SHAW, Ralph
| Service Number: | 7044 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 November 1916, Enlisted at Liverpool. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Middleton, Manchester, United Kingdom, December 1882 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 18 September 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 7 Nov 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7044, 1st Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Liverpool. | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 7044, 1st Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 7044, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney |
Hometown.
Ralph Shaw, born at Middleton, Manchester, UK.
Brother to James of 27 Walter Street, Rhodes, Middleton, who was killed in action 22nd March 1918 and is commemorated on the Poziers Memorial, Somme. R I P.
Submitted 24 May 2022 by Andrew Fitton
Biography contributed by Andrew Fitton
Brother to James of Middleton who fell 22nd March 1918 aged 33
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Ralph Shaw was born at Manchester, England about December 1882. He was a porter with the NSW Railways.
He enlisted at Liverpool on 7th November 1916 and gave his aunt, Mrs Mary Pilkington of Blackpool, England as his next of kin. He was allotted to the 1st Battalion. Shaw embarked HMAT ‘Benalla’ at Sydney on 9th November and reached Devonport (England) on 9th January 1917. He was attached to the 1st Training Battalion for a few months before proceeding overseas through Folkestone to France where he was taken on the strength of the Battalion on 14th May.
He was killed in action in Belgium on 18th September 1917. Ralph Shaw has no known grave and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres.
Much of his military record is taken up with a mysterious box or case which he left in Sydney in the custody of his landlady, Mrs Kewley. It was ultimately revealed to contain his Will and valuable War Bonds. Miss Elizabeth Cox of Rotorua, New Zealand, made representations through a solicitor as she had been led to believe that some or all of the contents would be passed to her. In the event the army took possession of ‘Private Shaw’s Box’ and the Will disposed of his assets to his brother and sister, with his deferred pay being given to Mrs Kewley.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
Click images to start slideshow.