ELBOURN, Edwin
| Service Number: | 2596 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Leyhill, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Tammin, Tammin, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 6 April 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Morchies Australian Cemetery Grave B. 3. INSCRIPTION UNTO HIM THAT LOVED US & WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD , Morchies Australian Cemetery, Morchies, Arras, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Sep 1915: | Involvement Private, 2596, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2596, 11th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Fremantle |
Help us honour Edwin Elbourn's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Births Jun 1893 Elbourn Edwin Amersham 3a 669.
Enlisted 6th May 1915.
The 11th Battalion was an Australian Army battalion that was among the first infantry units raised during World War I for the First Australian Imperial Force. It was the first battalion recruited in Western Australia, and following a brief training period in Perth, the battalion sailed to Egypt where it undertook four months of intensive training. Edwin was part of many deployed as re-inforcements. In April 1915 it took part in the invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula, landing at Anzac Cove. In August 1915 the battalion was in action in the Battle of Lone Pine. Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the battalion returned to Egypt where it was split to help form the 51st Battalion. In March 1916, the battalion was deployed to the Western Front in France and Belgium . In early 1917, the Germans fell back towards the Hindenburg Line in an effort to shorten their lines and move into prepared positions. As the Allies pursued the withdrawing Germans, in late February the 11th Battalion captured Le Barque, conducting mopping-up operations before advancing to Thilloy where they fought a minor engagement before being relieved by the 3rd Battalion, having lost 12 killed and 30 wounded during the fighting and a further 10 men killed and 13 wounded by artillery. Sickness also took a heavy toll during this time due to the bad weather. In March, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Rafferty took over as commanding officer and the following month, as the Allied line was pushed further forward towards the Hindenburg Line, the 11th Battalion played a supporting role during the 3rd Brigade's attack around Boursies, before occupying the front around the village of Louverval. Edwin’s service record shows that he was wounded or ill on several occasions but was patched up and returned to duty.
He was 24 and the son of William and Alice Elbourn, of Game Farm, Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England.
He is remembered on the war memorial in St Lawrence church.