Richard Gordon BADCOCK

Badge Number: S14499, Sub Branch: Thebarton
S14499

BADCOCK, Richard Gordon

Service Number: 4058
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 27th Infantry Battalion
Born: Gawler South Australia, 20 February 1898
Home Town: Not yet discovered
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Turner
Died: Greenacres, South Australia, 2 September 1974, aged 76 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia
Memorials: Gawler Council Gawler Men Who Answered the Call WW1 Roll of Honor, Gawler May Bros. & Co. Limited WW1 Roll of Honor, Gawler May's Mechanics Band Honour Board, Gawler St George Anglican Church Honour Roll, Gawler War Memorial, Nailsworth Primary School Great War Roll of Honour
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World War 1 Service

9 Mar 1916: Involvement Private, 4058, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
9 Mar 1916: Embarked Private, 4058, 27th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Adelaide

Help us honour Richard Gordon Badcock's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Paul Lemar

# Richard is Jane BUSBRIGE’s step nephew – Jane married Elisha SMITH, son of Caleb

 

Richard Gordon BADCOCK - 4058

 

Richard was the eldest son of Bertram Allen BADCOCK & Jane McRobie BULLOCH and was born on the 20th of February 1898 in Gawler.

His parents were married on the on the 25th of June 1897 at his step grandfathers residence, Mr James BUSBRIDGE, in Jacob Street, Gawler

 

His father was a commercial traveler.

 

Richard had 7 siblings born between 1898 and 1910. All of which one, was born in Gawler.

 

His father, Bertram enlisted into the 32nd Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements on the 1st of September 1915 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 1671.

 

Two months later Richard enlisted into the 27th Battalion, 10th Reinforcements on the 25th of October 1915 in Adelaide and was allotted the service number 4058.

He listed his mother as next of kin.

Richard had served in the cadets 4 years previously.

He was a Turner by trade.

Richard embarked on the 9th of March 1916 from Adelaide, on board the RMS Mongolia disembarking in Alexandria. He embarked for Marseilles on the 10th of May 1916.

On the 11th of August he was taken on strength with the 27th Battalion at La Vicogne, France.

Until the 9th of September the 27th moved from one camp to another, generally on foot.  They finished up in France at Steenvorde (France). The battalion remained at Steenvorde until the 5th of October when they entrained with the rest of the Brigade for Ypres where they relieved the 19th Battalion in the Salient. Here they remained here until relieved by the 25th Battalion on the 12th of October, whereupon they moved into barracks at Ypres. 

In early November they were involved in major action at Flers, just to the south east of Pozieres. The 27th Battalion took part in two attacks to the east of Flers in the Somme Valley, both of which floundered in the mud.

Although it participated in minor attacks during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in early 1917, the 27th Battalion did not carry out a major attack again until September.

On the 31st of May 1917 Richard was admitted to hospital and was in and out of hospital sick for the next 4 months

On the 29th of September 1917, he rejoined his unit in the Reninghelst Area, Belgium.

The battalion played a part of the first wave at the battle of Menin Road. Victory here was followed up with the capture of Broodseinde Ridge on the 4th of October, in which the 27th Battalion also played a role.
Like most AIF battalions, the 27th fought to turn back the German spring offensive in April 1918, and later in the year participated in a string of offensive battles as Germany was pushed ever closer to defeat. It attacked around Morlancourt on the night of the 10th of June; acted in a supporting role during the battle of Hamel on the 4th of July; and was in the first wave at the battle of Amiens on the 8th of August.
Richard’s last actions of the war were fought as part of the effort to break through the Beaurevoir Line in the first week of October 1918, but the battalion was not disbanded until the 4th of June 1919.

Richard disembarked in Adelaide on the 2nd of July 1919 and was discharged on the 16th of August 1919.

 

Richard married Sylvia Phyllis WICKS on the 3rd of December 1921 in the Maughan Methodist Church, Adelaide.

They had 2 children

In 1943 they lived at 25 Lurline Street, Mile End and Richard was a Turner.

 

Richard was a member of the Thebarton RSL Sub Branch

 

Richard died on the 2nd of September 1974 in Greenacres, SA and is buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery; General AB/Path 12/Plot 927.

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