LATCHFORD, Ernest William
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | Dunsterforce |
| Born: | Murchison, Victoria, Australia, 24 January 1889 |
| Home Town: | Armadale, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Deniliquin Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | celebral-haemorrhage, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, 20 November 1962, aged 73 years |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne |
| Memorials: | Echuca War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 38th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 1916: | Involvement Lieutenant, 38th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jun 1916: | Embarked Lieutenant, 38th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne | |
| 4 Dec 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 38th Infantry Battalion, GSW to right arm and left foot, Armentieres sector | |
| 3 Mar 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 38th Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Jun 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 38th Infantry Battalion, Battle of Messines | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 38th Infantry Battalion, Broodseinde Ridge | |
| 12 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, 38th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Passchendaele | |
| 12 Oct 1917: | Honoured Military Cross, 2nd Passchendaele | |
| 25 Jan 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Dunsterforce, Northern Persia | |
| 23 Jan 1919: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, North Russia 1918-19, Vladivostok & Siberia | |
| 26 Apr 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Captain, Appointment terminated. |
Help us honour Ernest William Latchford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Ernest William Latchford MBE MC was born on 24 January 1889 at Murchison, Victoria, Australia. He was the only surviving son of Richard and Ada Latchford (Doran). He joined the Citizens' Militia in 1910 and became an instructor in the Australian Universal Training System as a Second Lieutenant.
Ernest transferred to the Australian Imperial Force on 23 February 1916 and was appointed Captain in 'B' Company, 38th Australian Infantry Battalion, a new unit being raised in Victoria as part of the 3rd Division. He embarked for England on 20 June 1916 aboard HMAT A54 Runic.
The 38th Battalion crossed to France in late November 1916 and moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 1 December 1916. The 38th fought in its first major battle at Messines, in Belgium, between 7-9 June 1917. It fought in another two major attacks in this sector - the battle of Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October, and the battle of Passchendaele on 12 October. It continued to see action in France until the Armistice.
Ernest was awarded the Military Cross in 1917 for his actions at Passchendaele, served with Dunsterforce against the Ottoman Turks in northern Persia and then with the White Russians in Siberia before returning to Australia in January 1920.
Ernest married Linda Dehnert in 1921 and remained a professional soldier right up to WW2. As a Captain in the Australian Instructional Corps, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1938 New Years’ Honours.
Ernest passed away in 1962 in Victoria.
Latchford Barracks, the home of the Army Logistics Training Centre at Bonegilla, Victoria, is named in his honour.
Biography contributed by Mark Latchford
"Letters to Lilyvale - The Life and Letters of Ernest Latchford MBE, MC - France, Persia and Russia 1916 - 1917"
Mark Latchford 2020 ISBN 978-0-6488456-2-1
Click images to start slideshow.