MAY, Ernest
| Service Number: | 985 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Adelaide, South Australia, 1882 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, At sea (HS Gascon), 28 April 1915 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 985, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1914: | Involvement Private, 985, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Oct 1914: | Embarked Private, 985, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 985, 7th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Wounded during the Gallipoli landings (second wave). Nature of wound not specified however Pte May died of wounds 28 April 1915 and was buried at sea. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Larna Malone
Ernest May was born in Adelaide, S.A. Both parents had died before 1914, and he named his sister, Miss B May, of Adelaide, as his Next-of-Kin. He was 32 years of age, worked as a Labourer, and could neither read nor write. His previous military service comprised 9 months in the Mt Gambier Rifle Club.
He was amongst the early volunteers for the WW1 Expeditionary Force, enlisting on 18.8.14. The following day he left Bendigo for the Broadmeadows Camp. He was allotted Service no. 985 and was appointed to ‘H’ Company, 7th Battalion.
The 7th Battalion left Broadmeadows Camp on 18 October, 1914, and embarked for service overseas on board HMAT ‘Hororata’. Arriving in Egypt the battalion moved into camp at Mena, at the foot of the pyramids. (6/12/14)
In January, 1915, the Australian force was re-organized. In the 7th Battalion ‘G’ and ‘H’ Companies joined to form the new ‘D’ Company. This meant that all the men from Northern Victoria were together in one Company.
The 7th Battalion was part of the force which landed at Anzac Cove on 25th April, 1915.
Ernest May was Wounded during the Landing at Anzac Cove and taken to Hospital Ship Gascon. He Died of Wounds on 28/4/1915 and was Buried at sea. His name was recorded on the Line Pine Memorial.
The Casualty List published in the Bendigo Advertiser on May 4th, 1915, included the names of men who had enlisted in Bendigo. “Private May (from Adelaide SA) Died from Wounds”
“The First Lot. 7th Battalion. The first men of the Bendigo district to volunteer for service in the First World War.”: Larna Malone
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