Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Richard John Best Waugh was born in December 1888 in Stepney, South Australia— he later moved to the residential address 142 Magill Rd, Norwood. There he lived with his mother, Ann Margaret Sarah Waugh and brother, Andrew Hanlin Waugh. Prior to The Great War, Waugh was a labourer by occupation and was a follower of Methodist religion. With no previous affiliation with the military force, he enlisted at the age of 27 years and 1 month on the 19th of January 1916 in Adelaide. According to his attestation papers, he stood at a height of 5ft and 7 ¼ inches, weighed 112 lbs and had a fresh complexion paired with blue eyes and brown hair. He was deemed fit for service and was sent to the military training camp on the 21st where shortly after, was appointed on the 26th as a Private in the A.I.F. to serve in the A Company 2nd Depot Battalion. On the 30th of March, 1916, he was officially allotted to his unit. Boarding the HMAT (His Majesty’s Australian Transport) Kabinga A58 on the 8th of May, 1916, from Melbourne, he joined the 17th Reinforcement for the LHR (Light Horse Regiment).

His journey led him to Tel El Kebir in Egypt, where he was taken on strength into the 3rd Light Horse Infantry Regiment (LHIR) on June 15th, 1916. Subsequently, he became attached to the Imperial Camel Corps on the 8th of July, 1916, and was posted to the 13th Company on July 9th, 1916. His service took a different turn when he was temporarily attached to home guard a camp in Abbassia, which was located on the out-skirts of Cairo on July 30th, 1916. 

On December 18th, 1916, Waugh faced a temporary setback to his military service when he was taken to hospital. On the 22nd, he was admitted to the 14th Australian General Hospital (A.G.H)—situated in Abbassia—for Bronchitis. Although mild, his condition had left him in the hospital for a little over a month. On January 15th, 1917, as part of the final stage of his recovery, he was transferred to a Convalescent Depot. While undergoing rehabilitation at the depot, a record of Waugh’s sick admission was published in the Advertiser. This served as a means of communication, ensuring that his family was notified of his illness. 

After a period of recovery, he was discharged to duty in Abbassia mid February, 1917, where he joined the Australian Reserve for the Imperial Camel Corps (Aust. Res. I.C.C). 

During roll call on March 6th, 1917, Waugh had been absent, resulting in a three-day punishment which had confined him to the barracks. A week later, he had been joined to the 13th Company of the Imperial Camel Brigade. He was then taken on strength to the 4th ANZAC Battalion on the 16th of March, 1917. After 5 months, on the 20th of August, 1917, he was taken on strength into the 3rd ANZAC Battalion. He was then once again taken on strength back into the 4th ANZAC Battalion on the 30th of December, 1917. 

Waugh was then admitted once more to the 14th Australian General Hospital under a debility admission on the 25th of February, 1918. After receiving medical attention, he was transferred to a rest camp on the 28th of March where he marched out to the camp in Abbassia on the 17th of April after recovering fully. On the same day, he was taken on strength into the Army Base Depot Company (A.B. Depot Coy). On the 22nd he was posted to the 4th ANZAC Battalion. In the following month, on the 15th, Waugh was detached to become the unit’s home guard. 

However, on the 14th of June, 1918, he was admitted to the hospital via a field ambulance for a fractured nasal bone that he obtained from, as stated on his incident report, an unknown assailant. Remarkably, he was discharged to duty just 5 days later.

Waugh marched into camp at Moascar as part of the 5th Australian Light Horse Brigade on the 20th of June, 1918, to then march out 9 days later. Instead, he marched into the isolation camp at Moascar, the site of the training area for the ANZAC divisions. On the 17th of July, 1918, he marched out to a Signal Training Unit within Moascar and arrived on the same day. On the 2nd of August he was told to home guard the signal station. Following this, he had marched both in and out once again from the signal training unit to home guard another unit whose details remain unknown due to inadequate records. 

On the 26th of November, 1918, he marched out from the training unit to the 5th Signal Troop. On the 14th of December, he marched out to the troop’s reinforcement camp. Two weeks later, he was taken on strength into the 5th Signal Troop. 

Following his service in Egypt, Waugh had been granted leave from the 25th of August, 1919 until the 31st of October, 1919. He had used this opportunity and embarked for the UK on July 9th, 1919, where he was temporarily attached to the headquarters of the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) in London for non-military duties. He had been transferred from the 5th Light Horse on August 19th, 1919. 

After a well-deserved leave, he returned to the 5th Signal Troop. His service in London concluded as he returned to Australia aboard the hospital troopship Konigen Luise on December 18th, 1919. Shortly after, his next of kin were advised of his return on the 7th of January, 1920. He disembarked in the 4th Military District in Australia on the 2nd of February, 1920, relieved to be back home. 

Beyond military life, Waugh was discharged from service on March 27th, 1920, when he then returned to civilian life. He was honoured with the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his dedicated service. Sometime throughout the duration of his service, he had earned the rank “Sapper” although he was often referred to as Private. 

On December 21st, 1922, Richard John Best Waugh married Ilfra Mary Holbrook at the Church of Christ, Nora Street, Maylands as published in the Register. The couple got married on the 21st of December, 1922. They proceed to raise their children Ruth and Jack. Waugh’s final chapter unfolded on July 29th, 1960, when he passed away at the age of 71. Remembered as a dearly loved husband and father, his legacy endures, memorialised at Dudley Park Cemetery in South Australia.