FANNING, Edward
| Service Number: | 65 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Lambton, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Locomotive Fireman, Water Pumper |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 5 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Lambton Fallen Soldiers HR, Murrurundi Bowls Club Cenotaph and Memorial Gates, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), Willow Tree and District Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 65, 33rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Marathon embarkation_ship_number: A74 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 65, 33rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Marathon, Sydney | |
| 5 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 65, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 65 awm_unit: 1 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-05 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Edward FANNING (Service Number 65), was born in Newcastle in 1890. He was raised by a foster mother from the time he was 11-years-old, and left school at 15. In 1908 he gained a position with the NSWGR as an engine cleaner at the Hamilton locomotive depot, previously having been employed casually. He was promoted to fireman in 1911 and transferred for a month to Picton. After three months back at Hamilton, he was transferred to Murrurundi. In 1913 he went back to Hamilton for two years, but in April 1915 became a pumper at Muswellbrook, moving to Murrurundi again in August, before enlisting in the AIF in Armidale in November 1915.
In September 1916 he was sent to France and joined the 1st Battalion on 1 October. He was reported missing in action on 5 November, and this was subsequently amended to ‘killed in action’. He was buried at a map reference ‘about 450 yds NNW of Guedecourt’. After the war the grave could not be located, and he is remembered with honour on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
Submitted 30 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Edward FANNING (Service Number 65) was born in Newcastle in 1890. He was raised by a foster mother from the time he was 11-years-old. He left school at 15. In 1908 he gained a position with the NSW Government Railways as an engine cleaner at the Hamilton locomotive depot, previously having been employed casually. He was promoted to fireman in 1911 and transferred for a month to Picton. After three months back at Hamilton, he was transferred to Murrurundi. In 1913 he went back to Hamilton for two years,. In April 1915 became a pumper at Muswellbrook. He moved to Murrurundi again in August. He enlisted in the AIF in Armidale in November 1915.
At Armidale in December he was Absent Without Leave one night and punished by forfeiting pay. On 4th February 1916, still at Armidale, he was fined 10/- for obscene language and £1 for ‘threatening language to an officer’. At Rutherford on 17th April he was punished for ‘creating a disturbance at 01.00’, and on 30th April he was given seven days detention for ‘disobedience of orders in that he refused to cut wood when ordered to do so’.
He embarked from Sydney in May 1916. On 22 May at Fremantle he was given 14 days detention for absenting himself without leave from all the parades from 11.00 to 17.00. He landed in England in July. At Larkhill camp on 7th August he was given 2 hours pack drill for ‘Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline in that he …neglected to leave his bed upon reveille being sounded’.
In September 1916 he was sent to France and joined the 1st Battalion on 1st October. He was reported missing in action on 5th November 1916. This was subsequently amended to ‘killed in action’. He was buried at a map reference ‘about 450 yds NNW of Guedecourt’. After the war the grave could not be located, and he is remembered with honour on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board