Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lawrence English was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, on the 23rd of January 1892. Lawrence was born into a family of four, to parents Mary English and Edmond English. He was the younger of two siblings, with an older brother who was 9 years older than him, also named Edmond English. The family followed the Church of England. Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, Lawrence had a ruddy complexion with his face complete with grey eyes and fair coloured hair. Before enlisting, Lawrence worked as a Butcher.

At 22, Lawrence enlisted at Oaklands, South Australia, on the 5th of January 1915 alongside his brother. 

On the 23rd of June 1915, Lawrence embarked from Adelaide on the HMAT A30 “Borda”. The journey by sea took approximately a month before the Regiment landed in Aden, Saudi Arabia, on the 10th of July, before continuing to Suez, where they arrived on the 22nd of July to continue their training.

It was on the 28th of August that Lawrence, alongside his regiment, received orders to depart for Anzac to join the Gallipoli Campaign. Each soldier was given 150 rounds of ammunition, 9 sandbags for rifles and 3 days’ worth of rations for when they reached Anzac on the 29th of August. The Regiment was divided into three squadrons (A, B, C), with soldiers reassigned to various units. As part of Squadron C, Lawrence transferred to the 9th Light Horse Regiment. This decision was made due to the loss of 50% of the original 9th Light Horse Regiment, where defeat was found on the attack on Hill 60. Hereafter, along with the new Regiment, Lawrence fought on the trench lines, helping to hold the Anzac sector against the Ottoman forces. The 9th Light Horse Regiment evacuated Anzac on the 20th of December, marking a failed campaign.

1916 arrived, and Lawrence was moved to be a driver on the 29th of January from his original position as a Trooper. Promptly, Lawrence also transferred back to the 11th Light Horse Regiment on the 22nd of February, where they finally assembled as a unit. Starting on the 29th, training in musketry was commenced.

Lawrence was admitted to the hospital at Abbassia with a pleurisy effusion on the 5th of April, while the rest of his Regiment was getting ready to depart to Tel-el-Kebir. After treatment, Lawrence was transferred to Convalescent Depotas on the 18th of April. He was discharged to Tel-el-Kebir on the 8th of May.

For a short amount of time, Lawrence was transferred from his current Regiment to the 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment and back to the 11th Light Horse Regiment on the 9th of May and 17th of May, respectively. Lawrence was appointed a Lance Corporal on the 25th of August.

1917 commenced, and Lawrence served the entire year on the battlefield without injury or illness. The Regiment moved to Palestine, where on the 19th of April, they attacked as part of the Second Battle of Gaza. The Regiment followed this movement until the early stages of 1918, where they used the time to train and rest.

Lawrence was admitted to the hospital twice with Pyrexi in 1918a. Once at Port Said on the 25th of February at the 14th Australian General Hospital, and the other time at a hospital at Abbassia on the 12th of August, before being transferred to a hospital at Boulac on the 22nd of August. Between the two hospital visits, Lawrence was sent to a rest camp at Belah from the 14th of March to the 6th of April.

On the 27th of August, Lawrence was ccaught being absent without leave from 9:30pm to 11pm, so consequently, he was deprived of two days’ worth of pay. With that, on the 8th of September, Lawrence voluntarily reverted from Driver to Trooper.

Lawrence’s only major injury occurred on Christmas Day, when he was playing football and had accidentally been kicked in the left thigh. He was diagnosed with a septic haematoma, though no one was to blame, so no disciplinary action nor a court of inquiry was held.

Finally, on the 20th of July 1919, Lawrence embarked on the HT “Morvada” to Australia from Kantara, his time as a soldier concluding.

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Lawrence arrived back in Australia safely, returning to his hometown. Later, he married a woman by the name of Josephine and became a father to Joan.

On the 23rd of November 1979, at age 87, Lawrence passed away from natural causes. His grave can be found in Carinya Gardens Cemetery, Mount Gambier. He is commemorated on 3 memorials where his role is honoured; Loyal Mount Gambier Lodge Number 47 Great War Roll of Honour, the Loyal Mount Gambier Lodge Number 47 I.O.O.F M.U Great War Roll of Honour and the Mount Gambier Knight & Cleve Pictorial Honour Rolls.

Bibliography:

Source 1: Anzac Memorial (20 August 2014) 1914-15 Star, Anzac Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.anzacmemorial.nsw.gov.au/1914-15-star

Source 2: Australian Government (26 November 2024) British War Medal 1914-20, Australian Government - Defence, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/imperial-awards/british-war-medal-1914-20

Source 3: Australian Government (26 November 2024) Victory Medal, Australian Government - Defence, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/honours-awards/imperial-awards/victory-medal

Source 4: Australian War Memorial (2016) 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment, Australian War Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51043

Source 5: Australian War Memorial (2016) Advanced Search, Australian War Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search

Source 6: Australian War Memorial (2025) Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War, Australian War Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583

Source 7: Find a Grave Memorial (2020) Edmond English (1883-1947), Find a Grave Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/215169696/edmond-english

Source 8: Find a Grave Memorial (2019) Lawrence English (unknown-1979), Find a Grave Memorial, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201458265/lawrence-english

Source 9: Find a Grave Memorial (2020) Mary Agnes Cecelia English (1859-1915), Find a Grave Memorial, accessed 25 September 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/215169064/mary_agnes_cecelia-english

Source 10: National Archives of Australia (2024) Australian recruitment statistics for the First World War, National Archives of Australia, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.naa.gov.au/students-and-teachers/student-research-portal/learning-resource-themes/war/world-war-i/australian-recruitment-statistics-first-world-war

Source 11: Terrace V (2025) NAA: B2455, ENGLISH L, National Archives of Australia, accessed 12 September 2025. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3543139&S=35&R=0

Source 12: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019) Church of England | English national church, Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed 12 September 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Church-of-England

Source 13: United Kingdom Government (2017) Historical background information on nationality, United Kingdom Government, accessed 12 September 2025. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/650994/Background-information-on-nationality-v1.0EXT.pdf

Source 14: UNSW Australia Canberra (2025) Details, The AIF Project, accessed 12 September 2025. https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=91903

Source 15: Virtual War Memorial Australia (2025) Convalescent Depots, Virtual War Memorial Australia, accessed 12 September 2025. https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/2131#:~:text=After%20treatment%20in%20Hospital%2C%20soldiers,in%20a%20stage%20of%20rehabilitation.

Source 16: Virtual War Memorial Australia (2025) Lawrence ENGLISH, Virtual War Memorial Australia, accessed 12 September 2025. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/360464

Source 17: Virtual War Memorial Australia (2025) Mount Gambier Knight & Cleve Pictorial Honour Rolls, Virtual War Memorial Australia, accessed 25 September 2025. https://vwma.org.au/explore/memorials/1793