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Ernest was the son of Benjamin GURNEY & Agnes Henrietta Selina HENKELMANN and was born on the 21st of September 1891 in Millicent, SA.

His parents were married on the 1st of December 1883 at the residence of Agnes’s parents, Mount Muirhead, SA.

His father was the son of Benjamin GURNEY & Eliza LAMB and was born on the 22nd of April 1851 in Port Gawler, SA.
His mother was the daughter of Edward Michael Wilhelm HENKELMANN & Mary Jane JACKSON and was born on the 25th of November 1894 in Stockport, SA.

Ernest was the fourth child born into the family of 8 children.

His father was a carrier and labourer and the family lived at Mount Muirhead where Ernest and his siblings attended the Mount Muirhead.

By 1902 they had moved to Mount McIntytre and his mother was the local pound keeper.
After Ernest completed his schooling he gained employment as a labourer and joined the 22nd Light Horse Regiment (SAMR), C Squadron, in Millicent.

By 1910 his parents had moved nearer to Millicent and purchased a couple of acres on the Boandik Road and a house block in Benton Street.

At the age of 24, Ernest enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 30th of March 1916 in Millicent and allotted the service number 2118.
His younger brother Ivor, aged 19, also enlisted with Ernest and was allotted the service number 2119.

They were posted to C Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
On the 27th of April they were transferred to the 10th Battalion, 19th Reinforcements for 4 days and then transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.

In June they were granted pre embarkation leave and returned home to Millicent where the residents wished to tender them a farewell social. However, they declined the honour and returned to camp on the 2nd of June.

Ernest and Ivor embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Seang Bee on the 13th of July 1916 and when they called in at Cape Town Ernest was AWOL when his ship left on the 13th of August.
He reported to the castle 2 days later and sailed for England on board HMT Vestalice. Ernest disembarked in Devonport on the 9th of September and marched into the Pioneer Training Battalion at Larkhill and rejoined Ivor.

They spent a further 2 months here in training and then proceeded to France.
Ivor served with the 5th Pioneer Battalion until he suffered a severe Gun Shot Wound to his left arm and leg and was invalided to England.

Ernest was hospitalised with Pneumonia and later served with the 10th Battalion and then the 5th Pioneer Battalion, but he never served again with his brother.
Ernest was gassed in France and invalided back to England before embarking from England on board HT Plassy on the 17th of March 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 28th of April.

On Wednesday the 30th of April Ernest arrived in Millicent by car from the Kalangadoo Railway Station.

On Thursday evening, the 8th of May, a welcome home social was held in the Millicent Institute Hall for Ernest and several other returned soldiers.

Ernest was discharged, from the AIF on the 5th of June 1919.

Ernest married Mavis Sylvia Daisy BROOKS on the 9th of October 1922 in the Methodist Church, Millicent, SA. Mavis was 6 months pregnant at the time.
Mavis was the daughter of Samuel BROOKS & Ellen PALMER and was born on the 21st of June 1901 in Hatherleigh, SA.

They made their home in Millicent and welcomed their first child; Victor Roy, on the 3rd of January 1923.
The following year Bryan Ross was born on the 2nd of July 1924 and then on the 24th of November Ernest successfully applied for a soldier settlement block near Millicent.
He was granted sections 351, 352 and 355 in the Hundred of Mayurra.

The land was located to the south side of Stratford Lane, near Lossie Road, Millicent.

They then welcomed twins; Sidney Vernon and Betty Dawn on the 11th of May 1928, followed by Fay Thelma on the 9th of July 1932.
Terry Don was born on the 27th of March 1936, followed by Ivor Leland in 1938.

By 1939 they had moved to Millicent North and in December 1942 Ernest purchased sections 522 and 524 in the Hundred of Mount Muirhead (Millicent), containing 9 acres.
He also purchased section 612, Hundred of Mount Muirhead, containing 82 acres, which he transferred to Victor.

With the outbreak of WW2, 2 of their sons enlisted.

Bryan enlisted into the 2/7th Battalion on the 19th of January 1943 (S112088) and then Victor enlisted into the 1st Australian Army Provost Company on the 2nd of December 1943 (SX39595).

Ernest later transferred all his land to Victor.

Ernest died on the 6th of November 1954 in the Thyne Memorial Hospital in Millicent and was buried the following day in the Millicent Cemetery; Section E, Plot 3.

Mavis died on the 28th of May 1974 in the Millicent Hospital and was buried in the Millicent Cemetery; Section F, Plot 33.

Military

At the age of 24, Ernest enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 30th of March 1916 in Millicent and allotted the service number 2118.
His younger brother Ivor, aged 19, also enlisted with Ernest and was allotted the service number 2119.

They were posted to C Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Mitcham Camp.
On the 27th of April they were transferred to the 10th Battalion, 19th Reinforcements for 4 days and then transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion, 3rd Reinforcements.

Ernest and Ivor embarked from Adelaide on board HMAT Seang Bee on the 13th of July 1916 and when they called in at Cape Town Ernest was AWOL when his ship left on the 13th of August.
He reported to the castle 2 days later and sailed for England on board HMT Vestalice. Ernest disembarked in Devonport on the 9th of September and marched into the Pioneer Training Battalion at Larkhill.

They spent a further 2 months here in training and then proceeded to France on the 2nd of November and marched into the 5th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Etaples.
Three days later Ernest suffered with Pneumonia and was admitted into the 26th General Hospital in Etaples.
Ernest’s Pneumonia had not improved after 2 weeks so he was invalided back to England on the 22nd of November on board HS Dieppe and admitted into the 1st Eastern General Hospital in Cambridge.

He spent a further 4 weeks here, including Christmas 1916, before he was discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 29th of December.
On the 13th of January 1917 Ernest was transferred to No.4 Command Depot in Wareham and after 2 months here he was posted to the newly formed 70th Battalion, 6th Division, on the 23rd of March.

When the AIF reached France, plans had been made to raise the 6th Division.
Men began to be posted in and the 6th Division structure comprised the 16th and 17th Brigades and they were comprised of the following:
16th Brigade - 61st, 62nd, 63rd and 65th Battalions.
17th Brigade - 66th, 67th, 69th and 70th Battalions.

On the 10th of May his brother Ivor, who was with the 5th Pioneer Battalion suffered a severe Gun Shot Wound to his left arm and leg and was invalided to England.

The 6th Division was abandoned after the casualties sustained at Bullecourt, then Messines, in May-June 1917, when it was realised reinforcements would barely be adequate to sustain five Divisions let alone a sixth, without Conscription.
The defeat of the Conscription Bill by Referendum back in Australia sealed the fate of the 6th Division.

The 6th Division and its subordinate Brigades and units never saw combat and were disbanded on the 16th of September 1917.
Its personnel were quickly posted to either training units in the UK or off to the Front which was at that stage in Belgium.

Ernest was transferred to the 10th Battalion draft 3 days later and proceeded to France on the 9th of October.
He was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion 7 days later who were in training in the Dominion Lines.
On the 24th they moved into the reserve area, in the vicinity of Ypres, where they were engaged in improving the dugouts and in training for the next 6 days before they relieved the 7th Battalion in the front line.

After 10 days they were relieved and moved into Halifax Camp before being bussed to Renescure on the 11th of November and then marching 20 miles to Vaudringhem, 2 days later.
Their next move was to Bezinghem on the 19th and then 3 days later, Ernest was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion at Spy Farm, near Wytschaete, Belgium.

Here they repaired the trenches, constructed duckwalks and maintained trench tramways.
On the 15th of December they moved with the rest of the Division for a thorough rest to Hesdigneul, near Boulogne, on the main railway line.
They spent Christmas 1917 here before returning to their old camp in the Messines area at the end of January.

By the middle of March the whole of the roads in the neighbourhood of Messines which had previously been impassable were open for traffic.
A large number of entrenched strong posts were built and miles of barbed wire constructed.
On the 26th of March they moved to Reninghelst and then 2 days later they entrained for Doullens and marched 10 miles to Arqueves.
Then on the 5th of April they moved through Amiens and Daours to Blangy-Tronville where they commenced burying cable and establishing roads across the marshes.

By June they had moved to a camp behind La Houssoye and trench digging was the main item but as the area was already well provided with trenches, attention was paid to improving and deepening these.

By end of July they had deepened 3½ miles of trench and they were operating a saw mill at Heilly.
Then on the 7th of August they moved to just behind Villers-Brettoneux in preparation for the attack and the following day they were tasked with making good the main road leading through Villers-Brettoneux & Warfusee within 4 hours.
Here a number of contact mines were discovered which they had to remove.

A few days later they moved to Morcourt and then marched 10 miles onto Vaux-sur-Somme along a very dusty road. Here they rested for 4 days before returning to Morcourt where road maintenance and deep dugout construction occupied their attention.
Their next move was on the 1st of September to Flaucourt and they concentrated on load and bridge work at Peronne after its capture.
They also built and repaired huts for the infantry which also included a large hall for the Divisional Concert party which was christened the "Pioneers Palladium Palace".

On September 24th orders were received on an operation to be carried out against the Hindenburg Line, through Bellicourt and a platoon of U.S. Engineers was attached to the Battalion.
On the 29th, at Bellicourt a heavy ground mist made it extremely difficult to know what was going on and on approaching Bellicourt they found themselves among German infantry and were drawn into the fighting.

Ernest was severely gassed here and admitted into the 8th Australian Field Ambulance and transferred to the 20th Casualty Clearing Station at Doingt.
Two days later he was transferred by No.32 Ambulance Train to the 12th General Hospital in Rouen.
Eight days later he was evacuated to England on board HS Essequibo and admitted into the 1st Southern General Hospital in Birmingham.

He spent a few weeks here before being transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on the 4th of November.
Seven days later the Armistice was signed and Ernest never returned to France.
He spent Christmas 1918 in the Auxiliary Hospital before being discharged to 2 weeks leave on the 13th of January 1919.

He then reported to No.2 Command Depot in Sutton Veny and the following month he was transferred to No.2 Command Depot.

Ernest embarked from England on board HT Plassy on the 17th of March 1919 and disembarked in Adelaide on the 28th of April.

Ernest was discharged, from the AIF on the 5th of June 1919 and awarded the British War and Victory Medals.