O'GRADY, Patrick Emmett
| Other Name: | Ferguson, Charles Arthur - WWII Service Record - Alias |
|---|---|
| Service Numbers: | 660, 1833 |
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914, Enlisted in NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 38th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Dublin, Ireland, 1879 |
| Home Town: | Port Melbourne, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Seaman |
| Died: | Eventide Nursing Home Sandgate, Brisbane, 18 April 1947, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 660, Mining Corps, Enlisted in NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 1915: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 24th Infantry Battalion, From Mining Corps | |
| 11 May 1915: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 660, 24th Infantry Battalion, Discharged at the 2nd Military District | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1833, 38th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 1833, 38th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 1833, 38th Infantry Battalion, RMS Orontes, Melbourne | |
| 27 Oct 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 10th Machine Gun Company, From 38th Battalion, in England | |
| 28 Jan 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 38th Infantry Battalion, From 10th Machine Gun Company | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1833, 38th Infantry Battalion, Buried by a shell explosion | |
| 15 Nov 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 1833, 38th Infantry Battalion, Discharged at the 2nd Military District as medically unfit due to neurasthenia as a result of having been buried by a shell explosion |
Help us honour Patrick Emmett O'Grady's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Address at the time of enlistment was given as C/- Sailors' Home, Port Melbourne, Victoria
Son of Mary O'Grady of Marys Island, Wexford, Ireland.
Previously served with the Union of South Africa Artillery.
Commenced return to Australia on 24 February 1918 aboard HT Medic disembarking on 11 October 1918 at Melbourne for onward travel to Sydney
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From Australian Remembrance Army
Australian World War One veteran, Patrick Emmett O'Grady who served as Private Charles Arthur Ferguson (Service Nos. 660, 1833), is among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery we have now marked with plaques in recognition of their service for Australia.
We unveiled his plaque in Lutwyche Cemetery on 15 April 2023, along with a further 246 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page
Patrick Emmett O'Grady was born on 4 March 1875 in Dublin, Ireland. He lived a complex life that was reflected in his military service. Before the First World War he reportedly served for several years in the artillery in South Africa. He first enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 August 1914 under his real name, Patrick Emmett O’Grady (service number 660), joining the Mining Corps and later transferring to the 24th Battalion. This initial period of service was short-lived and troubled, ending in his discharge in May 1915 following irregular conduct.
Determined to serve again, O’Grady re-enlisted on 8 March 1916 under the alias Charles Arthur Ferguson (service number 1833), likely to avoid the consequences of his earlier discharge. He embarked from Melbourne aboard RMS Orontes in August 1916 with reinforcements for the 38th Battalion and went on to serve on the Western Front. During his service he was briefly transferred to the 10th Machine Gun Company in England before returning to his battalion in early 1917. On 4 October 1917, while in action in France, he was buried by a shell explosion—an event that had lasting effects on his health.
The injuries he sustained led to ongoing symptoms diagnosed at the time as neurasthenia, a condition now understood as a form of psychological trauma or shell shock. As a result, he was invalided back to Australia in August 1918 aboard the hospital transport Medic. After arriving in Melbourne in October, he was formally discharged on 15 November 1918 as medically unfit for further service. In later years his dual identity was officially acknowledged.
Following his return to Australia, he faced ongoing hardship. Between 1929 and 1947, he was repeatedly admitted to the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum on North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Brisbane.
Established under the Benevolent Asylum Wards Act of 1861, the asylum provided care for those unable to support themselves due to illness or infirmity.
Patrick Emmett O'Grady died of chronic bronchitis at Eventide Nursing Home Sandgate, Brisbane on 18 April 1947, aged 72, and was buried in Anzac Portion 7, Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane. He was unmarried with no known children.
After decades without recognition at his place of burial, his grave now bears a plaque commemorating his service to Australia — ensuring his name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. His identity and dignity have now been restored.
We have remembered him.
Lest We Forget
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