Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Austin James Heithersay was born on the 21st of May 1893 to John and Selina Heithersay in Petersburg, South Australia. He was the third of four sons, all of whom served in the war. He had a dark completion, dark brown hair and blue eyes. Austin received his early education on Unley School. In 1906, when he was thirteen, Austin won three scholarships and accepted the Adelaide School of Mines scholarship. He studied mining there for three years. In 1907 he passed the junior university exam in five subjects with three credits. The following year he completed the senior university exam and passed in six subjects with several credits. Later that year he won the gold medal for dux of the preparatory school. In 1911 Austin won the Australian Mining Standard’s prize and another term of 12 months at the school. In the five years that he was educated at the Adelaide School of Mines Austin was the dux of his class for almost every term. In 1912 he received the diploma for metallurgy and proceeded to work at Kirkeek’s Treasure gold mine. Later he worked at the Broken Hill proprietary at Port Pirie as an assistant metallurgist.

Austin enlisted on the 20th October 1914 alongside his brother Edgar Stocks Heithersay in Morphettville. Their service numbers were 275 (Austin) and 276 (Edgar). Austin was recruited into the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, 9th Light Horse Regiment and trained in Melbourne between October 1914 and February 1915. The majority of the 9th Light Horse were from South Australia with a small amount from Victoria. The 9th Light Horse embarked for Egypt on the 11th of February 1915 on the HMAT Karroo A10. The 9th Light Horse arrived in Egypt on the 14th of March. Soon after they were sent to Gallipoli along with the 8th and 10th Light Horse. They arrived on 16th of May. Fortunately for the 9th Light Horse, they were reserved as backup while the 8th and 10th fought at the Nek and suffered no casualties. Austin left Gallipoli on the 30th of June on the HMAT Seang Bee due to eczema. He was admitted to a war hospital in Moudros on the Greek island of Lemnos, on the 1st of July. He was then transferred to Mtarfa Hospital in Malta where he stayed for a month and four days before being released on the 13th of August. Ten days later Austin was back in hospital at a war hospital in Mustafa, Alexandria, Egypt. It is unknown what this was for but he was only in hospital for a week before embarking for Gallipoli on the 30th. Austin stayed and fought in Gallipoli until late December, when the Light Horse returned to Alexandria on the 27th. During the time that he was at Gallipoli, most of the battles that the 9th Light Horse fought were defensive as the Gallipoli campaign had begun to end. Most of the major battles had taken place while Austin had been hospitalised, such as when the 9th Light Horse fought at Hill 60 and had 50% losses. He was attached to the 1st Field Squadron Engineers, ANZAC Mounted Division in Kantara on the 27th of May. The same day, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. On the 10th of the next month he was admitted to hospital in Kantara for inflamed face. He was released two days later. The 9th Light Horse would spend the next few months defending the Suez Canal and advancing across the Sinai Desert. They reached the Palestinian front in December 1916. They fought to secure the Turkish bases of Maghaba on the 23rd of December and then Rafa on the 9th of January 1917. Both were captured at bayonet point. Austin was shot in the head at the battle of Rafa on the 9th of January 1917. He was taken to the hospital train in the captured base of El Arish between the 10th and the 11th. He died on the 12th of January at age 24 and was buried in the military cemetery in Kantara. His sacrifice was not in vain as Rafa was captured by the Allies who then went on to take Gaza. On the 15th he was made a Lieutenant.