GARBUTT, Joseph
| Service Number: | 1879 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 December 1919, Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Meryla. New South Wales, Australia, 29 October 1890 |
| Home Town: | Moss Vale, Wingecarribee, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Signalling Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 1 October 1917, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Moss Vale & District Pictorial Honour Roll, Moss Vale RSL War Memorial, Moss Vale War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 1879, 1st Light Horse Regiment, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 1879, 1st Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 29 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, 1879, 10th Field Artillery Brigade , Died of injuries on 1st October 1917. | |
| 1 Oct 1917: | Involvement Gunner, 1879, 10th Field Artillery Brigade , Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1879 awm_unit: 10th Australian Field Artillery Brigade awm_rank: Gunner awm_died_date: 1917-10-01 | |
| 3 Dec 1919: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1879, 1st Light Horse Regiment, Liverpool, NSW |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Joseph GARBUTT (Service Number 1879) was born on 29 October 1889, in Berrima, NSW. He began working in the railways on 10 May 1913, as a labourer in Albury, in the Signalling Branch. It was not long before he joined the AIF on 4 September 1915, at the age of 26. On 20 December 1915, he embarked at Sydney on HMAT A60 ‘Aeneas’.
He was wounded on 29 September 1917. He had a compound fracture, and he died shortly after, on 1 October 1917, in Belgium. Eye witness accounts state that he was ‘wounded by a shell at Ypres sector’, and that he was ‘in a dugout by himself when a shell blew it in and one of the cupolas came down on him, crushing both his legs’. One of his colleagues said of him, ‘He was very game, a splendid fitter too, and will be a great loss to the Battery’. He was buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium.
Submitted 18 July 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Son of Joseph and Margaret Garbutt, of Meryla, Moss Vale, New South Wales.
THE LORD GAVE AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY
Joseph GARBUTT (Service Number 1879) was born on 29 October 1889 in Berrima, NSW. He began working in the railways on 10th May 1913 was a labourer in the Signalling Branch at Albury. It was not long before he joined the AIF on 4th September 1915 at the age of 26. On 20th December 1915, he embarked at Sydney on HMAT A60 ‘Aeneas’.
In May 1916 he embarked at Alexandria (Egypt) and disembarked at Plymouth (England). He went to France in August. He was in the field for most of the end of 1916. He changed from the 4th Division Artillery to the 10th Field Artillery Brigade in December. He was wounded in action on 13th April 1917. He had a gunshot wound to his left heel. He was transferred from Rouen to England where he moved between different hospitals for a few months whilst recovering. By August 1917, he had recovered. He went back to France from Southampton. He re-joined his unit on 20th August 1917.
He was wounded in action again on 29th September 1917. He had gunshot injuries in his legs. Unfortunately, he did not recover from the injuries this time. The gunshot wounds resulted in a compound fracture and he died a short time later on 1st October 1917 in Belgium. Eye witness accounts state that he was ‘wounded by a shell at Ypres sector’, and that he was ‘in a dugout by himself when a shell blew it in and one of the cupolas came down on him, crushing both his legs’. One of his colleagues said of him, ‘He was very game, a splendid fitter too, and will be a great loss to the Battery’. He was buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium.
Following his death, several items of personal value were sent to his next of kin, including a watch chain, a fountain pen, notebooks, and letters. In addition to this, they also received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal in honour of Joseph’s service.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
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