GALE, Wilfred George
| Service Number: | 382 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 February 1916, An original member of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Elliott, Tasmania, Australia, 12 December 1893 |
| Home Town: | Elliott, Waratah/Wynyard, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Elliott State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Wivenhoe, Tasmania, Australia, 20 March 1969, aged 75 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 382, 40th Infantry Battalion, An original member of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 382, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 382, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Wilfred Gale was one of three brothers from Elliott, Tasmania who all enlisted on the same day in the 40th Battalion and were given consecutive regimental numbers.
His brother 381 Pte. Lynden Thomas Gale was severely wounded in the thigh which caused a fractured femur during January 1917. He was in hospital for six months before sent home to Australia.
His youngest brother, 380 Pte. Francis Leopold Gale 40th Battalion AIF died of wounds on 30 August 1918, aged 20. They were the sons of George and Catherine Grace Gale, of Elliott, Tasmania.
Wilfred was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal at Messines on 7 June 1917, 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Although knocked down and badly shaken by a shell, as well as being gassed, he went forward with the attacking waves and carried important despatches, through intense artillery barrage, collapsing from exhaustion on his return.'
He was badly gassed during the action but survived the war and returned to Tasmania in 1919.