POTTS, Lawrence Selby
| Service Number: | 4629 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 24th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Langhorne Creek, South Australia, 14 August 1889 |
| Home Town: | Langhorne Creek, Alexandrina, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 11 April 1961, aged 71 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 9 |
| Memorials: | Langhorne Creek Brinkley District WW1 Roll of Honour, Langhorne Creek WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4629, 32nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 4629, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 4629, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Adelaide | |
| 27 Feb 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 4629, 24th Machine Gun Company, Medically unfit |
Help us honour Lawrence Selby Potts's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Private Lawrence (Lawrie) Selby Potts (Service No. 4629), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 20 September 2025, along with a further 161 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Lawrence Selby Potts was born on 14 August 1889 in Langhorne Creek, South Australia, to Edward Potts and Hanorah Potts (née McDonald). He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Adelaide, South Australia, on 18 October 1916, aged 27 years, stating his occupation as a farm labourer and nominating his father as next of kin. On 16 December 1916, he embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Berrima from Adelaide.
Potts disembarked at Devonport, United Kingdom, in February 1917. His record shows that he was admitted to hospital suffering from medical conditions that ultimately rendered him unfit for further active service. On 12 February 1918, Lawrence returned to Australia aboard HMAT Persic. A medical board subsequently determined that he was medically unfit for further duty, and he was formally discharged on 27 February 1918. His discharge was classified as “medically unfit (not due to misconduct).” In total, he served 1 year and 133 days, including 1 year and 59 days overseas.
Following his discharge, Lawrence led an itinerant life, similar to many returned servicemen during the Great Depression and the years that followed. In 1932 he was residing at the Freemasons Hotel in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. By 1934 he was living in Griffith, New South Wales, working as a labourer. In 1941 he was employed as a station hand in the Thargomindah district within Bulloo Shire, Queensland.
In 1952, Lawrie wrote to Army Base Records seeking a replacement discharge certificate. Describing himself as “burnt out and nearly blind,” he required the documentation to support an application for a service pension. By 1954 he was residing at the Gladstone Hotel in Cunnamulla, Queensland.
Private Lawrence Selby Potts died on 11 April 1961, aged 71, and was buried in Anzac Portion 9, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. Lawrie was a single man with no known children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget
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