BERNARD, Sidney James
| Service Number: | 259 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen |
| Born: | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 1879 |
| Home Town: | Mackay, Mackay, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter, Railway Guard |
| Died: | Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 13 July 1954, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 259, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 1901: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 259, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 488 notes 5th QIB embarked at Pinkenba 6 Mar 1901 aboard Templemore arriving Port Elizabeth 1 Apr 1901. | |
| 5 May 1902: | Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 259, 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 491 notes 5th QIB embarked at Cape Town 27 Mar 1902 aboard St Andrew returning to Australia arriving Brisbane 30 Apr 1902, disbanded 5 May 1902. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Claude McKelvey
When Sidney James Bernard enlisted in 1901 in the 5th QIB and his details were published with the rank and file in The Queenslander, 16 Mar 1901, he noted his N.O.K. as his father J. Bernard, Rockhampton. In the Boer War Service Paybooks for the 5th QIB, Bk 2 p. 106, it is noted he directed part of his pay to his father Mr. J. Bernard, Rockhampton.
His death was reported in the Daily Mercury (Mackay) newspaper on 15 Jul 1954. That report indicates he was going by the name Sidney Julius Bernard and that he was 75 yeras old when he passed on 13 Jul 1954 at Mackay. The report indicates he was born in Rockhampton (based on his age about 1879), however, BDM Qld online registers do not appear to record his birth or death under either of the above variations of his name. The BDM Qld registers however, do record his marriage in 1903 and the resulting children noted in the report of his death.
Sidney James Bernard married Thursa Augusta Bougoure on 3 Sep 1903 in Queensland and they had 7 children while residing at Mackay. In 1905 he joined the railway service as a porter and remained a railway employee in Mackay until he retired as the senior guard 31 years later in 1946. In the aforementioned report on his death in 1954, it was noted he had served in the Boer War and had been in retirement from the railways for eight or nine years.
(source- AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 498; Qld State Archives- Boer War Service Paybooks 5th QIB, Bk 2 p. 106; Death of Mr. S. J. Bernard- Daily Mercury, 15 Jul 1954).
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