Edwin John WARREN

Badge Number: 21700, Sub Branch: Alberton
21700

WARREN, Edwin John

Service Number: 1841
Enlisted: 27 July 1915, Adelaide, South Australia
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 32nd Infantry Battalion
Born: Exeter, South Australia, 2 August 1899
Home Town: Largs Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia
Schooling: Le Fevre School, Semaphore
Occupation: Carpenter
Died: Seaton, South Australia, 13 February 1987, aged 87 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials:
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World War 1 Service

27 Jul 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide, South Australia
11 Jan 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1841, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: ''
11 Jan 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1841, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide
11 Nov 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1841
Date unknown: Wounded 1841, 15th Infantry Battalion
Date unknown: Involvement 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix)
Date unknown: Involvement 15th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières

Edwin John Warren 1841

Edwin John Warren was born 2 August 1899 at Exeter to Joseph Warren and Helen Maria nee Staples. Jack, as he was known attended Le Fevre School at Semaphore and was serving as an apprentice carpenter to C J Williams at Largs Bay when his mate Hubert Hilgendorf and he decided to enlist. The idea of travelling to a far off foreign country as a soldier sounded exciting, a big adventure. Both boys wanted to get away.
Convincing his sister Verna to forge their mothers signature to give consent and lying about his age, Jack enlisted a week before his 16th birthday, 27 July 1915. Hubert was only 14 years 8 months of age.
A week later, 2 August the day of his birthday Private Edwin John Warren was appointed to the Infantry Base Depot at the Adelaide Exhibition Grounds.
In camp the boys were issued with their uniforms; a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches, plus boots, puttees and the famous slouch hat turned up on the left featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and ‘rising sun’ badge. Their equipment also included items such as a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, entrenching tool, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.
Jack and Hubert transferred 11 August to Mitcham training camp and joined the 32nd Battalion. Jack was trained as a signaller.

As part of the 8th Infantry Brigade the 32nd Battalion, 2nd Reinforcements embarked Adelaide (Outer Harbour) per HMAT A30 Borda on 11 January 1916.
They had been farewelled on 7 January with a dinner for more than 600 departing reinforcements hosted by South Australia’s Cheer-Up Society at its Cheer-Up Hut near the banks of the river Torrens. They sailed with no publicity because of the enemy threat in the Indian Ocean. They would spend five weeks on board. From Adelaide the Borda sailed to Fremantle to pick up more troops. On 17 January they left Australia’s shore heading across the Indian Ocean, entering the Suez Canal before disembarking 9 February at Suez.

They spent four months at Zeitoun training base in Egypt a large camp to the north of Cairo close to Heliopolis. It was here new brigades were formed. Battalions comprising veterans of Gallipoli were split and topped up with newly arrived reinforcements from Australia, and on 6 March Jack and Hubert were transferred to the 15th Battalion.
The Brigade boarded trains for the Port of Alexandria from where they sailed to France. They reached Marseilles and boarded a train heading north to the Western Front.
The Australians were to play a major role in the Somme offensive, a series of battles fought between 1 July and 13 November 1916 along the Somme Valley in France intended to divert the German forces from Verdun.

The 15th fought its first major battle at Pozières in August 1916. Ninety of their battalion were killed and 370 wounded, Jack being one of the wounded. The 15th Battalion moved to Mouquet Farm supporting the 14th Battalion. They remained there until early September 1916, when they were withdrawn and spent the remainder of the year in the Ypres district. The winter on the Western Front was the worst winter in Europe in 40 years, and the men suffered heavily from sickness and the cold as they rotated through the line conducting defensive duties and labouring before moving to Gueudecourt, and then later Lagnicourt, in the New Year.
Offences committed during service received harsh punishment. January 9, 1917 Jack’s crime was leaving his hut at the Bazentin camp in disarray. He was awarded three days number 2 Field Punishment. In Field Punishment Number Two, the prisoner was placed in fetters and handcuffs but was not attached to a fixed object and was still able to march with his unit. This was a relatively tolerable punishment. The cold winter took its toll; he became sick toward the end of January and was admitted to hospital in the field until rejoining his unit 11 February.
The 15th continued the battle against the Germans at Bullecourt and on the Hindenburg line in Belgium in April 1917. Jack was wounded once again, this time in the left arm and thigh in May 1917. He was sent to England and admitted to King George Hospital in London. Discharged a month later 9 June he transferred to No 3 Command Depot AIF Hurdcott in England.
The adventure was over. September 24th 1917 he applied for transfer to Australia - the reason being that he was an only son and his step father was on his way to the front, (to try and find him) also he was only just 18 years of age and not of fighting age until September 1918. He had given the army 2½ years of which 12 months were spent in France with the 15th Battalion.
The transfer was eventually approved on 24 October 1917 and he was transferred to Weymouth. 1 November 1917, Jack was on his way home per HMAT A68 Anchises finally reaching home soil 1 January 1918.
He received his discharged papers 12 January 1918.

Hubert was sent home after his mother wrote a scathing letter to the authorities 9 July 1917. He ultimately arrived on home soil 4 months after Jack, 16 April 1918. He died 2 April 1961.

After the war Jack found work at Holden’s. He married in 1923 and raised three children.
He named his home at Pennington ‘Anchises’ after the ship that brought him safely home.

Edwin John Warren died 13 February 1987 aged 87 years 5 months.
He is resting at Cheltenham Lawn Cemetery, Drive D, Row 37, Site 722C.

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Biography

Enlisted 6 days short of his 16th Birthday