Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in January 1890, Lyle Roy Bell first enlisted to fight in World War 1 on the 4th of April 1916. At the time, Lyle Bell was 26 years and 4 months old. He weighed 186 pounds (84kg) and was 5 foot 10 (177cm) He also had black hair and brown eyes. He lived in the rural town of Mount Bryan, South Australia. He was unmarried and listed his next of kin to be his mother, Elizabeth Bell. On the 27th of June 1916, Lyle Bell, with the rest of the 10th battalion embarked on the H.M.A.T Barambah from Melbourne, Victoria to England.

On the 26th of August, Lyle Bell arrived in England where he was soon transported to France on the 14th of October. Here, he and the rest of his battalion would fight on the western front. Less than a month later, he was transferred to the 48th infantry battalion. After a year of arduous work, Lyle Bell got his first leave on the 17th of November 1917. He only had 13 days of leave before he had to return to the fighting. One year later, on the 12th of October 1918, Lyle Bell got a second leave. This leave lasted 14 days and ended on the 26th of October. A few weeks later, on the 14th of November 1918, Lyle Bell was admitted to hospital for an unknown cause. On the 13th of December however, he was diagnosed with gonorrhea. After 1 month, he was transported to a different hospital in Belford, England on the 9th of January 1919. A few months later, he had recovered completely and was able to return to Australia. After 3 long years of fighting in the war, Lyle Roy Bell finally returned to his family in Australia on the 12th of July 1919. On the 6th of October, he was discharged.