CHERRY, Rodney St James Borrett Goodhand
| Service Number: | 605 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Windsor, Stonnington - Victoria, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Windsor, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Civil Servant |
| Died: | 14 July 1953, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Armadale St. Albans Church Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 605, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orvieto embarkation_ship_number: A3 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 605, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Orvieto, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Susan Weisser
Born in 1891 Rodney St James B.G. Cherry enlisted in Melbourne on 17 August 1914 at age 23. His occupation was Civil Servant and Service Number 605. He served with the 5th Battalion, embarking from Australia on 21 October 1914.
He was one of the original ANZACs and was wounded at the landing on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.He was transferred to the hospital in Heliopolis being admitted there on 30 April 1915.
Admitted to No 2 General Hospital in Suez with Cephalagia (headache) on 9 May 1915.The hospital medical record entry of 9 May 1915 states “wounded in action 25.4.15 received Gun Shot Wound of scalp superficial wound 2 inches long right parietal region – now partially healed – dressing applied to be transferred to convalescent home.” His medical report of 12 July 1915 noted that after the original injury he had suffered ongoing headaches, lost weight and had therefore been hospitalised again. It stated that as of 12 July 1915, he was not seriously affected and had not improved markedly as a result of stay in hospital. The medical advice was to transfer him to Alexandria and "open air"and he was discharged on 12 July 1915.
He was transferred to work in the Postal Corps at Alexandria. He was promoted to Sergeant on 8 March 1916. He had a further hospitalisation in Suez from 1 to 11 May 1916. He was then transferred to England on the ‘Aragon’ on 11 July 1916 to work in London in the Australian Postal Corps. He had a further hospitalisation in London in March 1917 and was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 8 March 1918.
Rodney Cherry was returned to Australia on 3 December 1918 under ‘D34 Special 1914 Leave’ on HT Port Hacking. 1914 'Special' or 'Anzac' Leave was special leave back to Australia granted very late in the war to personnel who had commenced their service in 1914 and who were still on active service. As a sign of their status they were given an "Anzac Leave Rosette" to wear on each shoulder of their uniform so that members of the Australian public would recognise their previous early service and not accuse them of shirking service when recruits were still being sought to bolster the badly depleted fighting units of the AIF.
He was discharged from the AIF on 28 March 1919. He died on 14 July 1953.
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