GUTHRIE, David Matson Glen
| Service Number: | 4185 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 August 1915, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Peterhead, South Australia, 21 March 1898 |
| Home Town: | Largs Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Le Fevre's Peninsula School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 25 February 1917, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
AIF Burial Ground, Grass Lane, Flers |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4185, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jan 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4185, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Jan 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 4185, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 25 Feb 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 4185, 10th Infantry Battalion, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages |
Help us honour David Matson Glen Guthrie's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian War Memorial
Pte David Guthrie was born David Matson Glen Guthrie on 21 March 1898, the youngest son of Senator Robert Storrie Guthrie and his wife Janet. Born in Port Adelaide and educated at the nearby Le Fevre’s Peninsula School, he later went to work the railways and was stationed at Largs Bay working as a porter.
David Guthrie enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915, a few months after his eighteenth birthday. He underwent a period of training in Australia, but his departure for the war in Europe was delayed by sickness and he did not leave for active service overseas until 11 January 1916. He first went to Egypt, where he again fell ill, spending several weeks in hospital in Abbassia, and in May 1916 he was sent to France with the 10th Battalion.
In July 1916 the 10th Battalion participated in the attack that captured the French village of Pozieres. In February 1917 the 10th Battalion was in the front line not far from the French town of Albert. Although major operations were still suspended because of the cold weather, the battalion conducted a small-scale attack to capture a German position known as the Le Barque Switch Trench. The attack cost the 10th Battalion an estimated 20% of its strength through casualties.
This time Private David Guthrie was one of the casualties.
Senator Guthrie had to contact the Minister of Defence to find out what had happened to his son, and was informed that he had been killed by shell-fire on 25 February 1917. David Guthrie was buried in a trench not far from where he fell. After the war his battlefield grave was recovered, and today he lies in the AIF Burial Ground in Flers. He was 19 years old.
Biography
"LATE PTE. D. M. G. GUTHRIE.
Pte. D. M. G. Guthrie, of the 10th Battalion, who was killed in action in France on February 25, was the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie. He was born at Port Adelaide in 1898, educated at Le Fevre's Peninsula School, and began work with Messrs. Reid Brothers. Later he entered the railway service, and was stationed at Largs Bay. Enlisting in August, 1915, Pte. Guthrie left for the front on December 1 last, and proceeded direct to France." - from the Adelaide Observer 07 Apr 1917 (nla.gov.au)
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