COOMBE, Edward
| Service Numbers: | 267, 3631 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 June 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, 15 February 1875 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor Mechanic |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 15 December 1925, aged 50 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia Section: Light Oval; Row: 8S; C/E/W: E; Site #: 9 |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 267, 2nd Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 7 Jun 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3631 | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3631, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Dec 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 43rd Infantry Battalion |
Private Edward Coombe
From How We Served
3631 Private Edward Coombe of Bowden, South Australia was employed as a motor mechanic and was a veteran of the Boer War where he had served with the 2nd Bushman’s Contingent, prior to his enlisting for War Service on the 7th of June 1917.
Allocated to reinforcements for the 43rd Battalion 1st AIF, Edward embarked for England and further training on the 16th of July and arrived in the trenches to be taken on strength with his Unit on the 24th of December. Edwards service, in this his second War, would be plagued by sickness, and after being hospitalised on multiple occasions and returning each time back to his Battalion, his psychological and physical health finally fully broke down whilst he was serving in Northern France.
Edward was evacuated back to England via Havre on the 7th of April 1918 and by the 6th of June he was deemed as suffering premature senility and was embarked for his return to Australia as an invalid. Following his arrival in Adelaide, Edward would be formally discharged from the 1st AIF on the 15th of August 1918 and re-entered into civilian life. Edward’s physical and mental health was never to recover fully and on the 15th of December 1923, at the premature age of 50, Edward passed away whilst in Adelaide.
Following Edward's death this two War veteran was formally laid to rest within West Terrace Cemetery, South Australia.
Submitted 29 October 2019 by Evan Evans
Biography
Rootsweb ID: I136214 Birth Record: 15 Feb 1875 in Norwood, South Australia
Wife, Hilda Maud Coombe, Drayton Street, Bowden, South Australia
5 children
Previous service:
Boer War service #267 Served for 15 months in the Bushmen's Corps.
Enlisted in Tasmania; noted as a Saddler
WWI service #3631
Described on enlisting as 42yrs 4mths old; married; 5' 6.5" tall; 150 lbs;
sallow complexion; blue eyes; grey hair; Church of England
7/6/1917 enlisted into WWI in Adelaide, SA
12/7/1917 apppointed to 10th reinforcements / 48th Infantry Battalion
Mitcham Camp
12/7/1917 entrained to Sydney
16/7/1917 embarked out of Sydney, NSW onboard A16 Port Melbourne
16/9/1917 disembarked into Liverpool, England
17/9/1917 marched in to 12th Training Battalion, Cosford, England
18/12/1917 proceeded overseas to France, via Southampton, England
21/12/1917 taken on strength of 43rd Battalion
28/12/1917 sick to hospital
6/1/1918 rejoned unit, France
30/3/1918 sick to hospital
5/4/1918 rejoined unit, France
7/4/1918 returned to hospital
12/4/1918 admitted to General Hospital
6/5/1918 transferred to England - rheumatism
6/6/1918 returned to Australia onboard D11 HT Barambah (premature senility)
31/7/1918 disembarked into Australia
15/8/1918 discharged from service
Medals: British War medal (20783) and Victory medal (20292)
Total service: 1 years 70 days (1 year 16 days overseas)
15/12/1925 passed away
buried in: West Terrace Cemetery - AIF Cemetery
Section: Light Oval; Row: 8S; C/E/W: E; Site #: 9
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 7/5/2016. Lest we forget.
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