WILSON, Eric Robert
| Service Number: | 4887 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, November 1895 |
| Home Town: | Port Macquarie, Port Macquarie-Hastings, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, Fromelles, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery One of 96 AIF found in a mass grave, identified by DNA analysis and now has marked grave. Interred in Grave II. E. 2. next to his brother Samuel Charles who fell with him. INSCRIPTION IN PROUD MEMORY OF ERIC LOVED BROTHER. DEAR SON OF ISABELLA AND GEORGE REST IN PEACE WITH SAM , Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery, Fromelles, Lille, Nord Pas de Calais, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hibbard Public School Pupils Honour Roll of the Great War, Port Macquarie Cenotaph |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 4887, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4887, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4887, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Sydney | |
| 20 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Transferred to be with his two brothers James and Charles | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 4887, 53rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4887 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
From AWM
4887 Private (Pte) Eric Robert Wilson, 53rd Battalion from Port Macquarie NSW. A 19 year old labourer prior to enlistment on 28 July 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 15th Reinforcements of the 1st Battalion from Sydney aboard HMAT Star of England on 8 March 1916. He was killed in action on 19 July 1916 at Fromelles, France, the same day and place as his brother, 3534 Pte Samuel Charles Wilson [see image P05445.001]. After the war Pte Eric Wilson's grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles. In 2008 a burial ground was located at Pheasant Wood, France containing the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers including Privates Eric and Samuel Wilson. All of the remains were reburied in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. At the time of the official dedication of the new cemetery on 19 July 2010, ninety-six of the Australians, including Privates Eric and Samuel Wilson, had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. Work is continuing on identifying the other remains relocated from the burial ground and buried in the new cemetery as unknown soldiers.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1167006
Submitted 27 January 2019 by Evan Evans
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
A quote from a letter by Capt Gerald Evans MC (8th Bn) who had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get his brother Pte Francis (Ken) Evan (51st Bn) to join him. Ken did not want to join him. Gerald later wrote in a letter dated 26/8/1917:
"I think brothers should not be together in this game.-“
Gerald DoW 20/9/1917, Battle Menin Rd
Ken KIA 13/10/1917, Zonnebeke
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Eric was 20 and a son of George and Isabella Wilson. His brother Private Samuel Charles, Service Number 3534, aged 30 fell in the same action and rests alongside him.
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
His parents lived at Hibbard, Port Macquarie, New South Wales..
The three Wilson brothers from Port Macquarie NSW, were in the 53rd Battalion, Eric and Sam were killed side by side in German trenches, and Private James Arthur Ernest Wilson, Service Number 3533, returned to Australia, 25 January 1919. He was wounded in the neck but survived. He passed away in 1959.
Enlistment date 28 July 1915
Place of enlistment Liverpool, New South Wales
Rank on enlistment Private
Unit name 1st Battalion, 15th Reinforcement
AWM Embarkation Roll number 23/18/4
Age at embarkation-19
Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A15 Star Of England on 8 March 1916
Unit from Nominal Roll-53rd Battalion
War service: Egypt, Western Front
Taken on strength of 53rd Bn, Tel el Kebir, 20 April 1916.
Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 19 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 28 June 1916.
Reported as missing in action, 19 July 1916.
Identification disc received from Germany. No particulars afforded except that the soldier is deceased. Then reported as killed in action, 19 July 1916, on authority of the Assistant Adjutant General, ANZAC Section, War Office, 24 February 1917.
Advice received from Australian Red Cross, Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau, 18 October 1920, 'Wilson, E. R. 4887. 53. Batl. A.T.F. Fell 19.7.16 near Fromelles. Final German Death List, S'.
Red Cross File No 2980701: 'The above name appeared on German death list dated 4-11-16'.
Originally listed as 'No Known Grave' and commemorated at V.C. Corner (Panel No 9), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles.
Sources
NAA: B2455, WILSON Eric Robert
Red Cross File No 2980701
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