STOKER, Cecil John
| Service Number: | 3120 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Uralla, New South Wales, Australia, 12 September 1897 |
| Home Town: | Uralla, Uralla, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Uralla Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway porter |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 29 June 1916, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier Plot IV, Row D, Grave No. 19. |
| Memorials: | Armidale Memorial Fountain, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Uralla Public School Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3120, 1st Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3120, 1st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3120, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 29 Jun 1916: | Involvement Private, 3120, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3120 awm_unit: 13 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-06-29 |
Help us honour Cecil John Stoker's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
The eldest son of William and Elizabeth Stoker of Uralla, New South Wales. Cecil's father, William Stoker had passed away when Cecil was only 12 years of age.
The Tamworth Daily Observer reported, 'The sad news came through during the week of the death of Corporal Cecil Stoker, eldest son of Mrs. Stoker of this town. Corporal Stoker was killed in' action in France on 29 June. He was only 18 years of age, and was of a very bright disposition, which made him most popular with one and all. He was employed on the local railway staff prior to enlisting.'
They also stated that Cecil was a member of the 1914 Uralla football team, all of whom had enlisted bar one or two.
He saw no service at Gallipoli and only arrived in France with the 13th Battalion on three weeks prior to his death. The unit was manning a quiet 'nursery' sector near Bois Grenier. It seems Cecil was killed by a shell explosion in his trench.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Cecil John STOKER (Service Number 3120) was born on 15th September 1897 at Uralla. He worked as a junior porter in the Traffic Branch in the Murrurundi District from 2nd August 1913. He was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 17th July 1915.
Stoker enlisted at Liverpool a couple of days later, giving his mother Elizabeth, living at Armidale Street, Uralla, as his next of kin. He claimed some experience in the Citizens Military Forces. He was initially allotted to the 10th Reinforcements to the 1st Battalion. He embarked HMAT ‘Warilda’ at Sydney on 8 th October 1915 and reached Egypt by the end of 1915. Later he was transferred to the 13th Battalion at Serapeum on 9th March 1916. In June he embarked to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France through Alexandria and Marseilles where he passed on 8th June.
He was killed in action on 29th June 1916. He was buried in the Brewery Orchard Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, 2¼ miles S of Armentières by the Rev M M Fern, who was attached to the 5th Infantry Brigade.
Pte. Butel (1030) stated that:
‘[I] saw Stoker killed in the trenches by a heavy bomb and [I] subsequently saw his body being carried out. [I] feel sure he must have been buried at Bois Grenier Cemetery, which was just behind the lines.’
A pension of £2-12-3d per fortnight was granted to Stoker’s mother, Elizabeth Grant Stoker, from 17th September 1916.
Click images to start slideshow.