Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ernest George Horner, the husband of Margaret Horner was born in Somerset England in 1887. Horner moved to Adelaide at the age of 24 in the year 1911, where he took up residence at 7 Palm Place Hackney. Horner worked as a labourer for a number of years, before enlisting in the army in 1915. Horner was of average height (5’9); he weighed approximately 62.6 kilograms; he had brown hair, and he had blue eyes.

Horner enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 28 on the 27th of December 1915. Where he joined the 10th Battalion, one of the first infantry units ever formed for the AIF. Horner arrived at Perham Downs on the 9th of August 1916. Horner and his unit then left England and travelled through the English Channel to a large Allied military base in Estaples, France arriving on the 11th of August.  On the 23rd of August Horner joined a new unit, and then after that his training began on September 1st.

The unit then moved from France to Belgium and spent almost two months traveling to different camps and villages around the border of France and Belgium, mostly in the Bernafey wood area. In November of 1916 Horner and his unit were serving as nightly relief for the 2nd Battalion, fighting in the trenches at Guerdecourt. 

After moving back to the Bernafay wood area, into Flers Horner and his group were shelled by enemy forces and many people lost their lives. Due to weather conditions at the time, it was difficult to move long distances to avoid enemy fire, and many people were being evacuated due to exposure to the elements.

Training for Horner and his unit went on into the first few days of February 1917, until the unit moved to base in France that was commonly referred to as Hexam Road. Where once again the unit served as relief for the 2nd battalion – this time helping to work on their area. For almost two weeks the battalion worked around the area to assist in a variety of tasks around the base such as cleaning up the camp area, transporting supplies, improving communications with the front lines, and helping to repair the trenches as the snow and ice thawing had caused some considerable damages. The Battalion attacked the enemy lines with heavy retaliation and on the 25th of February attacked once again, forcing their way well into enemy trenches, despite heavy barraging from the enemy. And by midnight they were relieved by the 12th battalion. The next day – the 26th of February, was mostly spent performing menial tasks around camp, and burying the dead.

For much of the March and April of 1917 the unit moved through different towns and communes in France. And from the 7th – 16th of April the unit were stationed on the front lines in Louverval fighting, and advancing until they were relieved by another battalion. However only a week after this time on the 22nd of April, Horner fell ill and was set to hospital. And a mere 6 days after being discharged from hospital, Horner was readmitted due to a sprained ankle. Horner spent a long time in the hospital due to this injury and it cost him involvement in the second battle of Bullecourt, which was a 2 week long intense span of non-stop intense trench fighting, in which many Australians sadly lost their lives, to capture. Horner’s battalion (the 10th battalion) played a crucial role in this battle, as they were successful in bombing and capturing the enemy communication trench.

Horner was discharged from the hospital on the 12th of May, and by June he had re-joined his unit. His battalion was heavily involved in capturing an enemy trench in Auchan Villiers where the defence was said to be weak.

The Beginning of November was spent relieving troops along the Anzac ridge, where Horner and his unit worked to improve living conditions and accommodations. On the 24th of November Horner was promoted to Lance corporal. December was mostly spent training, although a short amount of time was spent on the frontline.

The new year started off in the field for Horner and the 10th battalion, holding the line. Much of February was spent training, the unit were stationed in western Belgium, working to repel German raids and attacks and to counterattack themselves, before being relieved on the 24th of march by the 12th battalion.

On the 24th of April 1918, Horner’s journey would soon come to an end. While fighting alongside 6 other comrades in raid team in the early hours, Horner was sadly killed outright, shot in the head by enemy machine guns, and on top of that the mission as a failure, and his comrades were forced to retreat. Due to failure of the mission. Horner’s comrades reported to have seen him being slumped over his gun while they were retreating. Due to failure of the mission his comrades were unsure if the red cross stretcher bearers if would be able to retrieve Horner’s body. All Horner’s comrades described how Horner was a “very nice quiet fellow” and his comrades wrote about their great disappointment of the fact they were unable to retrieve his body and to collect his things.  

Horner is buried in Meteran Military Cemetery in France, where his headstone reads his name and age of death, his unit, his rank, and the quote “only goodnight beloved, not farewell”.