S7277
ADAMS, Roy Masterman
| Service Numbers: | 2129, S70210 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 February 1916, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Volunteer Defence Corps (SA) |
| Born: | Leabrook, Adelaide, South Australia, 8 August 1887 |
| Home Town: | Black Forest, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Black Forest, South Australia , 14 February 1971, aged 83 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia General AF 21 249A |
| Memorials: | Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2129, 50th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Adelaide | |
| 12 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2129, 50th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2129, 50th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, GSW to the Elbow while in combat | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, 2129, 50th Infantry Battalion | |
| 11 Apr 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Company Sergeant Major, 2129, 50th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Apr 1942: | Involvement Private, S70210, Volunteer Defence Corps (SA) | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Adelaide, SA | |
| 16 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, S70210 | |
| 20 Nov 1945: | Discharged |
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Son of William Masterman ADAMS and Mary Gertrude nee BARNES
Biography contributed by Leo TRAN
Roy Masterman Adams was born on 8 August, 1887 in Knightsbridge, SA. Born to William Masterman Adams and Mary Gertrude Adams, He stood at 5 feet and 5 inches(165.5cm) weighing 128 pounds(58kg). He was the 7th of 11 full siblings, with one half-sister. Only 6 of his siblings made it past 5 years old. Two of his brothers would also go to war, those being Private Thomas Clifford Adams, and Edgar Ralph Adams, a member of the AMC (Australian Medical Corps). Before enlisting he worked as a Clerk and lived at Black Forest. He did not have any previous military service.
Roy travelled to England prior to the war, arriving in May 1914. He wrote to a newspaper in 1952 that he and his travelling companion Syd almost got stuck in England in early August 1914, due to the ship they were to travel on, The German Battleship Gneisenau, being seized as a prize of war. He still managed to get home via a P&O Cruiser around the 13th of August.
Roy enlisted on the 10th of January 1916 in Adelaide, South Australia. He embarked on the 12th of August on the HMAT A70 Ballarat, a ship operated by the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company. He was officially enlisted as a Private of the 50th Infantry Battalion, in the 13th Brigade 4th Division
He arrived in Devonport, England on the 30th of September. He was taken on strength in early December of 1916 and he served with the 50th Infantry Battalion until the end of the war.
In early April 1917, the 50th Infantry Battalion would participate in a battle that pushed the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line. On the 2nd of April, Roy received a GSW (Gun Shot Wound) to the elbow in the field. In the following days, he was transported back to England via Boulogne, a coastal town on the 4th April. He was then taken to Calais on the seventh, embarking for England on the same day. Over the next few months, he would stay in England, recovering from his injuries. He would be moved to Perham Downs on the 23rd of September.
Just two days prior on the 21st of September, his older brother Thomas Clifford Adams was killed in action in the battle of Passchendaele, Belgium.
Roy was then taken to Sutton Veny on the 28th of October. He would be stationed there until April of 1918, where he was transferred to Tidworth. On the 5th of October, he was promoted to Company Sergeant Major, once again being placed in Sutton Veny. He would remain there for the remaining duration of the war. Roy returned to Australia and was discharged on the 11th of April, 1920.
Roy married Emily Jewell in the Holsworthy Wesleyan Church on the 7th of August 1919.
In 1926, Roy would purchase the home on the lot of 13 Gordon Road, Black Forest. Roy and Emily Had 3 children, as shown on his gravestone, Raymond Jewell Adams (1920-1995), Joan Mary Adams(1923-2017) and Betty Adams(1925-unknown). Roy and Raymond both served in WW2, with Roy serving in the SA Division of the Volunteer Defence Corps. I
Roy passed away after a series of strokes in 1971, aged 83. According to the eulogy from his daughter, Joan’s funeral, read out by Roy’s Granddaughter, It was said after 50 years of marriage, Emily would struggle without Roy, developing dementia and passing away in 1973, at the age of 81.
Roy’s family home at 13 Gordon Road was sold in 2001.
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