SHURMER, Roy Stanley
| Service Number: | 3885 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 October 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 60th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, 23 August 1897 |
| Home Town: | Cootamundra, Cootamundra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Cootamundra Public High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Telegraph Operator |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cootamundra RSL Honour Rolls, Cootamundra RSL Honour Rolls, Cootamundra War Memorial, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, V.C. Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3885 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jan 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3885, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jan 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3885, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3885, 60th Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3885 awm_unit: 60th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by VWM Australia
Pte. Roy Stanley Shurmer Was Killed.
On Monday night, the sad news was conveyed to Mr. John Shurmer that his second son, Pte. Roy Stanley Shurmer, who had been reported as missing on 19th July of last year, was killed. That such was his fate had been accepted by the family all along, but this is the first official intimation.
The last letter to hand from the late soldier was written on the 18th July 1916, from France. He had then been carrying ammunition into the trenches, and expected to be fighting there the next day. It was to be his first action. The first and last! He enlisted from here at about the time that the Cootamundra camp broke up, and was only 18 when he made the supreme sacrifice.
An elder brother, Lance-Corp. Jack Shurmer, is 'doing his bit' at the front. The Shurmer family are esteemed for their patriotism and the sympathy of the community is with them in the sad fact that one of the sons at least will not return to them.
Cootamundra Herald (NSW : 1877 - 1954) Wednesday 29 August 1917 p 2 Article
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Roy Stanley SHURMER (Service Number 3885) was born on 23rd August 1897 at Goulburn. His work with the NSW Railways began at Cootamundra where he was employed from 30th December 1911 as a temporary probationer. In April 1913 he progressed to be a junior[telegraph operator at Wallerawang. He moved to Armidale in June 1914 and returned to Cootamundra in September 1915.
Shurmer enlisted at Holdsworthy on 28th October 1915, giving his age as 21 years and 2 months. However he was in fact only 18 years and 2 months. He gave his father John Shrmer, who was living in Cootamundra, as his next of kin. Roy Shurmer also claimed three years’ military experience in ‘Com. W. Force’. He was allotted to the 9th Reinforcements to the 20th Australian Infantry Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Runic’ at Sydney on 20th January 1916 and reached Alexandria on 26th February. In Egypt he was transferred to the 56th Battalion in April and taken on strength at Ferry Post. This allocation did not last long and in May he transferred to the 60th Battalion.
On 18th June 1916 he embarked ‘Kinfaun Castle’ at Alexandria for passage to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France through Marseilles where he passed on 26th June. At sea he was disciplined for refusing to obey the order of an NCO and given seven days’ Field Punishment No. 2.
He was reported missing in France on 19th July 1916 – the Battle of Fromelles – and a Court of Enquiry held in August 1917 determined that he had in fact died that day. His body was never found, and he has no known grave. He is remembered at the VC Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial, Fromelles, France.
The Australian War Memorial records his age at death as 21 years. In fact, he had not yet reached his 19th birthday.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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