Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son, Father, Husband, Friend, Uncle, Soldier. Henry Gordon Brooks, a man of many roles, was born on the 25th of November 1880. Henry had a medium complexion with  blue eyes and chestnut brown hair. His Mother, Jane, Nee Gordon, and Father, Samuel Steven Brooks, devoted their lives to Henry until he met his beloved wife Georgina Clara Brooks. They had two sons and a daughter. Henry describes his eldest son  as to be “unmannered and a little gauche.” Although Henry held this concern for his son, it did not stop him from guiding him along the path of life. Indeed, it only brought them closer. According to Mr. Brooks’s enlistment forms he was employed as first a railway worker, then a boot maker and previously a railway worker before he enlisted in the military.

Brooks devoted his life to his country in May of 1917, when he bravely enlisted into the military, joining the AIF medical corp. From June until October, Henry began his training and learnt how to provide support for his fellow soldiers. He was taught to administer first aid techniques, such as, clearing airways and staunching blood from wounds. On the first of October, Brooks embarkedset off on the HMAT Aeneas 160 and embarked on his journey. He boarded in Melbourne and arrived in Devonport, England, on the 26th of December, after an icy journey. As the trip was long, many soldiers found hobbies. Brooks took a liking to photography and made use of it by photographing the many astonishing sights he saw along his journey, such as the Panama canals and the Melbourne port.     

Although Mr. Brooks was not a front-line combat soldier, he endured equal risks as he was commonly required to retrieve injured bodies in person from the battlefield. He spent the majority of his time serving in the western front and, additionally, in Devonport, where he began his military experience. Henry’s’ outstanding efforts were recognized in the battle of Passchendaele as he tirelessly rescued, and salvaged, hundreds of soldiers’ lives by courageously transporting them from the fields of the battle to casualty clearing stations and hospitals. Bodies Mr. Brooks handled were viciously battered and bruised, therebyfore showcasing his outstanding efforts in salvaging his fellow soldiers’ lives. 

In the late war, Henry was unfortunately maimed by an unknown form of artillery and lost two of the fingers on his left hand. He was treated and given short term leave, then, shortly after, Henry was, sent back into the fields and continued being an ambulance.

On the 1st October 1919, he was discharged. 

In late November, Henry returned back to Adelaide from the horrors of World War 1 and was at last reunited with his family.  Georgina and the children were filled with joy when he arrived. As with many soldiers, Henry’s transition back to civilian life was complex and challenging. Lingering mental and physical scars from battle were constant reminders to him of the brutal realities he had endured. Returning back to routine and lifestyle was no easy task as he was diagnosed with melancholia (severe depression) and PTSD, as found in the majority of the returning soldiers. These illnesses continued to affect Mr. Brooks’ life until he unfortunately passed away on the 2nd of May, 1952. Henry Gordon Brooks is buried in the Cheltenham cemetery in Port Adelaide, Enfield. His memorial lies in Unley town hall, placed upon the World War 1 Honour Board.