CORNFORD, Henry George
| Service Number: | 901 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 August 1914, Place of Enlistment, Townsville, Qld. |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 1st Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 13 March 1890 |
| Home Town: | Cairns, Cairns, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Sawyer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 17 October 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery Section 2, Row D, Grave No 6, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Cairns Cenotaph, Mackay Old Town Hall Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Driver, 901, Place of Enlistment, Townsville, Qld. | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1914: | Involvement Driver, 901, 9th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Omrah embarkation_ship_number: A5 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Sep 1914: | Embarked Driver, 901, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Omrah, Brisbane | |
| 11 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
| 6 Mar 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Aug 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Sergeant, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Aug 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 9th Infantry Battalion | |
| 17 Oct 1917: | Involvement Sergeant, 901, 1st Pioneer Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 901 awm_unit: 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-10-17 |
Henry George Cornford
Harry George Cornford (known as Henry) the seventh of eight children born to William Cornford and his wife Ellen Moloney was born 13 March 1890.
When war broke out he was a Sawyer living at the Railway Hotel, Cairns and was Secretary of the Cairns Timber Workers Union. He was one of the first to enlist on 20 August 1914 when he was 24 years 5 months of age. He was 5 feet 11 1/8 inches in height and weighed 148 pounds with fair hair, grey eyes and flaxen hair. He was Church of England. He named his mother, Mrs. Ellen Cornford of Nebo Road, Mackay as his next of kin. His father had died in 1906.
He embarked from Brisbane on 24 September 1914 on the HMAT Omrah bound for Alexandria Egypt. He moved to Gallipoli on 2 March 1915 but was transferred to the Casualty Clearing Station then to Mudros, Greece, ill. He was transferred to Alexandria, Egypt. Between 1 September 1915 and 25 March 1916 and had a number of transfers to hospitals with various illnesses, finally being shipped to Marseilles, France. He was again admitted to hospital ill at Etaples, France on 25 July 1916. He joined the 1st Pioneer Battalion on 27 July 1916 and shortly after was promoted to Lance Corporal then Corporal on 8 March 1917. He was appointed Lance Sergeant on 1 August 1917.
On 21 January 1917 he was recommended for the French Medaille Militaire for “conspicuous bravery during an attack on our trenches by Germans at Sailly-Sur-La-Lys and again did excellent work in kick-off trench at Pozieres and at Flers his courage and ability have been most marked.”
Medaille Militaire. Obverse: The head of Marianne, symbolic figure of the Republic, facing left, surrounded by the inscription ‘REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE * 1870 *’ within a blue enamel ring. The outer edge is formed from a wreath of laurel leaves. Reverse: The words ‘VALEUR ET DISCIPLINE’ on three lines within a blue enamel circle (damaged). The suspender is a loose ring attached to a mount bar that is a collection of crossed arms and an anchor behind a breast plate. A piece of 38 mm watered gold ribbon with light green edges is fitted to the suspender ring. Established in 1852 by the Emperor Louis Napoleon, this medal is awarded to military personnel for bravery.
Henry George Cornford was killed in action on 17 October 1917 and is remembered at Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium.
Courtesy of The Cairns District Family History Society.
Submitted 21 March 2021 by Lynette Turner
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