BOARDMAN, Ernest Roland
| Service Number: | 231 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| 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 Public Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 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