MASON, Ernest William
| Service Number: | 3215 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 October 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 56th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia, 23 March 1886 |
| Home Town: | Mudgee, Mid-Western Regional, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Mudgee District School |
| Occupation: | Flour miller |
| Died: | Killed in action, Ypres, Belgium, 23 September 1917, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gulgong and Mudgee District Roll of Honor, Mudgee Anglican Parish of Mudgee Great War Honour Roll, Mudgee District Fallen Soldiers Memorial, Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3215, 56th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3215, 56th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 7 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3215, 56th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, Marched in to unit taken on strength | |
| 23 Sep 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3215, 56th Infantry Battalion, Menin Road, Killed in Action |
Help us honour Ernest William Mason's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Ernest was the third son of Samuel and Laura Ann Mason of Mudgee, New South Wales. He had two brothers also served, 3411 Pte. Clarence Russell Mason 13th Battalion AIF died as a prisoner of war in Germany on 30 October 1918, aged 22, 12 days before the Armistice. Another brother, 3356 Private John Leslie Mason 53rd Battalion AIF, returned to Australia in early 1919.
Their father Samuel passed away in Mudgee, four months before Ernest died in September 1917. The Mudgee Guardian reported his death, under the headline, ‘Another Hero Gone’.
The article stated that Ernest enlisted after six unsuccessful attempts. He was 30 years of age and unmarried. At the time of his enlistment, he occupied a responsible position in Loneragan's Ltd mill at Gulgong. He had been with Jas. Loneragan Ltd as a miller for a period of 9 years, first at Mudgee and afterwards at Gulgong, and was very highly thought of by the firm. He was very popular both in Gulgong and in Mudgee, of which later town he was a native. He was an enthusiastic footballer. For many years he played with Mudgee, and was afterwards secretary of the East End Club. Later he was secretary to the club at Gulgong.
Due to illness Ernest only joined his unit three weeks before he was killed in action during the Battle of Menin Road Ridge.
A few months after his death his mother Mrs. Mason received a letter from Private Ernest Mason, who said he was then very well, and weighing over 13 stone.
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