WATKINS, Ernest
| Service Number: | 7089 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Sawmiller |
| Memorials: | Birdwood Blumberg Roll of Honor, Birdwood WW1 & WW2 Soldier's Memorial, Lobethal WW1 Roll of Honor, Lobethal War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Dec 1916: | Involvement Private, 7089, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1916: | Embarked Private, 7089, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement 7089 |
Ernest Watkins
Name: Ernest Watkins
Service Number: 7089
Place of Birth: Lobethal
Date of Birth: 17 November 1884
Place of Enlistment: Adelaide
Date of Enlistment: 12 October 1916
Age at Enlistment: 31 years 10 months
Next of Kin: Wife, Hilda Alice Watkins
Occupation: Saw Miller
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Private
Ernest embarked the Berrima at Adelaide on 16 December and after the mandatory training in England was sent to France with the 10th Battalion on 14 June 1917. In 1910 he had been hit by a falling tree injuring his back and breaking a leg, resulting in being off work for 6 months. After serving in France for 4 months Ernest felt unable to carry on due to his old back injury. Consequently he returned to Australia first on the Dunregan Castle to Durban, South Africa and then HMT Field Marshal on 25 April 1918. Ernest was later discharged as medically unfit due to spinal curvature. He died at Cabramatta on 28 November 1962.
Submitted 24 October 2023 by christopher collins
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