MCKERVEY, Reginald Patrick
| Service Number: | 5057 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 August 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Stuart Town, New South Wales, Australia, 23 September 1896 |
| Home Town: | Goulburn, Goulburn Mulwaree, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 21 July 1917, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Goulburn District Railway Employees Great War Honour Roll, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5057, 20th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 5057, 20th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ajana embarkation_ship_number: A31 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 5057, 20th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ajana, Sydney | |
| 21 Jul 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 5057, 36th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 5057 awm_unit: 36th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-07-21 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Reginald Patrick Sarsfield McKERVEY (Service Number 5057) was born on 23rd September 1896 at Stuart Town. He first worked for the NSW Government Railways as a junior porter at Kogarah from 9th September 1912. He remained in the city until December 1913 when he relocated to the Goulburn District. On 24th December 1913 he became a junior clerk, and this is the role he held for the rest of his career He was released to join the Expeditionary Forces on 22nd August 1915.
McKervey enlisted at Goulburn the same day as he was granted leave by the Railways. Perhaps to avoid the need for parental consent, he gave his age as 21 years. He was in fact only 18-years-old. He gave his mother, Annie Agnes McKervey of Mitchell Street, Camden as his next of kin. He also claimed three years’ service in the 43rd Infantry. McKervey’s father was the station master at Galong at the time of his enlistment, but later relocated in the same role to Guyra.
He was allotted as reinforcements for the 20th Australian Infantry Battalion. McKervey embarked HMAT ‘Ajana’ in Sydney on 5th July 1916 and reached Plymouth (England) on 31st August. At first taken on the strength of the 5th Training Battalion, on 29th September he joined the 36th Battalion, rather than the 20th as intended. On 22nd November he proceeded overseas to France through Southampton.
In March 1917 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and in July spent a week at the Divisional Gas School.
McKervey became missing in action in Belgium on 21st July 1917 and a Court of Enquiry held eight months later ruled that he had in fact been killed in action on that date. An enquiry from his father to his Commanding Officer only elicited the advice that:
‘…. he & others were detailed to attack an enemy strong point to the North of Messines 21st July 1917 and from that date has been reported missing.’
J Clanson (4996) reported that ‘Mac’ had been taken prisoner in the attack at Messines but had not seen the action and had only been told by ‘several of the men of his party’, whose names he could not remember. He ‘knew for certain’ that the information was correct. No trace of McKervey was ever reported from Germany and he has no known grave. He is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
Reginald McKervey’s brother Thomas also served in the Great War but survived and returned to Australia in 1919.
- based on the Australian War Memorial honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board