MEAD, Ernest James
| Service Numbers: | 2696, 2696A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | York, Western Australia, Australia, 20 March 1889 |
| Home Town: | North Perth, Vincent, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Machinist |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 24 April 1918, aged 29 years |
| Cemetery: |
Adelaide Cemetery Villers-Bretonneux, France Plot III. Row J. Grave 10. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Dudinin Wogolin Roll of Honor, Gosnells Road Board HR, Gosnells War Memorial, Midland Railway Workshops Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2696, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 2696, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 2696, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Suffolk, Fremantle | |
| 24 Apr 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 2696A, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2696A awm_unit: 51 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-04-24 |
Help us honour Ernest James Mead's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Ernest Mead’s younger brother, 2554 Sergeant Henry Alexander Charles Mead 51st Battalion AIF had been killed in action near Mouquet Farm on 14 August 1916, aged 23.
They were the sons of John Henry and Margaretta Mead, of Subiaco, Western Australia. Their father had passed away during 1912.
Ernest married Nena May Dow during 1909 and was living at Gosnells when he enlisted in 1916. He was working for the Western Australian Government Railways as a Wood Machinist and he was granted leave to join the AIF.
Ernest joined the 51st Battalion in France on New Year's Day 1917. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in 1917 and Corporal five days before he died. He was killed during the early stages of the counter attack on German positions south of Villers-Bretonneux, which ultimately regained the town for the Australians.