14828
MELDRUM, Eric Douglas
| Service Number: | 41 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 August 1914, Morphettville, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Hobart, Tasmania, 23 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Millswood, City of Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St. Andrew's College, Naracoorte, Adelaide High School, and University of Adelaide |
| Occupation: | Civil servant |
| Died: | Suicide, Adelaide, South Australia, 8 April 1922, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Path 4 E, Grave 11 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide High School Great War Honour Board, Adelaide University of Adelaide WW1 Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 41, Morphettville, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 41, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' |
|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 41, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 41, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 11 Apr 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 41, 10th Infantry Battalion |
Biography
Early Life
Eric Douglas Meldrum was born in Tasmania on the 23 August 1892, the son of Alec Stevenson and Edna Meldrum. Eric’s father was a minister with the Parkin Congregational Mission and the family moved to South Australia in about 1895 living at Bookabie , Bordertown , Narracoorte.
Education
Eric attended Narracoorte Primary School and enjoyed athletics from an early age, coming second in the Under 14’s boy's race at the Presbyterian Picnic in 1904. Eric also had a good academic record passing his University of Adelaide “junior certificate” exams in 1905, with a credit in English history and passes in Latin, arithmetic, algebra, geometry and physiology; he was attending St Andrew’s College, Narracoorte at the time . In 1906 Eric passed his “senior certificate”. Eric then attended the Pupil Teacher’s School (later Adelaide High School). .
Career
“Private Eric D. Meldrum was a pupil teacher at the school in 1907. He was transferred to the Civil Service, and has been in the office of the Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.”
(Note: The Pupil Teachers' School was in Grote St., Adelaide and in 1908 became the States first public High School)
Adelaide University
Eric studied for a Bachelor of Arts at Adelaide University from 1912-1914. In the 1914 season he played football for the Adelaide University B Team in the newly formed "Students Association". In August of 1914 he was a member of the team which defeated Adelaide High School in the Premiership Match.
As Adelaide High School had finished minor premiers at the end of the regular season they were entitled to play a rematch against the University team in the "Challenge Final". The game was held in September and Adelaide University B Team were victorious again to be undisputed champions of 1914. Meldrum was unable to play in this match as he had enlisted in the A.I.F. in August, shortly after the earlier match.
Eric also competed in the Universities annual Amateur Athletics meeting in 1912-14 , coming second to LB Pender for the “cup” (he was second in the 100 yards, 200 yards hurdles, broad jump and 440 yards flat) in 1913. Eric represented the University Club at the first carnival held by the South Australian Amateur Athletics Association in 1913.
World War I
Eric’s WWI career is described above. Two letters from Eric were published during his was service. The first, published in August 1915, mentioned many of his Adelaide University friends from the War Memorial photo see document.
The second was written by Eric (published in October 1915) from Malta where he was hospitalised after he suffered a serious wound. On one hand Eric commented on the “war of butchery” but on a lighter note Eric was “anxious to get news of the results of the ‘Varsity sports”.
Post War
Eric was repatriated back to Australian as a result of his wounds. He arrived on 21 December 1917. On 1 October 1918 Eric re-enlisted but was not called up for duty and was discharged 18 November 1918 at the end of hostilities.
In 1922 Eric was working for a Mr S.H. Harvey of Yacka. Eric had formed some views on a modern Utopia; these were published in The Advertiser on 11 March 1922.
Death
Sadly less than a month after the article was published Eric took his own life on 8th April 1922. He was 29 years of age. Eric is buried at the AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, Path 4 E, Grave 11 Section: LO, Road: 4N, Site No: 11.
Author EE (Beth) Filmer
For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.
Note – Biographies for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project were written in the period 2015-2019. Any references to the website https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au were correct at the time of writing, but are now redundant and the reader should look for the equivalent or updated information on the Virtual War Memorial Australia at https://vwma.org.au/
The Narracoorte Herald newspaper made the following commentary -
“The young men of Australia who went to the war made a great sacrifice even though some of them had the good fortune to return. They incurred many scars, both mentally and physically, which handicapped them greatly”.
Submitted 13 June 2025 by Eleanor Filmer
Biography
Eric Meldrum was a 23 year old Civil servant and a well regarded sprinter in the athletics community, living in Millswood south of the Adelaide CBD when war broke out. He was among the men who enlisted amost as soon as Morphetville Racecourse camp opened, as evidenced by his two digit service number. Next in the queue was another man to feature in this story; Francis Herbert Stokes.
Enlisted into A Company of the 10th Battalion, he trained and embarked with them on 20 October 1914, bound for the Middle East. He became one of the A Company Scouts, who were to perform the role of skirmishers advancing forward of the main part of the Battalion.
Eric Meldrum survived the Gallipoli landing and fought in the trenches and gullies at ANZAC for nearly three months, before having his forearm fractured by a piece of shrapnel that would leave him unable to fight.
He was invalided off the Peninsula and sent back to Egypt in July 1915 to recuperate. His injuries prevented him from returning to the front and he was repatriated home to Australia.
He is one of nine men photographed together at what appears to be Mena Camp in Egypt. These men and their stories typify the fate of the men who were landed at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day 1915. The Scouts were charged with striking out to seize Gun or Third Ridge following the landing. That task proved harder than could have been imagined.
Four of the mates were killed at or soon after the Landing. Guy Fisher was wounded and evacuated. Three of the survivors of ANZAC were commissioned. Of the three, one, Wilfid Jose was to die in action two years later. Arthur Blackburn went on to win a Victoria Cross at Pozieres. John Gordon transferred to the Australian Flying Corps and became an Ace (ie 5 or more victories) air gunner and later as a pilot as well.
Eric Meldrum, arguably the most enigmatic and least well known member of the section, survived the war but not the peace, taking his own life in 1922. He is buried in the AIF Cemetery at West Terrace Adelaide.
Their story is described in an article held in th SA State Library entitled "The Flowers of the Forest", the men of this group are as follows:
Arthur BLACKBURN (/explore/people/930)
Guy FISHER (/explore/people/373586)
John GORDON (/explore/people/198723)
Wilfid JOSE (/explore/people/173634)
Eric MELDRUM (/explore/people/55797)
Philip ROBIN (/explore/people/9135)
Francis STOKES (/explore/people/60171)
Malcolm TEASEDALE-SMITH (/explore/people/190689)
Thomas WHYTE (/explore/people/170704)
Biography contributed
From Adelaide High School Magazine, Michaelmas, 1914, p 7-9
Private Eric D. Meldrum was a pupil teacher at the School in 1907. He was
transferred to the Civil Service, and has been in the office of the Registrar of Births, Deaths,
and Marriages.
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