LENNON, Earle Hertford Sweeney
| Service Number: | 6588 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Melbourne Victoria, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Accountant |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Jan 1917: | Involvement Private, 6588, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan 1917: | Embarked Private, 6588, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Miltiades, Adelaide | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 6588, 50th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Earle Hertford Sweeney Lennon enlisted to join WWI on the 27th of September 1916. He was exactly 29 years and one month when he enlisted. He was born on the 18th of August 1891. Earle was born in Melbourne, Victoria and was a Natural Born British. Earle enlisted as a private and joined the 27th Infantry Battalion. His service number was 6588. He was married, and his wife’s name was Elenora Margaret Lennon. Before the war, Earle and his wife, Elenora, did not have any children together. Prior to enlisting, Earle’s profession was as an accountant. If you compare Earle’s life before the war to his life during the war, there is a stark difference. Earle was used to writing ledgers and paychecks for customers and quite quickly he transitioned over to shooting people, throwing bombs, and even risking his own life for Australia on the Western Front.
On the 24th of January 1917, Earle embarked in Adelaide, South Australia on troop carrier HMAT A28 Miltiades en route for his training in Rollestone, England. On the 27th of March 1917, Earle disembarked in Devonport, England. Rollestone was a campsite in England that was utilised to train Australian troops from 1916. It was also where Reinforcements from the AIF 2nd Division trained. Some of the men from the training troops lived in tents during the summer due to the limited number of huts. When Earle was training in Rollestone, he contracted influenza. He was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital from the 20th to the 22nd of April 1917, to recover from his illness.
Earle Hertford Sweeney Lennon was a part of the 27th Infantry Battalion. On the 10th of August 1917, he was Taken on Strength to the 50th Battalion, essentially for Reinforcement. Then the following day, on the 11th of August 1917, Earle was promoted to Lance Corporal.
Another battle that Earle fought in was the Third Battle of Ypres also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. This battle took place on the 31st of July 1917 in Ypres Belgium and ended in November. It was a very long battle and killed thousands of people. The conditions of this battle were very harsh, but the battle still continued.
During the Battle of Polygon Wood in France on the 26th of September 1917, Earle was wounded in action, sustaining a gunshot wound to his right leg. Four days after his injury, he left France for England on board the HS Newhaven to receive medical treatment and recover from his injury. During this battle, the 50th Battalion, which is the battalion that Earle was a part of was called in to help the 27th Battalion as they needed soldiers to help them win.
From the 27th to the 29th of December 1917, Earle went AWL for three whole days. His punishment was 3 days’ worth of pay deducted. At this time, there was a battle going on in Zonnebeke, Belgium and the 50th Battalion was involved. Earle might have left the war because he could have been traumatized from his previous injury and didn’t want to potentially get wounded or badly injured again.
Earle was discharged from the war because he was medically unfit and would not be able to fight anymore. The date that he disembarked was the 13th of April 1918 and he got discharged on the 27th of May 1918. The total days of service that Earle served were 1 year and 243 days. His final ranking was Lance Corporal. Fortunately, Earle survived the war and safely returned to Australia and back to his wife.
At the end of the war, Earle received three medals for his contribution during the time that he served. He won the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the Star Medal. The British War Medal was awarded to officers and men who entered a theatre of war or entered service overseas from the 5th of August 1914 to the 11th of November 1918. The Victory Medal commemorates the victory of allied forces over the central powers. The Star Medal is a military medal awarded for heroic achievement and service or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Earle Hertford Sweeney Lennon fought in many battles on the Western Front. Some of these battles included the Battle of Polygon Wood, Bullecourt, Menin Road, the Third Battle of Ypres and Warneton. These are the known battles he fought.
Bibliography:
· British Army ranks | National Army Museum 2015, Nam.ac.uk.
· Miller, K 2019, What Does an Accountant Do? Roles, Responsibilities, & Trends, Bachelor’s Degree Completion.
· Training Camps: England 2019, Following the Twenty-Second, Following the Twenty-Second, viewed 18 August 2019, <https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/training-camps-england/>.
· Other Ranks | Army.gov.au n.d., www.army.gov.au.
· SDRC | WWI Australian Weapons 2018, Sdrc.com.au.
· Army Private - Military Ranks n.d., Military-Ranks.org.