Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert Henry Wilmer was born in 1881 in Stratford, England. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes and considered his religious denomination to be the Church of England. After an unknown period of time, Herbert moved to Australia and worked as a painter in North Adelaide.

On the 29th of March 1916, Hebert Henry Wilmer joined the AIF and enrolled into the 32nd Infantry Battalion at the age of 34 with 11 months with the service number of 3338. Seeing as this was already over a year into the war and that he was older than most soldiers, he may have been reluctant to join the war. At the time of enlistment, Herbert Henry Wilmer weighed 127 pounds (57.6 kg) and had a height measurement of 5 feet, 8 and a quarter inches tall (1.7 m) as well a chest measurement of 32.33 and a half inches wide (82.1 cm). He embarked on the 27th of June of that same year on the HMAT Malakuta from Adelaide. He disembarked on Devonport, England on the 22nd of August of that year. Upon arrival, Private Wilmer was sent to march in the 8th Training Battalion in Larkhill. Later that year on the 14th of December, Herbert Henry Wilmer was sent to get checked up on at the Australian Dermatological Hospital. He was discharged from the hospital 63 days later on the 14th of February of the following year.

In July of 1916, Private Wilmer wrote a letter to the State Children's Department of South Australia from France complaining about his wife's conduct while he was away from home. After Herbert Henry Wilmer was sent to war, his wife, Ada Elizabeth Wilmer, had an affair with another man and had an illegitimate son, Allan Chesterfield Wilmer. On the 2nd of December of that same year, Elizabeth wrote a letter stating that she wanted to start a life of her own and that she intended on leaving her five children to do so. After writing this letter, Elizabeth vanished and was not found by the authorities. On the 10th of December of that same year, their children (Marjorie, Eric, John and Winifred L. Wilmer) as well as Allan Chesterfield Wilmer were sent the Industrial School, Edwardstown as "destitute children".

On the 5th of April 1917, Private Henry was sent overseas to the Australian Divisional Base Depot in Etaples, France. Seven days later, he was taken on strength as part of the 32nd Infantry Battalion. On the 1st of July 1917, Private Wilmer was detached to pigeon school for three days until he re-joined his unit on the fourth day of the same month. However, he had to be admitted to an ambulance 13 days later on the 17th of July due to him conceiving varicose veins and he was admitted to the 10th Gen Hospital 2 days later. He was transferred to the 2nd Conv Depot on the 20th of July and transferred to the 11th Conv Depot on the 25th of July where he remained until he was discharged from hospital on the 9th of August and sent to the Australian Divisional Base Depot.

After re-joining his unit on the 27th of October 1917, Private Wilmer stayed with his unit until the 3rd of March of 1918, when he went to UK on leave and re-joined his unit once again on the 20th of March. A little over a month later on the 30th of April, he was admitted to the 7th Gen Hospital in Etaples, France for Gastro Enteritis and Arteric Sclerosis, where he was transferred back and forth from hospital to hospital multiple times for more than two months. After finally beginning to recover, Private Wilmer had to be admitted to hospital once again, this time for accidentally fracturing his metacarpal bone on his right thumb and  an accidental abrasion on the left side of his head on the 3rd of September, 1918. He was transferred to England on the 29th of September and was admitted to Mile End Hospital a day later for these reasons and also for dislocating his metacarpal bone on the left thumb as well. He stayed there until he was discharged from hospital on the 7th of November on leave to report to No. 4 Command Depot, Hurdcott on the 21st of November. Private Wilmer marched into the No. 1 Command Depot on the 23rd of November from the Administrative Headquarters ex-leave, where he was deemed too sick and injured to keep fighting in war.

On the 21st of December 1918, Herbert Henry Wilmer left England for return to Australia. On the 4th of February of the following year, he disembarked at Melbourne and proceeded to Broadmeadows awaiting transport for Adelaide. He was officially discharged from the AIF on the 3rd of April of that year due to his dislocated right thumb since he was seen as medically unfit because of it. Upon return, he was awarded with the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Although not completely confirmed, there is some evidence that suggests that he later decided to remarry to Louise Dobson and died in 1953 in Adelaide, South Australia at approximately 70 years of age five years after Louise had died in 1948.