ATKINS, Ernest George
| Service Number: | 6917 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 April 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 13 April 1885 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Carter |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 5 August 1966, aged 81 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld He was buried four days later beside his beloved wife, Agnes, in Monumental Portion 3, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Apr 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6917, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 6917, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 6917, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 1 Nov 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6917, 26th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Ernest George Atkins'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 Remembrance Army
Pte Ernest George Atkins (Service No. 6917), an Australian World War One veteran, is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now honoured with a plaque recognising their service for Australia.
On 20 September 2025, his plaque was unveiled in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 161 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
https://www.australianremembrancearmy.com/20-09-25...
Ernest George Atkins was born on 13 April 1885 in Bundaberg, Queensland, to Frederick William Atkins and Alice Atkins (née Beach). He married Agnes Teague in October 1908.
Ernest enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Brisbane on 16 April 1917, aged 32, stating his occupation as carter and naming his wife, Agnes, as his next of kin. On 14 June 1917, he embarked for overseas service aboard HMAT Hororata (A20) from Sydney, arriving in Liverpool, England, on 26 August 1917, where he joined the 7th Training Battalion at Rollestone. In September he was hospitalised at Parkhurst Military Hospital with mumps, and after recovery rejoined his training unit.
In January 1918, Ernest proceeded overseas to France with the 5th Training Battalion and was taken on strength with the 25th Battalion in February. He was hospitalised soon after with deafness, rejoining his unit the following month. In October 1918, he was transferred to the 26th Battalion, later taking leave in the United Kingdom from 11 to 25 December 1918. He returned to Australia in July 1919 aboard the troopship HMAT Bakara (A41), and was discharged from the AIF on 1 November 1919.
Following his return to Australia, Ernest resumed work as a carter in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. By 1958, he and Agnes were living in Caboolture, where Ernest worked as a labourer. Agnes Atkins died on 9 February 1961 in Brisbane, aged 70, and was buried in Lutwyche Cemetery.
Private Ernest George Atkins died on 5 August 1966, aged 81, and was buried four days later beside his beloved wife, Agnes, in Monumental Portion 3, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity has now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget.
We received grant funding to manufacture this plaque from the Australian Government under the Marking (First World War) Private Graves Grants Program. We received further grant funding from the Queensland Government under the Queensland Remembers Grants Program to manufacture the plinth and to install the plaque.
Click images to start slideshow.