BOARDMAN, Ernest Roland
| Service Number: | 231 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Kiata, Victoria, Australia, 23 May 1888 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Mount Gambier, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Natural Causes, Collingwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 23 July 1938, aged 50 years |
| Cemetery: |
Preston General Cemetery, Bundoora, Victoria Preston Cemetery |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 231, 9th Light Horse Regiment | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 231, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Karroo embarkation_ship_number: A10 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 231, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Karroo, Melbourne |
What is Ernest's true story
Ernest was a younger brother of my Grandfather, John F. Boardman (Regimental Number 6393), the story of Ernest's war service is largely unknown.
From information available we know he enlisted on the 20th of October 1914, attended and completed his basic training and on the 11th of February 1915 he boarded the HMAT Karoo in Melbourne, bound ultimately for Egypt.
From here no records seem to be available as to when or actually where Ernest decided life as a soldier was not for him and he deserted whilst still in Australia, assumed to be Melbourne. No further information has been found until his marriage in Melbourne in 1916, we know he worked for the Vacum Oil Company from about this time until his death in 1935, when he was living at Williamstown.
Noted in the 9th Battalion history records, apparently desertion was quite prevalent, with either servicemen to drunk to attend boarding or simply had a change of heart. Interestingly there was no real action taken against these men and in Ernest's case his records were stamped with the word Depot, which appears to be code for having deserted and no need to follow up.
Submitted 25 May 2022 by Ian Cusack
Biography contributed by Ian Cusack
Ernest Roland Boardman whilst born at Kiata, Western Victoria, moved to Mount Gambier in South Australia with his family as a three year old in 1891. His parents, Charles and Elizabeth Boardman nee Schmidt had moved from Mt. Gambier to Kiata in 1880 to establish a wheat farm, here Victorian Government grants of land were available to families willing to clear and work the land. Ernest was Charles and Elizabeth's fifth child, at this time he had three older brothers and a sister, after their move back to Mount Gambier a younger brother and sister completed the family.
Ernest Military records details his embarkation, but he fails to leave Australia. His Military Records cease at this time and is stamped "Depot" in large letters.
Maybe one of the reasons he didn't board was that within 12 months he had married Mary Cooper. He was soon to became a salesman for the Vacum Oli Company, a career he continued until his death in 1938.