DUNBAR, Vere
| Service Number: | 1684 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 7th Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Toxteth Park, Lancashire, England, November 1888 |
| Home Town: | Cooroy, Sunshine Coast, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Eventide Nursing Home, Sandgate, Queensland, Australia, 14 July 1955, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 8 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1684, 7th Field Ambulance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 1684, 7th Field Ambulance, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ayrshire embarkation_ship_number: A33 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 1684, 7th Field Ambulance, HMAT Ayrshire, Sydney | |
| 14 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 1684, 7th Field Ambulance, 1st MD |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Lance Sergeant Vere Dunbar (Service No. 1684), an Australian World War One veteran who served our nation at Gallipoli, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 23 September 2023, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans located in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Vere Dunbar was born in 1888 at Toxteth Park, Lancashire, England, the son of Samuel Smith Dunbar and Alice Charlotte Dunbar (née Allen). A labourer by occupation, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Brisbane on 19 July 1915, aged 26, nominating his mother of Cooroy, Queensland, as his next of kin. He embarked from Sydney on 1 September 1915 aboard HMAT Ayrshire with reinforcements for the 7th Field Ambulance.
In October 1915 he served at Gallipoli with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the final months of the campaign. After the evacuation he served in Egypt and later on the Western Front in France. Detached for machine-gun duty in February 1917, he was granted leave to the United Kingdom twice that year.
Wounded in action on 20 September 1917, he remained on duty and was promoted to Lance Sergeant eight days later. He continued serving in France throughout 1918, including a period attached to Australian Medical Corps Headquarters.
In February 1919 he was hospitalised with influenza and broncho-pneumonia during the post-war epidemic and was reported dangerously ill before recovering in England. He returned to Australia aboard Shropshire, disembarking in May 1919, and was discharged from the AIF on 14 July 1919.
Following his return to Australia, he lived in the Cooroy district and worked as a labourer. By 1949 he was residing at Bulimba, Brisbane, and employed as a storekeeper. In 1954 he was a resident of Eventide Nursing Home, Sandgate, Brisbane.
Lance Sergeant Vere Dunbar died on 14 July 1955, aged 67, and was buried the following day in Anzac Portion 8, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He never married and had no known children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget
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