HEMPHILL, Cecil
| Service Numbers: | 253, 12013 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 January 1915, Sydney, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Stoker |
| Last Unit: | HMAS Rushcutter (Shore) |
| Born: | Rochford, Vic., 6 June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Rochford, Macedon Ranges, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Bolinda State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | 1971, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Bolinda State School Honour Roll, Lancefield Rochford State School No 540 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 253, 13th Light Horse Regiment, Sydney, NSW | |
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| 28 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 253, 13th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' | |
| 28 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 253, 13th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Persic, Melbourne |
World War 2 Service
| 31 Jan 1920: | Enlisted Royal Australian Navy, Stoker, 12013, HMAS Rushcutter (Shore) |
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Help us honour Cecil Hemphill's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Peter Sneddon
Cecil William and Raymond Robert Hemphill were brothers. Raymond (Photo 27) was the oldest of seven children born to William Henry Hemphill and Annie Hain Rogers (married in 1891): Raymond Robert (b. 1893), Vida Dorothy (b. 1895), Cecil William (b. 1896/7), Thelma Etta (b. 1899), Arthur George (b. 1903), Noel St Aubin (b. 1903), and Eveline Ada (b. 1907).
Cecil and Raymond were both born in Rochford, Victoria. Rochford was a farming locality, approximately 7km southwest of Lancefield, near the intersection of Woodend and Monegeetta Roads. They attended Bolinda School sometime between 1899 and 1913, along with their sisters Thelma and Vida, and cousins Albert E. and Horace Hemphill.
Cecil enlisted in January 1915 and before leaving for war was presented with a pipe by the Patriotic Committee in Lancefield. He embarked in May aboard the “Persic”. He was initially part of the 13th Light Horse Brigade while fighting in Turkey, where he served three months in Gallipoli. He was later transferred to the 2nd Cyclist Corps then the ANZAC Cyclist Battalion while serving in Turkey and France. In September 1917 he was charged with committing the crime of being absent from the billetting area without a pass and received a penalty of a full day’s wages. He returned to Australia aboard the “Runic” in June 1919 and was discharged in August.
Upon his return from war, Cecil returned to Rochford and briefly worked as a labourer before joining the Navy in January 1920. In 1921/1922, he was listed as a stoker aboard “HMAS Platypus”. He requested that his time in the Australian Imperial Force be counted towards the award of Good Conduct Badges in the Royal Australian Navy. The army replied that Cecil’s conduct had been nothing but satisfactory. He remained in the Navy for 7 years, after which he returned to Rochford to work as a farm labourer.
Cecil married Gertrude Agnes Mathieson in 1937.
In 1940, Cecil joined the Royal Australian Fleet Reserve for a five year term, which was required for members to receive an end-of-service bounty. He served in World War II for which he received the 1939-1943 Star Medal.
Cecil died ca. 1971.