BICE, John Gilbert
| Service Number: | 2187 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Inglewood, Victoria in 1895, October 1895 |
| Home Town: | Inglewood, Loddon, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Mary's School, Victoria |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Illness - TB, 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom, 25 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Harefield (St. Mary) Churchyard, Middlesex, United Kingdom Cowley (St. Lawrence) Churchyard (Aust. 21). Middlesex , Harefield (St Mary) Churchyard, Harefield, Hillingdon, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Inglewood War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2187, 37th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 2187, 37th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 2187, 37th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne |
Help us honour John Gilbert Bice's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 25th May....Private John Gilbert Bice was born at Inglewood, Victoria in 1895. His mother died in 1898; his father died in 1906 & his brother died in 1914, aged 22.
John Gilbert Bice enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) at Bendigo, Victoria on 10th April, 1916 as a 19 year old Labourer from Inglewood. His grandmother - Mrs Mary Ann Jones, Maxwell Road, Inglewood, Victoria was listed as his next of kin.
Private Bice embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Shropshire (A9) on 25th September, 1916 with the 10th Infantry Brigade, 37th Infantry Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 11th November, 1916 where he would receive further training before being sent to the War Front.
Private Bice was marched in to 3rd D.A.T.B. (Divisional Amalgamated Training Battalion) at Hurdcott, Wiltshire, England on 17th November, 1916. He was marched out to 10th Training Battalion at Durrington, Wiltshire, England on 17th November, 1916.
Private Bice was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire, England on 6th December, 1916 with Bronchitis. He was marched out to No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire ten rejoined 10th Training Battalion, Durrington, on 24th January, 1917.
Private Bice was admitted to 1st Auxiliary Hospital, England on 5th March, 1917 & was seriously ill.
A Medical Report was completed on Private John Gilbert Bice on 5th March, 1917 at No. 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, England. His disability was recorded as Pulmonary Tuberculosis which had originated in October, 1916 at Durrington Camp, Salisbury, Wiltshire (10th Training Battalion). The Officer in charge of the Medical case recommended that Private Bice be discharged as permanently unfit. The Medical Board found on 20th March, 1917 that Private John Gilbert Bice was permanently unfit for all Military Service.
Private John Gilbert Bice died at 1.30 pm on 25th May, 1917 at 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, Middlesex, England from Tuberculosis of Lungs.
He was buried in St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Harefield, Middlesex, England where 112 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located. The headstones in this Churchyard were erected from money raised in a fund for those patients that had died in 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/-a---c.html
(Note: CWGC were advised at the time of researching – April, 2021 that Private Bice’s headstone had been engraved incorrectly with 7th Battalion – should be 37th Battalion)
*** I did have a photo of Bice in my research on the website – but will be removing it as I am now convinced that the photo is of another Soldier named Bice who is buried in Tidworth Military Cemetery.
Click images to start slideshow.