LEWIS, Edwin Alfred
| Service Number: | 5290 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Tottenham, London, England, 22 February 1901 |
| Home Town: | Wooroolin, South Burnett, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Mar 1918: | Involvement Private, 5290, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Ormonde embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 1918: | Embarked Private, 5290, 31st Infantry Battalion, SS Ormonde, Sydney |
Edwin Alfred Lewis at Wooroolin during WW1
This man is not listed on the Wooroolin WW1 Honour Board but what a great story….. I found his name on the AIF Project website as his address was C/- PO Wooroolin.
Edwin Alfred Lewis was born 22 Feb 1901 in Tottenham, London the second of 5 children of Edwin and Doris Lewis. His father was a storekeeper in South Tottenham. In 1916 Edwin was working as a Theatre Attendant when he did a short term Attestation with the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regiment, Football Battalion but was discharged after 4 days as not being likely to be a good soldier.
Just a few months later in Nov 1916 he arrived in Melbourne on-board the Steamer “Port Albany” as a crew member. He was a Scullion – a kitchen hand. There were 69 crew on board. When the ship arrived in Melbourne a coal strike delayed the ships departure then when it got to Sydney a crew member accidently fell 40ft into the hold of the ship and died.
I think Edwin jumped ship and made his way to Queensland.
He was living at Wooroolin when he enlisted in the Australian Army at Maryborough on 4 Dec 1917 giving his date of birth as 11 Nov 1896 and his NOK as his mother Mrs Edwin Lewis, 24 Welbourne Road, Highcross, Tottenham, London, England.
He stood 5 feet 5 inches in his socks and had a fair complexion with dark brown hair and blue eyes. His denomination was Church of England and his distinguishing features was a vaccination scar left arm and a scar on the right knee.
Edwin was assigned to 31st Battalion, 15th Reinforcement and his unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board RMS Ormonde on 2 March 1918. On the way Edwin was hospitalised in Suez with tonsillitis finally arriving in Southampton on 5 May 1918. He was based at Codford, Wiltshire when charged with being AWOL for 1 day. The army then discovered he was underage and decided to return him to Australia. Edwin embarked on the “Malta” in July 1918 arriving back in Brisbane on 30 Oct 1918 – just 18 years old.
The electoral rolls show Edwin Alfred Lewis living at Charlestown from 1919 to 1922. As he only turned 21 in 1922 he should not have been on the electoral roll but thank goodness as that is the last entry I have found for him in Australia. By 1924 he was living back in Tottenham with his parents.
What an adventure for a young man.
Submitted 4 May 2023 by Carol Berry