Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Vernon Ross Kemp was born in South Australia 12th January, 1889, his parents were
Samuel and Gescha Kemp. He spent his early life on his parents farm at Modbury and attended school at Nailsworth and North Adelaide.
He commenced work in the Broken Hill mines where he gained his engine drivers certificate, before moving to Streaky Bay share farming.
In about 1912 he moved to Renmark working for the fruit growing partnership of Based and Howie.
Enlisting in World War 1 in June 1915 in the 9th Light Horse, 10th Reinforcement, he trained at Mitcham Camp for 12 weeks becoming a signaller, number 1296, before embarking on the HMAT Ballarat with another 36 South Australians on 14th September 1915, landing at Mudros, Lemnos just off Gallipoli on 18th December 1915. 24th December 1915 he left Lemnos on the HMT Caledonia arriving in Alexandria on the 27th December.
After being involved in patrols through the desert he was involved in the successful raid on Jifjafa April 1916 where his horse was shot beneath him.
Spending several periods in hospital he contracted Malignant Tertian Malaria and was invalided back to Australia on 2nd January 1919 on the hospital ship A60 Aeneas arriving in Adelaide 13th February 1919, and was discharged 30th May medically unfit.
Convalescing at the Keswick Military Hospital he met an army nursing sister Doris Sedgley who he married 9th May 1921,at St Lukes, Whitmore Square, the marriage lasting 57 years at the time of his death in 1978.
On his return to Renmark he was the first returned soldiers to be repatriated with an irrigation property - a fruit block at the far end of the Crescent area, which was to remain the family home for 45 years.
17th April 1942 saw him re-enlisting for World War 2, number S74905 as Lieutenant, before being discharged 17 April 1943.
After retiring Ross and Doris moved to Hove where he died 7th July 1978 and was buried at the Enfield Cemetery.
Vernon Ross Kemp was father to 5 sons and 3 Daughters