MACGREGOR, Bernard Luke
| Service Number: | 2220 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 2220, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 2220, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1), HMAT Miltiades, Fremantle |
Bernard Ludwig "Luke" MacGregor
Born in Otago, NZ in 1875, Luke's family later moved to Victoria By 1903 he was living in Western Australia, where he met and married Cecilia in 1902. He worked as a railway guard, regarded as a skilled occupation, necessary for the safe operation of rolling stock.
on 11 Mar 1916, Bernard volunteered to join the AIF and was posted to the 51st Battallion / 1st ANZAC Light Railway Battalion who operated a tramway supplying men, supplies and war materiel to the front lines in northern France. On 19 Feb 1917 he suffered a severe head injury in an accident on the railway and was removed to England for recovery. He returned to France and a posting with the 51st Btn 20 Oct 1917. In March 1918 the Light Railway Bn was reduced in strength and Luke was reassigned to the 4th Machine Gun Bn to support the advance against German forces.
After the war ended he was repatriated to Western Australia in July 1919. He was awarded the British War Medal No 13157 and the WWI Victory Medal No 12957.
His daughter Mollie, volunteered that he exhibited substantial personality changes from War Service and became estranged from his wife and family. Luke returned in 1953 destitute and homeless, but was taken in by his wife Cecilia who nursed him to his death from cancer that year.
Submitted 7 July 2026 by Michael Hickey