GARTRELL, Glanville
| Service Number: | 7749 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Australian General Hospital |
| Born: | Orange, New South Wales, Australia, 25 June 1895 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Unknown, 25 June 1979, aged 84 years, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Queensland Garden Of Remembrance (Pinnaroo) |
| Memorials: | Dubbo Wesley Uniting Church WW1 Roll of Honour, Orange WW1 Honour Board, Queensland Garden of Remembrance (Pinnaroo), Qld, Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7749, 1st Australian General Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 7749, 1st Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 7749, 1st Australian General Hospital, HMAT Port Lincoln, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Biography for Glanville Gatrell- 7749
EARLY LIFE
Glanville Gartrell was born on June 25, 1895, in Orange, New South Wales, Australia(1).He was born to Edwin and Jane Gatrell who had 5 sons and 5 daughters(2).Edwin spent most of his life in Sydney, where Gatrell grew up playing baseball. Edwin was well known for his work as a baker and pastry cook.(3).Gatrell attended Sydney Technical High School where his academic standards were quite low established in his 1911 school report(4)
Subsequently due to his academic performance he left school in 1914 attained a spot in the 31st Infantry.The 31st Infantry was part of the pre war military units providing Gatrell with prior military experience before his involvement in the Australian Imperial Force(5).
July 5th 1915 aged 20 Gatrell enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force unit 1st Australian General Hospital.During that time he attended the 31st Infantry, ‘when training was completed, civilians become soldiers(7).In the eyes of the army they therefore had become ‘men ’, following his embarkation from Melbourne Victoria on board HMAT A67 Orsova on 12th November 1915.The boat spent 6 weeks sailing between Australia and the Middle East.The HMAT A67 recorded the voyages where it expressed a sense of life abroad including amusements and church services despite all the ecstasy there were lists of soldiers hospitalized for injuries and infections.Specifically Orsova would have first headed to Egypt where Gatrell were being assembled and trained before being sent to the Western Front .(8)
DURING WAR AND SERVICE
Glanville Gatrell held the rank of Private.Glanville was on the frontline performing basic duties,carrying out essential tasks and participating in combat.Privates were the backbone of the military force,the rank had little authority.The primary role of a Private is to follow orders contributing to the overall mission.(9)Gatrell was a member of the 12th Field Ambulance which was part of the Australian Army Medical Corps and was responsible for providing medical support and evacuation services to wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Field ambulances were mobile units that offered first aid, treatment, and transportation of casualties from the front lines to more advanced medical facilities.As a Private in World War 1 Glanville faced numerous obstacles that impacted physical and emotional wellbeing.Gatrell often found himself in the nature of trench warfare where he got stuck in muddy and unsanitary conditions moreover he was exposed to dangerous diseases such as trench foot(10).Gatrell unfortunately got injured was invalided back to Australia this information was sent to Edwin Gatrell by a cablegram
LIFE AFTER WAR
He returned to Australia on January 25 1914 due to his injury (11). Gatrell found a job as a clerk during that time and married Liliam Mason in Petersham in NSW 1922. Unfortunately they had no kids to succeed their heir. Shortly after getting married his mother died in 1935 aged 71. In 1940 Glanville Gatrell was t promoted to the Third Division Finance Branch where he earned up to 468 pounds(12). For his service, Gatrell’s name was added to the First World War Honour Board at Sydney Technical High School, built in 1917 by Mr Humprey who was a woodwork teacher .This roll of honor is currently at Sydney Technical High School in a excellent condition (13).
Glanville passed away on June 25, 1979 and is commemorated with a plaque in the Queensland Garden of Remembrance.
Bibliography
Anonymous Glanville Gatrell 1895-1979 Honor Board Project Document 3
Anonymous Glanville Gatrell 1895-1979 Virtual Archives Research Links
Anonymous Glanville Gatrell 1895-1979 National Archives of Australia 20 Oct 1914 - 31 Dec 1920
‘Denis Winter Death’s Men Soldiers of the Great War’ Chapter 6 Trench
Anonymous Trove Glanville Gatrell Newspaper Source Sydney Morning Herald
‘Denis Winter Death’s Men Soldiers of the Great War’ chapter 8 strain of the trench warfare
Australian Government Defense British War Medal 1914-1920
References
1 Anonymous Virtual War Memorial 1895-1979 Glanville Gatrell
2.Virtual War Memorial( https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/188387)
3 Ibid
4 Ibid
5 Ibid
6 ‘Denis Winter Death’s Men Soldiers of the Great War’ Chapter 8 Trench Warfare and Chapter 4 Training of the officers
7.Ibid
8.HMAT a67 Orsova (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2124969) Australian War Memorial.
9 National Army Museum (Privates) https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/british-army-ranks
10.Ibid
11.Trove Glanville Gatrell Sydney Morning Herald 1842-1954
12.Anonymous Glanville Gatrell Department Of Treasury Victoria 12th May 1949
13.Anonymous Virtual War Memorial WW1` Roll of Honour Sydney Technical High School 1917 Mr Humprey
14. Ibid