BALFE, Joseph Rupert
| Service Number: | 1587 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 6th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, 9 March 1890 |
| Home Town: | Brunswick, Moreland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | University High School, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Medical Student |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Gallipoli, 25 April 1915, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial Gallipoli, Çanakkale, Türkiye Panel 25 |
| Memorials: | City of Brunswick Honour Roll, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 1587, 6th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement 6th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 1 Feb 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement Lieutenant, 6th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 6th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1915-04-25 |
Lt Joseph Rupert Balfe
From In Memory Of
In Memory Of Lieutenant Joseph Rupert Balfe (9 March 1890 – 25 April 1915). He was an Australian rules footballer and soldier who was killed during the landing at Anzac Cove.
The son of Matthew Balfe (later mayor of Brunswick) and Sarah Knott, Joseph Balfe was born in Brunswick in 1890. After completing his school education in 1908, he studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and was in his final year when he enlisted to serve in WW1.
Joseph Balfe enlisted on the 2nd of September 1914 as a Second Lieutenant with the 6th Battalion in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He died at the age of 25. He was one of many players from the VFL during WW1 who lost their lives.
Joseph Balfe had a strong friendship with Robert Menzies, who was studying Law at Melbourne University. Menzies went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia from 1939–1941, 1949–1966. Menzies wrote a poem for the late Joseph Balfe which appeared in several local newspapers on the 16th of July 1915.
In Memoriam Lieut. J.R. Balfe, Killed in Action, Gallipoli, July 1915.
His was the call that came from far away –
An Empire's message flashing o'er the sea –
The call to arms! The blood of chivalry
Pulsed quicker in his veins; he could not stay!
Let others wait; for him the glorious day
Of tyrants humbled and a world set free
Had dawned in clouds and thunder; with a glee
Born not of insensate madness for the fray,
But rather of a spirit noble, brave,
And kindled by a heart that wept at wrong,
He went. The storms of battle round him rave
And screaming fury o'er him chants its song,
Sleep, gallant soul! Though gone thy living breath,
Thou liv'st for aye, for thou has conquered death
Lest We Forget.
Information came from Wikipedia. Photograph came from the Australian War Memorial. Image file number AWM H05654
Submitted 9 October 2019 by Evan Evans
Lt Joseph Rupert Balfe
From Peter Barnes, Australia and NZ in WWI
As we approach ANZAC Day, I thought I would post some of the Australian soldiers who died on the 25th of April, 1915, at Gallipoli.
According to the historians at the Australian War Memorial, it is generally accepted that the total number of Australian casualties, killed and wounded at Anzac Cove, on the 25th of April 1915 is something of the order of 2,000 men. Although no-one can be certain of the precise number, it is generally accepted that something like 650 Australian servicemen were killed in action at Anzac Cove on the 25th of April 1915.
Joseph Rupert Balfe (9 March 1890 – 25 April 1915) was an Australian rules footballer and soldier who was killed during the landing at Anzac Cove.
The son of Matthew Balfe (later mayor of Brunswick) and Sarah Knott, Joseph Balfe was born in Brunswick in 1890. After completing his school education in 1908, he studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and was in his final year when he enlisted to serve in WW1.
Joseph Balfe enlisted on the 2nd of September 1914 as a Second Lieutenant with the 6th Battalion in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He died at the age of 25. He was one of many players from the VFL during WW1 who lost their lives.
Joseph Balfe had a strong friendship with Robert Menzies, who was studying Law at Melbourne University. Menzies went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia from 1939–1941, 1949–1966. Menzies wrote a poem for the late Joseph Balfe which appeared in several local newspapers on the 16th of July 1915.
In Memoriam Lieut. J.R. Balfe, Killed in Action, Gallipoli, July 1915
His was the call that came from far away –
An Empire's message flashing o'er the sea –
The call to arms! The blood of chivalry
Pulsed quicker in his veins; he could not stay!
Let others wait; for him the glorious day
Of tyrants humbled and a world set free
Had dawned in clouds and thunder; with a glee
Born not of insensate madness for the fray,
But rather of a spirit noble, brave,
And kindled by a heart that wept at wrong,
He went. The storms of battle round him rave
And screaming fury o'er him chants its song,
Sleep, gallant soul! Though gone thy living breath,
Thou liv'st for aye, for thou has conquered death
Lest We Forget.
Information came from Wikipedia.
Submitted 10 April 2019 by Evan Evans
Joseph Rupert Balfe
From Peter Barnes (Aust and NZ in WWI)
Joseph Rupert Balfe (9 March 1890 – 25 April 1915) was an Australian rules footballer and soldier who was killed during the landing at Anzac Cove.
The son of Matthew Balfe (later mayor of Brunswick) and Sarah Knott, Joseph Balfe was born in Brunswick in 1890. After completing his school education in 1908, he studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and was in his final year when he enlisted to serve in WW1.
Joseph Balfe enlisted on the 2nd of September 1914 as a Second Lieutenant with the 6th Battalion in the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He died at the age of 25. He was one of many players from the VFL during WW1 who lost their lives.
Joseph Balfe had a strong friendship with Robert Menzies, who was studying Law at Melbourne University. Menzies went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia from 1939–1941, 1949–1966. Menzies wrote a poem for the late Joseph Balfe which appeared in several local newspapers on the 16th of July 1915.
In Memoriam Lieut. J.R. Balfe, Killed in Action, Gallipoli, July 1915
His was the call that came from far away –
An Empire's message flashing o'er the sea –
The call to arms! The blood of chivalry
Pulsed quicker in his veins; he could not stay!
Let others wait; for him the glorious day
Of tyrants humbled and a world set free
Had dawned in clouds and thunder; with a glee
Born not of insensate madness for the fray,
But rather of a spirit noble, brave,
And kindled by a heart that wept at wrong,
He went. The storms of battle round him rave
And screaming fury o'er him chants its song,
Sleep, gallant soul! Though gone thy living breath,
Thou liv'st for aye, for thou has conquered death
Lest We Forget.
Information came from Wikipedia. Photograph came from the Australian War Memorial.
Submitted 1 April 2019 by Evan Evans
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Matthew and Sarah (nee Knott) Balfe of 60 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Victoria. Brother of Arthur Stanley Balfe, Francis Norman Balfe snd Mathew Harold Balfe,
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Schooling - Matriculated in 1906 and was a 5th year Medical Student at the University of Melbourne
Also served in the Citizen Military Forces held the rank of Private in 1911 at the Kilmore Camp: 1912 promoted to Lance Corporal at Kilmore Camp: 1913 promoted to Sergeant at Heidelberg Camp: 1914 promoted to Lieutenant at Bundoora Camp
Click images to start slideshow.