COLE, Reuben Henry
| Service Number: | 4991 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 November 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Toowong, Queensland, Australia, 28 October 1895 |
| Home Town: | Katoomba, Blue Mountains Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia, 29 September 1965, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood Cemeteries & Crematorium, New South Wales |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Nov 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4991, 17th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 4991, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 4991, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Reuben Henry Cole’s younger brother, 5663 Private Herbert Edward Cole 13th Battalion AIF, was killed in action 4 February 1917, during the taking of Stormy Strench at Gueudecourt in France. He was 19 years of age. Captain Harry Murray was awarded a Victoria Cross during the action.
Reuben’s father had died when he was seven years of age. His mother, Emily, had remarried.
Emily fell very ill during late 1916, and then she lost her son Herbert in the war. The citizens of Katoomba wrote a letter to the AIF asking for the return to Australia of her youngest son Reuben. At the time, it was considered that she had a terminal illness and would not live much longer. The request was looked on favourably by the AIF authorities after the Katoomba police investigated the state of the family. They reported that Emily Cole was in a very low state of health and not expected to survive an operation. Reuben was returned to Australia on three months leave during July 1917. He never returned to the front.
Emily actually recovered and lived until 1962.
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