Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Andrew Hersey Cushion Whitrow was a gunner who served in WW1 (1915-1918). Andrew was born on July 4th, 1897, in Eastwood South Australia, where he grew up on 12 Matilda Street.  His father, Alfred James Whitrow was born in England in 1852, and his mother, Jessie Wilson Whitrow, was born in Victoria Australia in 1855, where they got married before they moved to South Australia in the late 1880s. Andrew was the youngest of his 4 brothers, and 2 sisters. Prior to Andrew’s enlistment, he was a motor driver, providing him with extensive knowledge in driving vehicles, preparing him for transporting artillery, ammunition and weapons for his brigade, in the role of a gunner.

Andrew’s brother brother Hersey, also served in WW1, as a member of the 11th field company engineers in 1916

Andrew enlisted July 23rd 1915, at just 18 years old, in Keswick, South Australia. Andrew was not married, therefore his next of kin was his mother, Jessie Whitrow. Jessie was also the nominated next of kin for Hersey.

On the 23rd of July 1915, Andrew was appointed to D Group Base Depot, in the 10th battalion to begin training. 

Andrew embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A24 Benalla on October 27th, 1915, and was appointed to Zeitour Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt, after being transferred to the 50th battalion. Following the Gallipoli campaign, the 10th battalion was split, and the 50th battalion was formed in early 1916 in Egypt, in which Andrew became a Gunner.

Andrew was later taken on strength of the 24th howitzer brigade, howitzer being a type of artillery piece that Whitrow would have used in this brigade to fire shells on high trajectories to attack enemy positions before infantry attacked.

Whilst still stationed in Egypt, Andrew was admitted due to Influenza on the 3rd of March 1916, but was soon discharged back to duty where he proceeded to join the BEF, (British Expeditionary Force), in Alexandria to fight on the Western Front to support allied forces in Europe. He disembarked at Marseilles on the 13th of June 1916 to begin fighting in the battle of Pozières.  

In December 1916 Andrew suffered from a shrapnel wound to his left leg and thigh and was admitted to the 1st ANZAC medical division station. Two days later Whitrow travelled to Rouen, where he was admitted to the 10th General Hospital and three days later, he embarked for England due to the severity of his wounds. Andrew remained in hospital in England for a total of 6 months, from the 13th of December 1916. In April 1917 he reported to the No 2 Command Depot from Hospital to convalesce. He spent approximately two months transferring to machine gun depots and training camps around England to prepare him for battle again after injury. He was transferred back and forth between the Royal Battery Ammunition Artillery in Larkhill, and Boyton which are both training camps/areas known as key locations for British Army artillery training during WW1.

On the 11th of September 1917, Andrew proceeded to France, Southampton, and moved to the 4th Division Artillery in Rouelle’s. Three days later he was taken on strength to field, in the battle of Third Ypres. Despite the attack being successful along its entire front, the battle held appalling casualty figures, the British suffering more causalities than the Germans, alongside the dreadful conditions of rain, mud and exhaustion soldiers had to endure. The 50th battalion was stationed at the attack on Zonnebeke Ridge, where Andrew would have fought in, and endured the worst of his total injuries after been taken on strength for only four days. On the 21st of September, Andrew suffered from a shrapnel wound to the right leg and knee, and to both of his hands. This shrapnel injury being present on primarily the right side of his body can suggest it occurred from a bomb blast, and shrapnel struck the side of his body closest to the blast, his right side.

Andrew embarked for England five days later on the 26th, and on the 27th was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital, England, where he spent 5 months recovering.

On the 7th of February 1918, Whitrow transferred to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford, where he resided for 2 days before being discharged to no. 2 Casualty Depot in Weymouth, on the 9th of February. Andrew remained in Weymouth casualty depot for 2 months, until the 5th of April 1918 when he was discharged, and set to depart England to return home to Australia, via hospital transport. On the 30th of May 1918, Andrew reached Melbourne, concluding his service as a gunner in WW1.

Andrew had served a total of 3 years and 42 days in WW1, 2 years and 216 days of his service was fought abroad. 

Andrew died on the 5th of June 1975 at age 78. He was buried at Centennial Park Cemetery South Australia.