KITCHENER, Stephen John
| Service Number: | 6340 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 October 1916, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showgrounds, Moore Park, Sydney. |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 18th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Botany, New South Wales, Australia, 9 October 1889 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Signalling Fitters' Labourter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 9 August 1918, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Heath Cemetery, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Mascot War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6340, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Royal Agricultural Society Showgrounds, Moore Park, Sydney. | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6340, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6340, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 9 Aug 1918: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 6340, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6340 awm_unit: 18 Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-08-09 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Stephen Joseph KITCHENER (Service Number 6340) was born on 9th October 1889 at Botany. He began work with the NSW Government Railways in the Signalling Branch as a temporary labourer in Sydney on 6the January 1913. He stayed with the Branch for the rest of his life. In July 1914 his role progressed to fitters’ labourer and it was from this position that he was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 30th October 1916.
Kitchener enlisted at the Royal Agricutlural Society Showgrounds Moore Park Sydney on the same day. He was unmarried and gave his father living in Mascot as his next of kin. He was allotted to the 13th Reinforcements of the 18th Battalion and left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Suevic’ on 10th November 1916. ‘Suevic’ reached Devonport (England) on 30th January 1917. Kitchener joined the 5th Training Battalion at Rollestone for a time before proceeding overseas to France and the 18th Battalion on 13th May 1917. He had a short bout of hospitalisation with ‘I.C.T.’ feet (Inflammation of Connective Tissues) in October. In early March 1918 he had leave in England, and in May he was promoted to Lance Corporal.
Stephen Kitchener was awarded the Military Medal in June 1918. The recommendation by Colonel E Martin, commanding the 5th Australian Infantry Brigade was:
‘In the attack on the morning of the 19th May 1918 at Morlancourt near Albert on arrival at the objective, 2 enemy Machine gun posts caused a gap in our line and were enfilading the party on the right of the gap from the rear. Lieut. Jones called for volunteers to bomb up this trench whereupon 5382 L/Cpl W.W. NUTTAL, 5368 Pte G. MILLIKEN, and 6340 Pte J.S.KITCHENER, formed a bombing party. They moved along the trench to bombing range and succeeded in killing or wounding all the garrison and finally rushed the position, capturing the two enemy Machine guns, and established connection with the party on the left of the gap, thus securing communication with the left Brigade.’
Kitchener was killed in action on 9th August 1918.
After the war his remains were exhumed and re-interred in Heath Cemetery, 2500 yards N of Harbonnières.
Kitchener had not been decorated by the time of his death, so a ceremony was held at the Town Hall, Botany Road, Mascot, and the Mayor presented the medal to his father, Horace Ernest Kitchener.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.