MCPHEE, Neil
| Service Numbers: | 781, R781, S212729 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2) |
| Born: | Wangarei, New Zealand, 15 October 1891 |
| Home Town: | Glenelg, Holdfast Bay, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 781, 11th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 4 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, R781, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Bakara embarkation_ship_number: A41 public_note: '' |
World War 2 Service
| 4 Dec 1939: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, S212729 | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 1940: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lance Corporal, Australian Army Provost Corps (WW2) |
Jack Neil McPhee
Australian Light Horseman
Trooper Jack Neil McPhee
Born in Whangarei, New Zealand on 15 Oct 1891 to Murdoch McPhee & Jane Whitelaw, he grew up with 1 full-sister & 3 half-sisters
Having emigrated to South Australia, he in May 1914 was sentenced by the Adelaide Supreme Court to 3 months hard labour for housebreaking & larceny
This was presumably why, when he enlisted for the AIF on 1 Jan 1915 he stated his name only as Neil McPhee
He was allocated as 3015 Trooper to the 11th Light Horse Regiment 1st Reinforcement
He embarked for the Middle East on 23 Jun though when he arrived in Aug he was admitted to the Isolation Camp with VD before returning home in Sep
He was re-allocated to 9 LHR's 14th Rio's in Jan 1916 then to Pioneers in Aug then back to 9 LHR's 22nd Rio's in Sep
He re-embarked for the Middle East on 5 Nov arriving on 4 Dec
He transferred to D Squadron, 11 LHR in Jan 1917 then to 4 LHR with No.3015a on 3 Mar – His 3015 No. was cancelled & he was allotted No.R781
He served with th 4th Light Horse Regiment for the Sinai & Palestine campaign including the Battle 'Charge' of Beersheba on 31 Oct 1917
In Jan 1918 he was sentenced to 1 year's imprisonment with hard labour on a charge of offering violence to his superior officer in the execution of his office, to be served at Detention Barracks Cairo
He served his full sentence & was released in Dec re-joining 4 LHR in Mar 1919
He returned to Adelaide in Jul 1919 & was discharged on 21 Sep
Submitted 27 June 2024 by James Coleman
Biography contributed by James Coleman
Neil McPHEE was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 15 October 1891, the son of Murdoch McPhee and Jane Armstrong Whitelaw
He arrived in Australia between 1913/14 and resided in South Australia when he enlisted in the AIF on 4 January 1915
Allocated as 781 Trooper with the 1st Reinforcement of the 11th Light Horse Regiment, he embarked for the Middle East on 23 June. Due to illness he arrived back in Australia on 23 September
Now fit for service abroad, he re-embarked on 5 November 1916; marched in to Isolation Camp, Moascar, 4 December 1916.
Taken on strength, 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment, Moascar, 14 December 1916.
Transferred to D Squadron, 11th Light Horse Regiment, 11 January 1917.
Found guilty, 12 January 1917, of being absent without leave in that he did at Moascar absent himself without leave from 0630 on 12.1.17 parade till 1330 on 16.1.17 when he reported at Orderly Room: awarded forfeiture of 5 days' pay, and loss of a further 5 days' pay.
Found guilty, 29 January 1917, of being absent without leave, Moascar, from 0630, 27 January, to 0630, 29 January 1917: awarded forfeiture of 7 days' pay and stoppage of leave for 14 days, and forfeited a further 3 days' pay.
Found guilty, 13 February 1917, of (1) being absent without leave, Moascar, from 1430, 9 February, until 1730, 10 February 1917, when he was arrested; (2) when on Active Service drunkenness in that he at Ismailia on 10.2.17 was drunk; (3) disobedience of orders in that he in Ismailia on 10.2.17 disobeyed orders by not being in possession of an identification disc; (4) improperly dressed in that he whilst in Ismailia on 10.2.17 was wearing an open cut tunic without a belt: awarded 14 days' Field Punishment No 2, and forfeited 2 days' pay.
Transferred to 4th Light Horse Training Regiment, Moascar, 24 February 1917.
Taken on strength, 4th Light Horse Regiment, and allotted No R781 so as not to be confused with 781 TPR Ralph Gosden
Admitted to 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital, El Arish (catarrh), and transferred to Hospital Train; discharged to Moascar, 4 May 1917.
Found guilty, 10 May 1917, of being absent without leave from 0600, 5 May, to 0515, 9 May 1917: awarded 28 days' Field Punishment No 2, and forfeited 5 day's pay; total forfeiture: 8 Pounds.5.0.
Found guilty, 19 June 1917, of being absent from the Lines from 0430 until Lights Out at 2200, 15 June 1917: awarded 3 days' Field Punishment No 2, and forfeited 1 day's pay.
Found guilty, 27 June 1917, of when on Active Service, absenting himself without leave in that he at Moascar absented himself without leave from 0430 on 26.6.17 to 2100 on 27.6.17: awarded 90 days' imprisonment with hard labour, and forfeited 23 Pounds pay.
Marched out to Detention Barracks, Cairo, 16 July 1917; discharged from Detention Barracks, sentence expired, 15 September 1917; rejoined 4th Light Horse Training Regiment, Moascar, 16 September 1917.
Admitted to No 2 Australian Stationary Hospital, Moascar, 20 September 1917 (varicocele); discharged same day and rejoined Training Regiment.
Transferred to 4th Light Horse Regiment, 24 October 1917; rejoined unit and at Tel el Fara on 26 October 1917
Two days later they moved out from the bivouac area to begin their advance towards Beersheba, where on the 31st, A Squadron lead the 4th LH Brigade in the famed mounted charge on the city
He was tried by Field General Court Martial on charge of when on Active Service offering violence to his superior officer being in the execution of his office; pleaded Not Guilty; found Guilty, and sentenced to 1 year's imprisonment with hard labour. Marched off to Detention Barracks, Cairo, 27 January 1918; released from Detention Barracks, 27 December 1918 (sentence expired); rejoined 4th Light Horse Regiment, Moascar, 4 March 1919.
Found guilty, 24 May 1919, of being absent without leave, Alexandria, from 0001, 11 May, until apprehended by the Military Police at 2330, 20 May 1919: awarded forfeiture of 28 days' pay; total forfeiture: 38 days' pay.
Commenced return to Australia from Kantara on board HT 'Essex', 15 June 1919; disembarked Adelaide, 22 July 1919; discharged, Adelaide, 21 September 1919
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