FOUBISTER, Claude
| Service Number: | 544 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Quorn, South Australia, 17 January 1895 |
| Home Town: | Jamestown, Northern Areas, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | 3 August 1964, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia Buried: Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, SA (Derrick Gardens, Path 29, Grave 953) |
| Memorials: | Jamestown Methodist Church WW1 Roll of Honor, Jamestown Presbyterian Church WW1 Honor Roll, Jamestown Soldier's Memorial Park Arch |
World War 1 Service
| 23 Oct 1914: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 544, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Armadale embarkation_ship_number: A26 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 544, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Armadale, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Trooper, 544, 9th Light Horse Regiment |
Help us honour Claude Foubister's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Claude Foubister was born on the 17th of January 1895 in Quorn, South Australia, one of the many children of Robert Foubister, a Scottish migrant from Orkney, and Mary Ann Brewster, who was born in Burra. He was raised in a strong Methodist family in the Flinders Ranges region and came from a large family of 12 children, though sadly several of them passed away at young ages.
Prior to Foubister’s enlistment to the war, he gained early military experience through service in the cadets, completing about 18 months as a voluntary cadet and a further 12 months in the compulsory cadets. According to the attestation paper, Foubister was of fair complexion, with blue eyes, brown hair, and a slim build, standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall (171cm), weighing 94 pounds (43kg) and worked as a farmer, likely helping his family with agricultural work in the Flinders Ranges.
Claude Foubister enlisted 23rd of October 1914, at Morphettville, South Australia, at the age of 19 years. He was assigned the rank of Trooper and placed in the A Squadron within the 9th Light Horse Regiment.
After enlisting, Foubister began his initial training at Morphettville Camp which served as the central training and enlistment camp for South Australia. Once training was complete, the 3rd Light Horse Brigade embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Armadale on the 12th of February 1915 with the rest of the 9th Light Horse Regiment. The regiment sailed to Egypt where they arrived on 14 March 1915 and continued their training in desert conditions, preparing them for active service.
In 1915, Foubister and his unit were deployedto the trenches at Gallipoli, enduring harsh conditions and heavy fighting. Following their return to Egypt in early 1916, the 9th Light Horse took part in the Sinai campaign, fighting in the Battle of Romani (August 1916), the Battle of Magdhaba (December 1916), and the Battle of Rafa (January 1917), which helped secure the Suez Canal and push Ottoman forces back.
In 1917, Foubister fought in the advance through Palestine, including the First and Second Battles of Gaza (March–April 1917) and received a mild gunshot wound to the right shoulder. He was then admitted to the 44th stationary hospital in Egypt on 15/11/17. The 9th Light Horse then took part in the decisive Battle of Beersheba (31st October 1917) and advanced towards Jerusalem (December 1917), continuing operations in the Jordan Valley such as the Es Salt raids in 1918. Towards the end of the war, they pushed further north, reaching Jenin, Sasa, and finally Damascus in October 1918, contributing to the collapse of Ottoman control in the region.
After being discharged from the war, Claude returned to Australia on the 2nd of January 1919 and resumed his life as a farmer in the Flinders Rangers. During this time, he met and married a woman named Martha McKie, with whom he had and raised 4 children with: Joyce Mary (1921), Florence Hazel (1922), Prycilla Martha (1923), and Claude Robert (1925). In Claude’s later years he lived in Hillcrest, a suburb of Adelaide, where he passed away on the 3rd of August 1964 at the age of 69 and was laid to rest at Centennial Park Cemetery
After his death, his wife Martha applied for the Gallipoli Medallion on 20th September 1967. This application reflected the continued recognition of his contribution, even many years after the war. Martha survived longer than Claude by 12 years but passed away on the 10th of January 1976 in Dandenong, Victoria with her ashes being scattered at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.
Today, his legacy continues through his name being inscribed on the Jamestown Methodist and Presbyterian Church Honour Rolls, as well as the Jamestown Soldiers’ Memorial Arch.
Bibliography
‘A’ Squadron, 3rd/9th Light Horse (South Australian Mounted Rifles) – Australian Light Horse Association 2025, Lighthorse.org.au, viewed 18 September 2025, <https://www.lighthorse.org.au/3-9th-light-horse/>.
9th Australian Light Horse Regiment 2016, Awm.gov.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51043>.
Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History 2025, Vwma.org.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/projects/196099/edit?t=1755436610216>.
Colour patch : 9 Light Horse Regiment, AIF 2025, Awm.gov.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C261480>.
Details 2025, Adfa.edu.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=102280>.
Expeditionary Forces First World War - soldiers exercising (Morphettville Racecourse) 2025, History Trust, viewed 18 September 2025, <https://collections.history.sa.gov.au/nodes/view/36287>.
Jamestown Methodist Church WW1 Roll of Honor, Jamestown, South Australia, Australia 2025, Vwma.org.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1223>.
Jamestown Presbyterian Church WW1 Honor Roll, Jamestown, South Australia, Australia 2025, Vwma.org.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1222>.
Jamestown Soldier’s Memorial Park Arch 2025, Vwma.org.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/362>.
Session expired | RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia 2015, Naa.gov.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4019392&isAv=N>.
The troop transport HMAT Armadale (A26) at the Port Melbourne wharf waiting for troops to board ... n.d., www.awm.gov.au, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1142870>.
Trooper Claude Foubister (1895-1964) - Find a... 2025, Findagrave.com, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151401855/claude-foubister>.
Trove 2025, Nla.gov.au, Trove, viewed 29 August 2025, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/search/category/newspapers?keyword=Claude%20Foubister>.
Virtual War Memorial 2014, 9th Light Horse Regiment, Vwma.org.au, viewed 18 September 2025, <https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/68>.
Wikipedia Contributors 2025, 9th Light Horse Regiment (Australia), Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, viewed 18 September 2025, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9th_Light_Horse_Regiment_(Australia)>.
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