Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Described on enlisting as 21 years 3 months old; single; 5' 3 3/4" tall; 130 lbs;
fair complexion; brown eyes; brown hair; Church of England.

2/3/1915          Enlisted in Keswick, South Australia
                        Completed medical - fit for service

2/3/1915          Commanding Officer appointed Cecil to B Company Base Depot

1/4/1915          Transferred to 4th Light Horse Brigade Train

26/5/1915        Embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A19 Afric
                        Driver in 4th Light Horse Brigade Train

29/8/1915        Returned to Australia on board Easipides - Rheumatism
1/10/1915        Disembarked into Australia

12/1/1916         Discharged from service

Medals:
WWI 1914-15 Star (6464); British War medal (3983); Victory medal (3942)

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  3/11/2014.  Lest we forget.

Cecil was the son of Horatio George ABBOTT & Sarah Rebecca MORRIS and was born on in 1894 in Broken Hill, NSW.

His parents were married on the 28th of December 1885 in Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of Henry ABBOTT & Emma ETHERTON and was born 1863 in Ballarat, Victoria.
His mother was the daughter of John MORRIS and was born in 1867 in Ballarat, Victoria.

Cecil was the eldest child born into this family of 2 children. He then gained 3 half sibling, but only 1 survived past childhood.

His father was a baker and they lived in Beryl Street, Broken Hill.

Cecil gained a brother; Henry, in 1896 and then the family moved to Junction Road, Rosewater, SA where his father was a confectioner.

Cecil was only 2 years old when his mother died on the 9th of December 1896 in Thebarton and they buried her in the West Terrace Cemetery; Plan 3, Row 19, Site Number 98.

His father then married Emily JONES on the 31st of March 1900 at the residence of Mr George WILKS in Pt Adelaide, SA. Emily was 7 months pregnant when they married.
Emily was the daughter of John JONES.
Two months later Cecil gained a little sister; Rose Pretoria Elisabeth on the 13th of May 1900.

The family then moved to Edithburgh where his father had a bakery in Blanch Street and Cecil attended the Edithburgh School.

Cecil gained 2 more sibling whilst they were at Edithburgh; Ethel Myra Doreen on the 3rd of March 1904 and Edward George, on the 26th of April 1906.
After a couple of years they then moved back to Junction Road, Rosewater, where little Ethel died on the 18th of November 1909.

On leaving school Cecil gained employment as a horse driver.
Then on the 14th of March 1914 his youngest brother; Edward George died.

At the age of 21, Cecil enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 2nd of March 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 5930 and posted to B Company, Base Depot in Oaklands Camp.

On the 1st of April he was transferred to the 4th Light Horse Brigade Train (ASC) as a Driver.

On Monday evening, the 24th of May a farewell social was given to Cecil and several of his comrades by Cecil’s parents.
Songs, recitations, dancing, and games served to make up an enjoyable evening.
Mr. G. Jelly presented Cecil, on behalf of relatives, with a wristlet watch.

Cecil embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A19 Afric on the 26th of May 1915, disembarked in Egypt and marched into Racecourse Camp at Heliopolis.

In July, the decision was made to break up the 4th Light Horse Brigade and to deploy its Regiments as dismounted reinforcements to Gallipoli.
Cecil was not deployed to Gallipoli; instead he was transferred to the 2nd Australian Division Train, 20th Company Army Service Corps (ASC) in Alexandria.

Back in Australia, his brother Henry Horatio enlisted into the AIF on the 24th of August 1915 (4127).

Cecil was classified medically unfit, due to a serious breakdown in health and embarked from Alexandria on board HMAT Euripides on the 29th of August 1915 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 1st of October.

On Saturday evening, the 23rd of October a farewell social was given in the Rosewater Hall in honour of Henry who was leaving with the expeditionary forces for the front and the social also served as a welcome home to Cecil.

Henry embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A30 Borda on the 11th of January 1916 with the 10th Battalion, 13th Reinforcements.

The following day Cecil was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 12th of January 1916.
Cecil remained living with his parents and helped his father in the Bakery.

Cecil married Lily Mildred MARTIN on the 3rd of February 1919 in St Paul’s Church, Pt Adelaide.
Lily was the daughter of Leonard William McNiven MARTIN & Jessie Eliza BRAID SMITH and was born on the 26th of August 1901 in Adelaide, SA.

They made their first home in Bishop’s Avenue, Alberton and Cecil ran his own bakery.
By 1926 Cecil was the proprietor of the Grand Billiard Hall, in Hart Street, Glanville and was fined over illegal two-up on his premises.

By 1930 they had moved to “Concord” Anzac Highway, Grassmere (Kurralta Park) and by 1932 they had moved to Henley Beach Road, Mile End and Cecil was a motor driver. He was charged with using wireless equipment with out a licence and fined.

A few years later Cecil was a hire car proprietor in Childers Street, North Adelaide and he joined the Adelaide RSL Sub-Branch.

By now his parents had moved to 76 Carlisle Street, Etherton (Glanville).
Cecil and Lily moved in with them as did his sister Rose and her husband William HAZEAL.

His father died here on the 15th of April 1934 and they buried him in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Cheltenham Cemetery; Section CX Drive A Path 13 Site Number 22C.
The following year is mother died on the 30th of May 1935 and they buried her with their father.

On the 24th of October 1938 Cecil was admitted into the Adelaide Hospital where he died 4 days later on the 28th of October.

Lily buried him the following day in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section CX Drive A Path 13 Site Number 22C, with his parents.

ABBOTT — THE FRIENDS of the late Mr. CECIL ROY ABBOTT are respectfully Informed that his Funeral will leave the residence of his sister Mrs. W. Hazeal, 76 Carlisle Street, Ethelton on SATURDAY at 4p.m. for the Cheltenham Cemetery.
SIDNEY HARRISON Undertaker.

After Cecil’s death Lily married George WILKINS.
Lily died on the 28th of February 1969 and was buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery.

Military

At the age of 21, Cecil enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 2nd of March 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 5930 and posted to B Company, Base Depot in Oaklands Camp.
He listed his mother, of Grand Junction Road, Rosewater, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of April he was transferred to the 4th Light Horse Brigade Train (ASC) as a Driver.

Cecil embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A19 Afric on the 26th of May 1915, disembarked in Egypt and marched into Racecourse Camp at Heliopolis.

In July, the decision was made to break up the 4th Light Horse Brigade and to deploy its Regiments as dismounted reinforcements to Gallipoli.
Cecil was not deployed to Gallipoli; instead he was transferred to the 2nd Australian Division Train, 20th Company Army Service Corps (ASC) in Alexandria.

Division Trains were a prime mechanism to ensure the Army could move and fight. The tasks of the trains and motorised columns varied. The basic tasks of train companies were to carry baggage and resupply food, forage and water for the headquarters and units of the division.

However, Cecil was classified medically unfit, due to a serious breakdown in health and embarked from Alexandria on board HMAT Euripides on the 29th of August 1915 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 1st of October.

Cecil was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 12th of January 1916 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.