GORST, Alfred John
| Service Number: | 9 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry |
| Born: | Chester, England, United Kingdom, 12 September 1875 |
| Home Town: | Highgate Hill, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | English Higher Grade School, Chester, England |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Graceville, Queensland, Australia, 1 November 1941, aged 66 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens & Crematorium, Queensland |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 9, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Feb 1900: | Promoted Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 467 notes promoted to Sergeant 17 Feb 1900. | |
| 1 Mar 1900: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 9, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 463 notes 3rd QMI embarked 1 Mar 1900 aboard Duke of Portland arriving Cape Town 2 Apr 1900. | |
| 21 Jun 1901: | Discharged Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Sergeant, 9, 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, AWM Boer War Unit Details, Murray p. 465 notes 3rd QMI embarked 9 May 1901 at Cape Town returning to Australia aboard Morayshire arriving Sydney 7 Jun 1901 (rail to Brisbane), disbanded 21 Jun 1901. |
Alfred John Gorst
Service Number: 9; Rank: Private; Unit: 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry;
Conflict / Operation: South Africa, 1899-1902 (Boer War);Native place: Queensland, Australia.
Notes: Murray Remarks: Sergeant 17/02/1900
Source: Murray page number - 467
(Source: Australian War Memorial)
When Alfred John Gorst enlisted, his address was c/ 51 Cheyney Rd, Chester, England. He was the son of John Gorst and Mary (nee Green), and had been brought up in Chester, England. In the same contingent was Albert Edward Gorst, single, c/ 51 Cheyney Rd, Chester - this was Alfred John's younger brother. (In the 1891 UK Census, John and Mary Gorst (19 St Anne St, Chester) had two sons, John A (aged 15 in 1881) and Albert E. (age 13 in 1881).
Upon return from South Africa, Alfred John (also known as John Alfred) kept involved in the Military.
He married Ada Daniell, a Queensland lass, in Sydney in 1906 and they settled later in Brisbane. At the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the AIF in WW1, where he was an officer.
He died in Brisbane in 1941.
Submitted 2 May 2016 by Timna Green
Biography contributed by Claude McKelvey
Alfred John Gorst appears to have been born John Alfred Gorst (see WW1 services record) on 12 Sep 1875 in England (assumed Chester). He is recorded as serving as Alfred John Gorst as a Sergeant S.N. 9 in the 3rd Queensland Mounted Infantry, South African (Boer) War.
In 1914 he applied for a commission to serve in WW1 under the name of John Alfred Gorst and noted his previous service in the South African (Boer ) War. He was granted a commission as a Captain in the Mechanical Transport unit but service records held by National Archives Australia indicate a debate between himself and army records as to whether he deployed overseas, in any case it appears he was discharged before engaging in action.
At the time of his application in 1914 he noted he was married to Ada Miriam Gorst, working as a Fire Insurance Inspector and living in the suburb of Hoghgate Hill in Brisbane. His claim of service in WW1 and Boer War was maintained to his death on 1 Nov 1941 as noted in his funeral notice.
(source AWM Boer War Nominal Roll, Murray p. 467; National Archives Australia WW1 service record).
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