Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Edward was the son of John CASEY & Hannah Josephine SULLIVAN and was born on the 4th of November 1881 in Petersburg (Peterborough), SA.

His parents were married on the 1st of July 1879 in St Virgiliue Catholic Church, Yatina, SA.

His father was the son of John CASEY & Bridget HENNESSY and was born on the 13h of July 1849 in Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland.
His mother was the daughter of Edmund SULLIVAN & Catherine CLEARY and was born on the 1st of November 1861 in Clonakilty, Count Cork, Ireland.

Edward was the eldest child born into the family of 9 children.

His father was a farmer and the family lived at Minvalara Siding, near Peterborough and named their farm Fern Hill.

Edward gained employment as a miner and moved to Burra.

At the age of 21, Edward enlisted in the 8th Australian Commonwealth Horse (SA) in April 1902 and was allotted the service number 135 and posted to B Squadron, 2nd Troop.
He embarked from Pt Adelaide by the transport St. Andrew on the 26th of May 1902 and arrived at Durban on the 19th of June.
Edward and his Battalion did not see any of the war and embarked at Durban on the 1st of July on the transport Manchester Merchant and arrived in Adelaide, via Albany, on the 24th.
The South Australian Squadrons were disbanded on 9th August, 1902.

Edward returned to Burra where he met a young lady by the name of Miss Johanna Agnes Ann ROSS and on the 4th January 1905 in Copper House, Burra, they welcomed a daughter and named her Jean Amy CASEY.

Two months later, Edward and Johanna married on the 24th of March 1905 in Kooringa, SA.
Johanna was the daughter of Joseph ROSS & Johanna DUNEMANN and was born on the 6th of June 1878 in Hallett, SA.

Edward also served 5 years in the Orroroo Mounter Rifles.

Sadly Johanna died on the 11th of August 1914 in Adelaide and Edward buried her in the Payneham Cemetery.
After Johanna’s death, Edward took Jean to his parents to be raised and within 2 weeks he enlisted into the 1st AIF.

At the age of 34, Edward enlisted on the 24th of August 1914 in Morphettville, SA and was allotted the service number 275 and posted to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron, 4th Troop at Morphettville Camp.

Edward embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln on the 22nd of October 1914.
He served overseas at Gallipoli and in Egypt for over 4 years and suffered from Typhoid Fever. His brother James enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 21st of September 1916 and was allotted the service number 2581 and posted to the 5th Pioneer Battalion.

Sadly, Edward would never see his father again as his father died on the 8th of October 1917, whilst Edward was in the Rafa Beach Rest Camp.

Edward embarked from Suez on the 13th of October 1918 on board HT Devon and just prior to him disembarking in Adelaide on the 23rd of November, the Armistice was signed 12 days earlier.

Edward returned to his mother and 15 year old daughter at Fern Hill farm and was discharged from the AIF on the 22nd of January 1919.

Jean then moved to Adelaide where she attended the Angus Street Convent as a boarder. She then trained as a nurse in the Calvary Hospital, with her aunt, Hanora Eugenie CASEY.

By 1924 Edward had moved to Carysfort, near Gordon.

Edward died on the 26th of January 1926 at his mothers home, “Fern Hill” and was buried the following day in the Yatina Cemetery; Block C, Plot 93.

Military

Boer War

At the age of 21, Edward enlisted in the 8th Australian Commonwealth Horse (SA) in April 1902 and was allotted the service number 135 and posted to B Squadron, 2nd Troop

The Contingent, comprising 13 officers, 232 others, with 250 horses, embarked from Pt Adelaide by the transport St. Andrew on the 26th of May 1902, taking also the Tasmanian and Western Australian Squadrons, and arrived at Durban on the 19th of June.
The left wing proceeded to Newcastle, under Major Osborne, whilst the right wing remained at Durban.
Edward and his Battalion did not see any of the war and embarked at Durban on the 1st of July on the transport Manchester Merchant, and arrived in Adelaide, via Albany, on the 24th. The South Australian Squadrons were disbanded on 9th August, 1902.

WW1

At the age of 34, Edward enlisted in the 1st AIF on the 24th of August 1914 in Morphettville, SA and was allotted the service number 275 and posted to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, B Squadron, 4th Troop at Morphettville Camp.
He listed his father as his next of kin.

They trained at Morphettville Camp and on the 21st of September they marched through the streets of Adelaide.
On the 4th of October they moved camp to north of Bay Road in Mr A Morphett’s paddock.
On the 21st of October they marched out at 2.30pm for Outer Harbour for embarkation the following day.

Edward embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln on the 22nd of October 1914 and on board was 19 officers, 347 men and 338 horses.
They arrived in Albany four days later at 6.30am on the 26th and on the 1st of November the convoy of 26 Australian transports and 10 New Zealand transports were escorted out of Albany at 6.am by HMS Minatour, HMAS Sydney and Melbourne.

After two weeks at sea they arrived in Colombo at 2pm on the 15th of November and after re coaling they left Colombo on the 17th at 11am.
They arrived in Aden on the 25th at 5pm and left at 6am the following morning and had reached the Red Sea three days later where they received their instructions that they would complete their training in Cairo and proceed from there to the front. They received their first inoculations for Typhoid on the same day.

On the 1st of December they arrived at Suez and they following day they sailed for Port Said, arriving at 7am on the 3rd.
After two days anchored here they sailed for Alexandria and arrived at 10am on the morning of the 6th. After two days anchored in the harbour they came alongside the wharf at 4.40pm but did not embark until 7am the following day.

They were then entrained to Cairo and then marched into Ma’adi Camp on the 10th at 8am.
They walked the entire way to Ma’adi Camp (12 miles) as the horses had just got off the boat and were a bit groggy on the legs. They were very tired by the time they reached camp as they had practically no exercise on the boat.

Christmas 1914 was spent here and then they moved to Aerodrome Camp at Heliopolis on the 31st of January 1915 to be near the rest of the Division for Divisional training.
All of March and April were spent here and then on the 9th of May the Regiment left Heliopolis Camp and entrained from Pailais Kubba for Alexandria and embarked on board the Grantully Castle for the Dardanelles at 7pm.

On the 12th of May they arrived at Cape Hellas at day break and then at Gaba Tepe (ANZAC Cove) at 7.45pm.
They had disembarked by 10pm and moved to Monash Valley the following afternoon. The were immediately employed on fatigue duty to circumvent sniping and dogging fire and communication trenches on Popes Hill and Quinn’s Post.

They came out of the trenches 2 weeks later and went into General Reserve behind Headquarters and bivouacked at the foot of Pope’s Hill.
After a weeks rest they took over garrison duty at Pope’s Hill and then rotated week about for the rest of June and into July.

Edward suffered from septic hands (Barcoo Rot) on the 20th of July and was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance at Shrapnel Gully before being transferred to following day to the Lowlands Casualty Clearing Station and then onto a Fleet sweeper for Mudros.
Barcoo Rot was caused by food deficiencies.

On the 5th of August he was transferred to the 15th Stationary Hospital in East Mudros and then after 2 days he was transferred to the 1st Stationary Hospital.
Edward spent 4 days here before being transferred to the 24th Casualty Clearing Station Convalescent Camp.

He was then discharged to duty and joined his Regiment at Destroyer Hill, back at Gallipoli, on the 16th of September.
Edward spent the remainder of September & October strengthening defences and patrolling at Destroyer Hill and Camel Post.
Whilst here on the 4th of October, Edward started to become ill and then on the 19th of October he was transferred by the 1st Light Horse Field Ambulance to the 18th Casualty Clearing Station suffering from Typhoid Fever & Malaria.

Five days later Edward was transferred to the Hospital Ship Soudan and embarked for Malta, where he was admitted into the St Andrews Hospital.
Then on the 5th of November he was transferred to the Hospital Ship Salta and embarked for England and admitted into the 1st Southern General Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham.
Andrew then spent the next 4 weeks in hospital before being discharged to 6 weeks furlough, so spent Christmas 1915 in England.

On his return from furlough he reported to the ANZAC Base Depot in Weymouth on the 19th of January 1916.
On the 5th of March he embarked for Alexandria and marched into the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment at Heliopolis Camp.
Edward then rejoined his Regiment on the 20th of March, who was located in Girga on patrol.

They had moved to Kantara by the 17th of May then onto Hill 70 and then Romani by the 26th.
Whilst they were in camp at Romani a Turkish Aeroplane dropped 10 bombs on them on the 1st of June killing 5 men and wounding 20 others. It also killed 36 horses and wounded 9 horses and caused a stampede in the camp.

On the 30th of June Edward suffered with septic hands once again and was admitted into a clearing station in Romani, before being transferred to the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbassia, on the 3rd of July.
After 2 weeks here, Edward was discharged to the 1st British Red Cross Convalescent Depot in Montazah, where he remained until the 9th of August when he was discharged to duty with the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment in Heliopolis.

Edward spent another 4 weeks here in training before rejoining his Regiment on the 7th of September at Romani.
They then joined the Allied advance across the Sinai in November and were subsequently involved in the fighting to secure the Turkish outposts on the Palestine frontier - Maghdaba on the 23rd of December 1916 and Rafa on the 9th of January 1917.

A stint of protective duty along the line of communications through the Sinai followed and then their next major engagement was the abortive second battle of Gaza on the 17thth of April.
The tanks and the gas were both dismal failures and the attacking forces could make little headway against well-sited Turkish redoubts. After three days of fighting the attack was called off, having not gained any significant ground.

By June they were at Abasan El Kebir in training before moving to Fukhari, Ghari and Shauth in July and by mid August they were in Marakeb.
They then moved forward to Kilo 9 in September and by October 1917 they were in Rafa Beach Rest Camp.

They then took part in the Battle of Beersheba on the 31st of October and then the follow up actions that lasted until early January 1918. This included such actions as the advance to Jaffa.
After the fall of Jerusalem they moved to the Jordan Valley and took parts in operations in this region. This included the taking of Jericho, the attack on Amman during 27th March – 2nd April 1918 and Es Salt Raid of the 30th April – 4th May 1918.

By the 30th of June, they were in rest camp in Jerusalem and it was here on the 11th of July that Edward suffered from debility and was admitted into the 14th Australian General Hospital in Abbassia and Edward was recommended for return to Australia.

Edward embarked from Suez on the 13th of October 1918 on board HT Devon and just prior to him disembarking in Adelaide on the 23rd of November, the Armistice was signed 12 days earlier.

Edward was discharged from the AIF on the 22nd of January 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.