GROVE, Ellis Charles Thomas
| Service Numbers: | 1291, 1291A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Trooper |
| Last Unit: | 11th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Nanango, South Burnett, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Orbost Public School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Palestine, 23 May 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Gaza War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza) |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Nanango War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 1291, Camel Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 1291, Camel Corps, HMAT Medic, Sydney | |
| 23 May 1918: | Involvement Trooper, 1291A, 11th Light Horse Regiment, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1291A awm_unit: 11 Light Horse Regiment awm_rank: Trooper awm_died_date: 1918-05-23 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Ian Lang
# 1291 GROVE Ellis Charles Thomas 11th Light Horse
Ellis Grove was born in Bairnsdale, Victoria and attended school nearby at Orbost. His parents, Charles and Annie, relocated from Victoria to the Nanango District where Ellis worked on the family farm. Ellis was a member of the Queensland Light Horse, a militia like force of mounted infantry, and a forerunner to the Light Horse Regiments. Ellis’s father, Charles was a local Justice of the Peace.
Ellis enlisted in Brisbane on 3rd May 1916. He stated his age as 37 years and occupation as farmer. He named his mother, Annie Grove of Kelvin Grove, Nanango as next of kin. Ellis was taken on by the 11thDepot Battalion at Enoggera and from there went to the Corporal School of Instruction. On 30th September 1916, he was assigned to the Light Horse depot. On 12th December, Ellis embarked for overseas on the “Medic” in Brisbane as part of the Imperial Camel Corps reinforcements. The reinforcements disembarked at Suez and proceeded to the transit camp at Moascar.
Throughout 1916, the Light Horse regiments of the Australian Mounted Division were attached to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force during the campaign in the Sinai Desert. The desert conditions were hard on horses and the Imperial Camel Corps was formed to take advantage of the benefits arising from the camel’s ability to handle the soft, sandy terrain. The defeat of the Turkish and German forces at Romani and El Arish during 1916 brought the Sinai Campaign to an end. The EEF continued to push back the enemy into Southern Palestine where the stony terrain was more suited to the use of horses. Ellis and his mates who had embarked as camel corps reinforcements were redesignated as Light Horse reinforcements. On 2ndMay 1917, Ellis was taken on strength by the 11th Light Horse.
The Turkish retreat into Palestine allowed the Ottoman forces to construct a defensive barrier from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast to the railway station at Beersheba. The EEF spent many months attempting to breach this line until an action at Beersheba on 31st October featuring elements of the Australian Light Horse broke through the defences. Even though the 11th LHR was not involved in the famous bayonet charge, it played an important role in protecting the right flank. Beersheba was Ellis’s first significant action.
The capture of Beersheba allowed Allenby’s forces to quickly roll up the Turkish flank and Gaza was taken in early November 1917. The EEF kept moving and was in Jerusalem by Christmas 1917, where the Australians had a well earned rest. During this time, Ellis contracted a bout of diphtheria and was hospitalised in the infectious disease’s hospital at Choubrah. He returned to duty on 2nd February 1918.
In 1918, Allenby split his forces sending his British infantry north along the coastal plain towards Acre and Tyre while the Australian Mounted Division was ordered to advance along the east bank of the Jordan River. On 29th April 1918, the 11th LHR crossed the Jordan via a pontoon bridge near Jericho and moved north towards the Damia Bridge. On 1st May, the Lighthorsemen were confronted by a sizeable force which necessitated a rear-guard action as the Mounted Division withdrew to Jericho. During this withdrawal, Ellis received a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transferred to the 36th Stationary Hospital where his condition was listed as dangerously ill. His mother was informed by telegram.
On 23rd May, Ellis died of his chest wound and the complications of pneumonia, aged 39. He was buried in a temporary graveyard. Annie Grove, as Ellis’ next of kin, received a large number of personal effects which included a shaving kit, hair brush and comb, a wristwatch and several notebooks; all of which was contained in a brown leather valise.
At the conclusion of the war, the Imperial War Graves Commission began to consolidate the graves of Empire soldiers scattered across the Holy Land. Ellis’ remains were exhumed and reinterred in the Gaza War Cemetery. His parents, who had moved back to Victoria, chose the following inscription for their son’s headstone: SLEEP ON DEAR ONE, THOU ART AT REST.