Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Edward Patrick Griffin was the son of Thomas and Ellen Griffin. Born at Hammond on the 29th April, 1886, he was married to Alice May (nee Francis) with 2 children. Edward and Alice lived at Port Pirie where Edward worked as a labourer.
At the age of 27 years 11 months Edward enlisted at Keswick on 23rd March, 1915. Initially he was posted to 7th Reinforcements 10th Infantry Battalion at Mitcham Camp but was eventually posted to 9th Reinforcements 9th Light Horse Regiment which was fighting at Gallipoli. His brother Thomas had also been posted to the same unit and together they embarked
from Adelaide aboard the troopship A15 “Star of England” on the 21st September.
After disembarking, Edward, without his brother Thomas, who had been seriously injured in an accident, marched into the Anzac Base at Mudros on the 4th December, 1915. Possibly affected by the snow and conditions Edward was admitted to hospital on the 10th December suffering from mild bronchitis. His condition must have been more severe as a month later on the 11th January 1916 Edward disembarked from the Hospital ship “Carisbrooke Castle” in Alexandria where he was admitted to the 7th General Hospital. The following day he was transferred to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis.
Only a week earlier his brother Thomas had been transferred from the same hospital to return to
Australia. Obviously recovering Edward was admitted to the 3rd Auxillary Hospital in Heliopolis on the 31st January and on the 11th March returned to duty when he was taken on strength with the 3rd Reserve Regiment in Heliopolis. On the 1st April Edward was taken off strength and posted to 5th Division Artillery - Brigade Ammunition Column. On the 7th June, 1916 Edward embarked from Alexandria with the 5th Divisional Base Depot Artillery Reinforcements on the troopship “Ionian”. The unit disembarked at Marseilles on the 15th June.
On the 11th September Edward left the 6th Australian Infantry Base Depot at Etaples in France and marched into the 5th Division Ammunition Column in the field.
Edward was granted 10 days leave from the 15th February 1917 but on rejoining his unit was reported sick. On the 26th February he was admitted to the 45th Casualty Clearing Station in the field and transferred to an ambulance train. He was then admitted to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Rouen suffering from acute Nephritis on the 28th February. Acute Nephritis occurred in soldiers subjected to cold and damp conditions in trenches. It
is an inflammation of the kidneys and is characterized by breathlessness, swelling of the face or legs, headache, sore throat, and the presence of albumin and renal casts in urine. On the 15th March he was removed from the seriously ill list and the following day he embarked from Havre in France aboard the troopship “Gloucester Castle”. Luckily for Edward it
was not this voyage on which the Gloucester Castle was torpedoed by a German submarine. On
disembarking in England he was immediately admitted to the Volunteer Aid Hospital in Exeter. On the 2nd May he was transferred to 3 Auxillary Hospital, Dartford.
No longer fit for active duty Edward was transferred to the Australian Base Depot at Weymouth on the 25th June and a month later, on the 22nd July, he embarked for Australia aboard the Hospital ship A71 “Nestor”.
Edward was discharged on the 21st November, 1917. In March 1918 Edward entered into a farming partnership with his brothers Ambrose and Thomas under an oral agreement to share the profits. The brothers acquired a farm under the soldier’s repatriation scheme. The farm consisted of 5 sections (334, 335, 336, 337 and 411) at Polish Hill River, about 4 kilometres north of Mintaro.
Edward died at North Adelaide on 28 July 1959 and is buried in the Centennial Park Derrick Garden of Remembrance Path 14 Grave 371.