Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

EZRA GLASSON was the son of Thomas GLASSON & Lavinia LUKEY and was born on the 20th of October 1878 in Moonta, SA.

His father was born on the 29th of May 1842 in Crowan, Cornwall, England and was the son of Thomas GLASSON and Grace CLENZA.

His mother was born in 1845 in Breage, Cornwall, England.

Thomas & Lavinia had married in 1867 in Redruth, Cornwall.

Ezra had three elder siblings born in Redruth & Camborne, Cornwall; Minnie in 1868, Jane in 1870 and Arthur on the 24th of November 1872.

His parents and the 3 elder siblings immigrated to Australia on the “Duntrune” on the 26th of August 1876, arriving in Pt Adelaide on the 29th of November 1976.

The GLASSON family must have moved to Moonta shortly after they had arrived as his father gained employment in the Moonta Mines. Thomas had then been born into the family on the 28th of August 1877 in Moonta.

Ezra then gained another little sister; Lavinia Ethelwyn on the 6th of March 1882, Charles was then born on the 21st of May 1884 and then Cecil Percival was born on the 4th of September 1886.

His eldest sister Minnie married John Bartle MARTIN on the 14th of July 1887 at the residence of Mr William RENFREY in Moonta Mines.

By 1888 the GLASSON family had moved to Chapple Street, Convent Hill, in Broken Hill, NSW. His sister Minnie & her husband also moved at the same time to Broken Hill.

His elder sister Jane married Charles RICHARDS on the 23rd of May 1891 in their family home in Broken Hill and they made their home at 71 Mica Street, Broken Hill.

Just 7 days later his younger brother Charles died on the 1st of June 1891.

The GLASSON family were not in Broken Hill for long as his father then gained employment in the Great Boulder Mine in WA and most of the family moved to Boulder in 1895.

They made their home at 431 Hopkins Street.

Ezra became a miner like his father.

In 1898 his sister Lavinia married William John Langdon POLMEAR in Boulder.

On the 25th of September 1900 his father sustained serious injuries when he was working in a chute filled with cyanide refuse. A block of the earth came away on him; he was dug out but had sustained paralysis of his lower limbs. He lay in a critical condition for 4 weeks before he died of his injuries on the 29th of October 1900. The family buried him in the Old Boulder Cemetery. His probate went to Lavinia and it amounted to £400.

His brother Thomas married Emily Edith BARNES on the 1st of January 1901 in Broken Hill.

On the 9th of May 1903 his brother in-law, William John Langdon POLMEAR, who worked in the Perseverance Mine was working in a slope at the 300ft. level when a piece of stone weighing about a ton, fell from the roof and struck him on the back, and he was killed instantly.

On the 13th of October 1906 his widowed sister Lavinia remarried to Alfred Ernest BREHAUT in Boulder.

Ezra married Catherine Annie HARVEY in 1907 in Broken Hill and they made their home at 55a Hopkins Street, Boulder.

His brother Cecil married Jessie Eleanor MURRAY in 1910 in East Coolgardie.

In February 1913 Catherine returned to Broken Hill to visit her parents in Chloride Street.

Sadly whilst visiting her parents Catherine died in Broken Hill on the 26th of February 1913.

Ezra & Catherine never had children.

His Rheumatism however, did not prevent him from enlisting and at the age of 35, Ezra enlisted into the AIF on the 26th of January 1915 in Coolgardie, WA and was allotted the service number 1808.

He listed his mother of Boulder, as his next of kin.

The following day he boarded the train from Coolgardie to go into training camp at Blackboy Hill.

Ezra was appointed to the 16th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement on the 18th of March.

Ezra embarked from Fremantle on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on the 19th of April 1915.

He was taken on strength with the 16th Battalion at Gallipoli on the 17th of June 1915 and appointed to “A” Company.

From June to August Ezra and the 16th Battalion were heavily involved in establishing and defending the front line of the ANZAC beachhead, and in August the 4th Brigade attacked Hill 971. The hill was taken at great cost, although Turkish reinforcements forced the Australians to withdraw. The battalion served at ANZAC until they evacuation in December, disembarking on the 1st of January 1916 in Alexandria.

They moved onto Ismailia and whilst there Ezra suffered from Chronic Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and was hospitalized on the 26th of January 1916.

He rejoined his unit on the 10th of February.

While in Egypt the AIF expanded and was reorganized. The 16th Battalion was split and provided experienced soldiers for the 48th Battalion, but Ezra remained with the 16th Battalion.

Ezra’s brother Thomas enlisted into the 16th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement on the 15th of March 1916 and embarked on the 18th of July on board HMAT Seang Bee for training in England.

In June 1916 Ezra sailed for France and the Western Front and in July they were located at Bois Grenier, before being relieved by the 32nd Battalion and relocating to billets for specialized training at Toutencourt, Somme.

The Battalion's first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley in July 1916.

By August they had moved to Brickfields, near the front line and then onto the wire trench near Tara Gully.

By September they had completed more training and were back in the bloody trench warfare once again and in October they were located at Spoil Bank and Reninghelst before being releived.

They moved onto Pont Remy and were billeted in the village on the 27th of October.

During this time Ezra’s brother Thomas had embarked for France on the 14th of October.

Ezra must have got quite a surprise when his brother Thomas was taken on strength with the 16th Battalion on the 30th of October at Pont Remy and joined him.

They completed further training and attack practice at Picquigny and Ribemont and they also carried out railway maintenance at Mametz until the end of November 1916.

In December they spent 4 days in the front line trench at Flers before moving to Cardonette where they spent Christmas 1916.

From here they moved to Ribemont, Mametz and Dernancourt engaging in camp improvements such as duckboard levelling, drainage systems and hut building. They arrived at Townsville Huts on the 15th day of January 1917. 

February was then spent back in the front line at Flers before they were relieved and relocated to Albury Camp, Bazentine, on road duties.

In March they moved to Ribemont where they prepared for open warfare and by the end of the month they had moved back to Bazentine.

Following this they were moved to Beugnatre in early April and relieved the 49th Battalion in the First Defense System and then onto Noreuil by the 9th.

On the 11th of April they attacked the Hindenburg Line in the battle of Bullecourt.

Sadly on this day, it was the last time that Ezra would see his brother.

Thomas was killed in action on this day and his body was never recovered from the battlefield, to this day, he has no known grave.

Ezra and the remaining 16th Battalion were then moved to Ribemont billets and underwent reorganization and Musketry practices.

The death of his brother must have affected Ezra deeply as from now, Ezra started to go AWOL (absent without leave) with his first offence being on the 26th of May for 5 days. For this his pay was forfeited for 34 days.

The following month he was again AWOL for 3 days and forfeited 32 days pay.

Ezra was back in the front line in July and on the 4th of July was hospitalized with Trench Feet & Rheumatism. He was evacuated to England 9 days later and admitted to the Military Hospital in Fulham. He spent 3 weeks here before being transferred on the 9th of August to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield where he remained for a further 7 days.

He was then transferred to Montevideo Camp in Weymouth, but was again AWOL on the 30th of August and forfeited 2 days pay.

Ezra was then transferred to No.2 Australian Command Depot in Weymouth as he was still weak in his ankles, but 3 weeks later was transferred to No.4 Command Depot in Codford. From here he was transferred to the overseas training Brigade in Longbridge, Deverill.

In April 1918 he spent 2 months in the No.1 Australian Command Depot in Sutton Veny, suffering from Rheumatism and very swollen feet. Whilst here Ezra managed to go AWOL again fro another 2 days and was forfeited 7 days pay.

He rejoined his training Battalion, but in November, was again AWOL for 3 days and forfeited 6 days pay.

Ezra was finally invalid back to Australia and embarked from Liverpool on board the HMT Saxon, Ambulance Transport Ship, on the 11th of December.

He disembarked in Fremantle on the 26th of January 1919 and was admitted to the No.8 Australian General Hospital in Fremantle for a week with Rheumatism & a rapid heart rate.

Ezra was discharged on the 28th of March 1919.

Whilst Ezra was overseas his mother moved to Broken Hill to live with her daughter Jane (Mrs Richards, Ezra’s sister).

After the war Ezra did not return to mining. He moved to Wilson, near Hawker, SA and gained employment as a farm hand on a sheep station with Mr Walter Clare BARNES.

Wilson is one of the northernmost localities in South Australia. Wilson is just off the Kanyaka Creek, 14 kms from Hawker.

His sister Jane died on the 25th of January 1925, so Ezra’s mother Lavinia moved in with her granddaughter Mrs Ethel May JOHNS. She used to sleep on the front verandah and used to wander off down the street naked and the neighbors would bring her home.

His mother Lavinia died on the 30th of August 1925 in Broken Hill NSW and is buried in the Broken Hill Cemetery.

Ezra died on the 23rd of July 1930 in Wilson, SA and was buried in the Hawker Cemetery; Destitute, Plot 365E, burial number 273.

In March 1935 Ezra’s war medals and certificate of discharge were found in the Hawker Police Station and returned to the Military Base Records Department in Melbourne.