WATKINS, Errol Sydney
| Service Number: | 1318 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 February 1915, Liverpool, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 17th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Redfern, New South Wales, Australia, 20 November 1895 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Fort Street High School, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Joiner's machinist |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 15 April 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Vis-En-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Petersham Fort Street High School Great War Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1318, Liverpool, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 1318, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 12 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 1318, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Sydney | |
| 15 Apr 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1318, 17th Infantry Battalion |
Private Errol Watkins
From Peter Barnes
I recently uploaded the video ‘You Never Came Home’ to this Facebook page, which included photographs of Australians who never came home from the Western Front in WW1.
One incredible photograph in the video is of stretcher bearers and dressers totally exhausted on the battlefield after working 60 hours without rest to retrieve the wounded. One of the most profound images of WW1.
The soldier in this post was a stretcher bearer and he is included in the video, and is one of the soldiers who never came home. What happened to this very brave soldier is tragic. Eager to save his wounded comrades on the battlefield,
he was conned by the enemy.
Private Errol Watkins of Waverley, NSW, enlisted in the AIF in February 1915.
Private Watkins was an original member of the 17th Battalion who served on Gallipoli and the Western Front as a stretcher bearer.
According to his Red Cross Wounded and Missing Bureau file, Private Watkins went out on a patrol after the counter-attack at Lagnicourt on the 15th of April 1917, to collect the wounded from the German positions.
Private Watkins responded to repeated calls for stretcher bearers believing they were wounded Australians, but was last seen surrounded by a group of Germans who had been calling out in English.
Repeated attempts were made by the Red Cross to determine whether he was a prisoner of war in Germany, but discovered after the war that Private Watkins had been shot in the stomach and died of wounds at Rumancourt on the 15th of April, age 21.
Lest We Forget.
Submitted 28 August 2019 by Evan Evans
Errol Sydney Watkins
He was one of my Father Jack Watkins's uncles . He died in action on 15th April 1917 . His brother was Jack Cosgrove ( Bluey ) Watkins , who was a gunner in World War 1 no 32922 . Bluey was Kangaroo no 92 and played as lock forward in the 1921/22 tour of Great Britain . He also played during the War for the Australian Imperial Forces against the UK in a series of rugby league matches . He returned to Australia and eventually became Captain of Eastern Suburbs , his only local team . He died on 15.7.74 and the Governor General , John Kerr attended his funeral .
His other brother was Charles , my grandfather and my living father Jack's Dad .
Submitted 19 April 2015 by Wayne Watkins
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
In Memory Of
In Memory Of Private Errol Watkins of Waverley, NSW, who enlisted in the AIF in February 1915.
What happened to this very brave soldier is tragic. Eager to save his wounded comrades on the battlefield, he was conned by the enemy.
Private Watkins was an original member of the 17th Battalion who served on Gallipoli and the Western Front as a stretcher bearer.
According to his Red Cross Wounded and Missing Bureau file, Private Watkins went out on a patrol after the counter-attack at Lagnicourt on the 15th of April 1917, to collect the wounded from the German positions.
Private Watkins responded to repeated calls for stretcher bearers believing they were wounded Australians, but was last seen surrounded by a group of Germans who had been calling out in English.
Repeated attempts were made by the Red Cross to determine whether he was a prisoner of war in Germany, but discovered after the war that Private Watkins had been shot in the stomach and died of wounds at Rumancourt on the 15th of April, age 21.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.