Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Bernard FITZGERALD #1949 9th Battalion

Bernard Fitzgerald was born in Mitchell to parents Bernard and Juliana Fitzgerald. His mother when completeing the Roll of Honour Circular reported that he had attended both a state school and a Christian Brothers School.

When Bernard attended the recruiting depot in Brisbane on 30th January 1915, he was 23 years old. Bernard named his mother as next of kin. Bernard snr was deceased by the time of his son’s enlistment and Juliana had remarried to a Mr O’Connor of Kilcoy.

The first convoy of troops for the war had departed Australia by the time that Bernard enlisted. He was assigned as part of the 5th reinforcements for the 9th Battalion which was already in camp at Mena in Egypt. Bernard boarded the “Kyarra” in Brisbane on 6th April 1915. By that time the 9th Battalion were on board a transport ship in Mudros Harbour on the island of Lemnos practicing boat drills for the forthcoming landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The 9th Battalion would in fact be one of the first units ashore on the morning of the 25th April.

Bernard would meet his comrades in the 9th for the first time on 22nd June 1915 when he landed as a reinforcement at ANZAC. Two months later, Bernard was evacuated from ANZAC by hospital ship to the 21st Australian General Hospital in Alexandria with a diagnosis of enteric fever (typhoid). After treatment Bernard was placed in a convalescent camp at Port Said where he went before a medical board on 10th November 1915. The Army Doctors recommended that Bernard be returned to Australia for a complete rest.

Bernard boarded the “Wandilla” at Port Said on 13th December along with a large number of sick and injured servicemen. The “Wandilla” docked in Melbourne on 14th January 1916. Bernard presumably made his way to Queensland on a rail warrant. In all probability he spent some of his leave with his mother at Kilcoy. Bernard was originally granted three months leave “for change” but it was not until the 7th September 1916 that he reported back for duty at Enoggera.

While Bernard had been convalescing back in Queensland for most of 1916, the AIF had been expanded and sent to the Western Front. Gallipoli had been a shock as far as casualties were concerned but the Western Front produced appalling casualties that decimated battalions and from which many units struggled to recover. The Australian Government attempted to introduce conscription to make up the shortage of manpower but the plebiscite held 1916 did not produce the necessary mandate.

In response to the need for frontline troops, men such as Bernard were sent back to the front. Bernard re-embarked on the “Clan McGilvray” and by the beginning of November was in camp in Plymouth. A month later Bernard was on his way to France via Folkstone and after a brief stay in the Etaples transit camp, rejoined his battalion in the field near Flers on 1st January 1917.

The winter of 1916/17 at the Front was particularly hard on the Australians who had to contend with rain, sleet, snow and collapsing trenches. On 5th January, Bernard Fitzgerald was part of a working party burying telephone cables when an artillery shell landed amongst the group. Five of the party were killed outright and three were wounded, one of which was Bernard Fitzgerald who sustained serious shrapnel wounds to his leg and buttocks. He was taken to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station near Corbie where he died of his wounds two days later on 7th January. He had been back with his battalion for 4 days.