CRAKER, Edwin Harry
| Service Number: | 6311 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lancefield, Victoria, 13 September 1888 |
| Home Town: | Magill, Campbelltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Brighton, City of Bayside, Victoria, Australia, 3 December 1972, aged 84 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne |
| Memorials: | Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6311, 22nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6311, 22nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6311, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Charles Campbell College
Edwin Harry Craker was born on the 13th of September 1888 to Marion and Edwin Craker in Magill, South Australia. He was the oldest of four children, with three younger sisters. Adelaide Gertrude was born in 1890, Nesta Mary was born in 1895, and Thelma Eva was born in 1898. In 1916, at 28 years old, Edwin moved to Melbourne and worked as a labourer while living on High Street, Lancefield.
Edwin attempted to enlist in the AIF twice, one attempt being unsuccessful due to his flat feet. His successful enlistment was on the 18th of October 1916. His address of Enlistment at this time was Castlemaine, Victoria. He embarked with the 22nd Battalion on the HMAT Hororata in Melbourne on the 23rd of November 1916 from Port Melbourne and disembarked in Plymouth, England, on the 19th of January 1917.
Soon after disembarking, he was moved to the 6th Training Battalion on the 31st of January and was appointed acting Corporal in September. In early November he was appointed as Lance Corporal and then reverted to Private in December 1917. Edwin never reached a theatre of war, but he did serve in training units and at base in England. He suffered a right inguinal hernia that worsened over his six months in service, forcing him to return home under the premise of being “medically unfit,” despite Edwin claiming he had no pain. He returned to Australia on the 10th of January 1918 on the HMT Corinthic. On this voyage, Edwin participated in a small concert for the troops to boost morale. He sang “Where My Caravan Has Rested.”
After the war, Edwin lived in Melbourne. He re-attested as a clerk for Home Service in the 3rd Military District on the 11th of September 1918. In 1936, he married Eunice Ellen Down. On the 3rd of December 1972, Edwin died at the age of 84 in Bayside, Victoria. He was buried in the Springvale Botanical Cemetery in Melbourne.
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