MARTLAND, Ernest James
| Service Number: | 803 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1889 |
| Home Town: | Bendigo, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Egypt, 15 May 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery Row L, Grave No. 181 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Sebastopol Holy Trinity Church Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 803, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 803, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 803, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 803, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Fractured skull received during the Gallipoli landings (second wave). Died of wounds 15 May 1915 in Egypt. |
Help us honour Ernest James Martland's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Prior to moving to Bendigo, Ernest Martland worked as a tram conductor for the Electric Supply Company of Victoria on the Ballarat Tramways. He enlisted in the Expeditionary Forces on 18 August 1914. He joined the 7th Battalion. Later his brother, Leslie C. Martland, also enlisted in the A.I.F.
Martland was wounded in action (fractured skull) on 25 April 1915, which was reported as follows on page 1 of the Ballarat Star on 7 May 1915:
"Private Martland, reported as wounded, was formerly employed as a tram conductor in Ballarat. His parents live in Ascot street."
On 15 May 1915 Martland died from his wounds in the No. 17 Hospital, Alexandria (now Chatby).
In November, a paper parcel of his belongings was sent to his mother. It contained a purse, a tin box with badges, buttons, and a testament.
Biography contributed by Larna Malone
Ernest James Martland, known as ‘Ern’, was born in North Melbourne, the son of James & Catherine Matilda (Kate) Martland, of Ballarat. ‘Ern’ was a Clerk and lived at 6 Wills Street, Bendigo. He had no previous military service and was 25 years old when he volunteered for the Expeditionary Force.
He was amongst the early volunteers for the Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14. The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp. He was allotted Service no. 803 and appointed to ‘G’ Company, 7th Battalion.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915. Ernest James Martland was Wounded during the Landing, sustaining a Fractured Skull. He was sent to Hospital in Egypt where his condition was described as ‘dangerously ill’.
He Died of Wounds on 15/5/15. He was Buried in the Chatby Cemetery Alexandria, now known as the Chatby War Memorial Cemetery.
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
Click images to start slideshow.