SWEENEY, Sydney Francis
| Service Number: | 6854 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 August 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 15 February 1896 |
| Home Town: | Zeehan, West Coast, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Mill Hand |
| Died: | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 15 March 1961, aged 65 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cornelian Bay Cemetery and Crematorium, Tasmania |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Aug 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6854, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Private, 6854, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Embarked Private, 6854, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 20 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 6854, 12th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road, GSW Chest wall | |
| 19 Sep 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 6854, 12th Infantry Battalion |
THE SWEENEY BROTHERS FROM ZEEHAN
Daniel and Sarah Sweeney and families, were pioneers of Tasmania’s west coast. Three of their sons enlisted to fight in the First World War. Daniel (26th Battalion), Edward (14th Field Ambulance) and Sydney (12th Battalion). All Zeehan residents. Zeehan residents. Dan and Ted served in Gallipoli and France. Syd served in France and Belgium.
Their mother,, Sarah died in Zeehan in October 1916 and was buried in the pioneer cemetery. She was spared the knowledge that her eldest son, Dan, 32, died following wounds received in the battle of Flers, in France, in November and that Ted and Syd were both seriously wounded in 1917.
Syd received a gunshot wound to the chest on the first day of the Battle of Menin Road, in Belgium. The very next day, Ted was shot in the hip in France. Both recuperated together in England. Ted was eventually recuperated to Australia. Syd recovered and returned to the front for the duration.
Dan had a premonition that he would not return from the war.
Click on the following link to read about the Sweeney family’s WW1 experiences:
https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review...
Submitted 25 April 2021 by Tony Sweeney
Click images to start slideshow.