WALL, Eugene Joseph
| Service Number: | 15250 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 April 1916, Petersburg, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 6th Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Eurelia, South Australia, Australia, 14 March 1891 |
| Home Town: | Peterborough (Formerly Petersburg), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Public & Sisters of Saint Joseph, South Australia, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter SAR |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Bullecourt, France, 6 May 1917, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Peterborough 'LOCO' S.A.R. Roll of Honor, Peterborough War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Apr 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Petersburg, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Oct 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 15250, Field Company Engineers | |
| 7 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 15250, Field Company Engineers, HMAT Ceramic, Sydney | |
| 6 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 15250, 6th Field Company Engineers |
Missing In Action
While little is known about the final resting place of Eugene and his fellow Sapper Thomas Harrison, a letter from Bert Hobbs (also a Sapper) to Thomas's family regarding the circumstances of their deaths documents Eugene's and Tom's last moments together.
"Dear Sir,
As poor old Tom was a cobber of mine I have taken the liberty of making myself the recipient of your letter and also the parcel which was passed around to the boys of the section. No doubt you have been informed of Tom's sad end. I was one of the party that was out that night. We were on our way back to camp at the time when a high explosive shell caught Tom and killed him instantaneously. After a few hours sleep I made a cross and we buried Tom the same night. Up to within a few minutes of his death I was with him. He went one way with four other chaps and I said to him that I would go to the right with one of the other chaps."
It appears that Eugene must have been one of the four other chaps that went with Tom to return to camp.
The above information was found on an internet site prepared by Michael Harrison Stert St Abingdon UK as a tribute to his Great Uncle Thomas Sydney Harrison.
Submitted 27 October 2022 by Phil Murdoch
Biography
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal.
The Register (Adelaide, SA: 1901 - 1929) Tuesday 12 June 1917
LATE SAP. E. J. WALL.
Mrs. C. Wall, of Petersburg, has been officially notified that her second son, Sap. E. J. Wall, has been killed in action. The deceased soldier was 26 years of age. He enlisted at Petersburg in April, 1916, and went to Sydney to finish his training. On October 7 he left for England. He was drafted to France in March of this year. He was killed, in action on May 6. Prior to enlisting he was employed as a carpenter at the Petersburg Locomotive Sheds. The deceased was a first-class footballer. He was a member of the Roman Catholic Church. A younger brother— Will— is serving at the front.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59144910
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