GRIFFEN, Reginald Theodore
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 July 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Riverton, South Australia, 8 April 1892 |
| Home Town: | Riverton, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Riverton Public School |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Fromelles, France, 20 July 1916, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Riverton & District War Memorial Pool Memorial and Flagpole, Riverton Methodist Church Honour Roll WW1, Riverton Pictorial Honour Board, Riverton RSL Hall Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Officer, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Mar 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Adelaide | |
| 20 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Second Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1916-07-20 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"... Second Lieutenant Reginald Theodore Griffen, 32nd Battalion. A clerk from Riverton, South Australia, prior to enlistment, he was commissioned prior to embarkation with the 5th Reinforcements from Adelaide aboard HMAT Shropshire on 25 March 1916 for Egypt. His battalion relocated to the Western Front, France, in June 1916. 2nd Lt Griffen was reported as missing in action on 20 July 1916 during the Battle of Fromelles and was subsequently confirmed to be killed in action on that date. He was aged 24 years. After the war his grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery and Memorial, Fromelles, France. In 2008 a burial ground containing the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers was located at Pheasant Wood, France. The soldiers died during the Battle of Fromelles on the night of 19-20 July 1916 and were buried by German troops. In 2010 all of the remains were reburied in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. At the time of the official dedication of the cemetery on 19 July 2010, ninety-six Australians had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. Since then other Australians, including 2nd Lt Griffen, have been identified. His brother, Private Oswald Clement Griffen, 50th Battalion, was killed in action at Noreuil on 2 April 1917..." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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