to the authorities to no avail, stating they were serving members on Thursday Island when war commenced, plus they landed in England on 5th August 1915, and he believed they should have qualified. One of these letters in his service records he signs as ex 358 Gnr R. Dillon, Siege Bge Arty, 10 years’ Service and one leg. Sadly, Hubert passed away from pneumonia on his way back to his family from Sydney in 1927.