CHEESMAN, Reginald Hugh
| Service Number: | 2147 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Brighton, Sussex, England , 16 December 1887 |
| Home Town: | Penrith, Penrith Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Central School, Church Street, Brighton, England |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Cleaner |
| Died: | Endocarditis & Pericarditis, Kitchener Hospital (No. 3 Australian General Hospital), Brighton, Sussex, England, 21 January 1917, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Brighton Borough Cemetery, East Sussex, England PG. 84 |
| Memorials: | Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2147, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2147, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Wiltshire embarkation_ship_number: A18 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2147, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Wiltshire, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Reginald Hugh CHEESMAN, (Service Number 2147) commenced working as a cleaner in the locomotive depot at Penrith. His parents had returned to England. On 22nd March 1916 he was noted as having joined the Expeditionary Forces, though he had enlisted a month before. He was not married and gave his mother as his next of kin.
In January 1917 he was admitted to the Kitchener Hospital where he died suddenly on 21 January 1917. The diagnosis was endocarditis and pericarditis.
He is buried in Brighton Parochial Cemetery, England.
His was perhaps a case of poor medical screening at the time of enlistment. Later medical notes indicated that he had experienced dizziness after exertion for two years. In England he was unable to do normal military drill.
Submitted 25 May 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 21st January.... Private Reginald Hugh Cheesman was born at Brighton, Sussex, England in 1887. He arrived in Sydney, Australia on 30th December, 1912 from London, England as a passenger on the “Port Jackson”.
Reginald Hugh Cheesman enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 22nd March, 1916 as a 28 year old, single, Locomotive Cleaner from Station Street, Penrith, NSW. (He had stated on his Attestation Papers that he was born in Penrith, NSW).
Private Reginald Hugh Cheesman embarked from Sydney, NSW on HMAT Wiltshire (A18) on 22nd August, 1916 with the 45th Infantry Battalion, 4th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 13th October, 1916 where he would receive further training before being sent to the War Front.
Private Cheesman was marched in to No. 3 Command Depot at Wool, Dorset, England on 13th October, 1916.
Private Reginald Hugh Cheesman died on 21st January, 1917 at Kitchener Hospital (No. 3 Australian General Hospital), Brighton, Sussex, England from Endocarditis & Pericarditis. The Hospital Admissions for recorded that Private Cheesman had “been unable to do ordinary military duties. In camp in England he could not do physical drill ..”
Private Reginald Hugh Cheesman was buried on 26th January, 1917 in Brighton (Lewes Road) Borough Cemetery, Brighton, East Sussex, England (as listed by the Australian War Memorial. Listed by CWGC as Brighton (Woodvale) Borough Cemetery.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/lewes-road.html
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Reginald Hugh CHEESMAN, (Service Number 2147) was born on 16th December 1887 at Penrith. He was still at Penrith in April 1913 when he commenced working as a cleaner in the locomotive depot there, although his parents had returned to England. On 22nd March 1916 he was noted as having joined the Expeditionary Forces,although he had actuallyenlisted a month before. He was not married and gave his mother as his next of kin.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Wiltshire’ on 22nd August, reaching Plymouth on 13th October.
In January 1917 he was admitted to the Kitchener Hospital where he died suddenly on 22 January 1917. The diagnosis was endocarditis and pericarditis.
He is buried in Brighton Parochial Cemetery, England.
His was perhaps a case of poor medical screening at the time of enlistment. Later medical notes indicated that he had experienced dizziness following exertion for two years. In England it turned out that he was unable to do normal military drill.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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