Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

 Allen Mortimer was born in Streaky Bay on the 3rd of August 1895, into a large Baptist family of 12. His parents were Emily Ada Mortimer and John Mortimer, and he was a brother to William John Mortimer, George Mortimer, Annie Maud (Mortimer) Whittle, Minnie (Mortimer) Armfield, Ada May (Mortimer) Bidgood, Stephen Grant Mortimer, Frances Emily Garforth (Mortimer) Withers, Leslie Mortimer and Frederick Mortimer. He was the second youngest of his siblings, and the only one who was born in Streaky Bay – the rest of them were born in Payneham. He had a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and red hair, and spent his late childhood as a farm hand. His dad died 10 months before he went to war on the 13th of February 1914 in their family home, High Street Burnside at the age of 73.

Mortimer was enlisted as a Private on the 8th of December 1914 Oaklands, South Australia when he was 19 years old. He was the 4th Reinforcement in his Unit the 3rd Lighthouse Regiment, in which he embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln on 1 April 1915. His brother Frederick Mortimer was enlisted shortly after, on the 20th April, with permission from their mother Emily, since he was only 16 years old. The brothers fought alongside each other initially in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, before Frederick was moved to the 4th Light Horse Brigade Train.

Like many young soldiers, Mortimer wasn’t always perfectly well-behaved and faced disciplinary action on many occasions. He was absent without leave for 14 days on the 3rd January 1916 and forfeited 14 days’ pay, awarded 168 hours deduction, totalled to 21 days’ pay. While on duty at the stable Picquet in Romani he was in trouble a few time. He was inalert on his post while on activity duty on the 2nd September 1916 and was awarded with 4 days of Field Punishment No. 2. Then two days later on 4th September 1916, when ordered by his superior officer to commence grooming, he replied in an insolent and insubordinate manner which came under ‘conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline’ in which he was awarded 10 days of No.2 Field Punishment. He was deprived 5 days pay on the 1st February 1917 for irregular conduct, chucking pillows about (having a pillow fight) and using improper language. On the 16th March 1917 he was drunk while on active duty and leaving his post. On the 15th of June 1917 he was drunk again whilst on duty and was reported for leaving his post before he was regularly relieved, therefore, awarded 28 days No. 2 Field Punishment.

Mortimer was ill and wounded several times during his war service. On the 2nd September 1915 he was sent to the Hospital Ship Salta with influenza and was sick enough to be transferred to the 2nd General Hospital on the 9th September. He did not recover and was sent to England admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital on the 5th October. He returned to his unit on the 5th March 1916.

He was wounded in action on 23rd December 1916 with a Gun Shot Wound abdomen. He was first treated at the 24th Stationary Hospital and was then admitted to the 31st General Hospital on the 1st January 1917. After some time to convalesce he returned to duty the following month. He went to hospital for being wounded for the second occasion on April 20th, 1917  with a gun shot wound to his left arm. He received treatment in the 14th General hospital and convalesced at a depot before returning to his unit on the 24th June 1917.

Mortimer went to court martial trial on the 15th of October 1917. A few days prior, he was reported to be using ‘insubordinate’ language to his superior officer, Sargeant Ayliffe at Beach Camp. When ordered to exercise a horse he replied with extremely explicit language and even more so when he was told he would be under arrest. In the trial he was found guilty and sentenced 4 months. His sentence varied to 123 days but was commuted to 84 days.

The unit Allen Mortimer was a part of was the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, raised in Adelaide on 17th August 1914. Most of its recruits were from South Australia. They sailed from their home ports in late October 1914 and arrived in Egypt the second week of December, before forming the 1st Light Horse Brigade, deployed to Gallipoli. The 3rd Light Horse played a defensive role throughout the campaign and was in reserve when its sister regiments attacked as part of the August offensive. Allen Mortimer was a part of this as it’s known he was in Gallipoli all the way until August 1915. The regiment left Gallipoli 14th December 1915 and back in Egypt, the 3rd Light Horse joined the ANZAC Mounted Division. Beween January and May 1916, the regiment was deployed to protect the Nile valley from bands of pro-Turkish SenussiArabs. Mortimer and his unit played a significant role in turning back the Turkish advance on the canal at the battle of Romani on August 4. The 3rd Light Horse rejoined the Allied advance across the Sinai in November and was subsequently involved in the fighting to secure the Turkish outposts on the Palestine frontier - Maghdaba on 23 December 1916 and Rafa on 9 January 1917. The 3rd’s next major engagement was the second battle of Gaza on 19 April 1917. Gaza finally fell the following 7th of November.

Mortimer survived the war and returned to Australia on 28 January 1919. His marital status was single before the war; however, he was married later in life and became husband to Marion Dorothy (Newbon) Mortimer in Streaky Bay on 21 April 1921. Mortimer was then allocated 861 acres of land on the 1st October 1921 in section 9 of the hundreds of Karcultaby, Streaky Bay as part of the soldier settlement scheme. He died of natural causes in Port Lincoln on the 25th of June 1977 at 81 years old. He has memorials at Burnside Public School Roll of Honour, Tusmore Burnside District Roll of Honour and his cemetery lies in Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, Mitcham City.