CRACKNELL, Reginald William
| Service Number: | 1911 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 June 1915, Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Auburn, New South Wales, Australia, 31 December 1893 |
| Home Town: | Auburn, Auburn, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Auburn Boys Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Fireman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 17 May 1918, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, France Plot III, Row C, Grave 1 |
| Memorials: | Auburn Boys Public School Pictorial Honour Roll, Auburn Public School WW1 Honour Roll, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1911, 17th Infantry Battalion, Liverpool, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1911, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 1911, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Sydney | |
| 11 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 55th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Mar 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 1911, 55th Infantry Battalion, Shell wound left shoulder | |
| 17 May 1918: | Involvement Private, 1911, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1911 awm_unit: 55th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-05-17 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Reginald William CRACKNELL, (Service Number 1911) was born on 28 December 1893 at Auburn. He first began working for the NSW Railways as a call boy at Eveleigh on 17 October 1910. By 1913 he had been promoted to cleaner and by December 1915 he is shown as a fireman at Clyde, although this was a nominal promotion only, as he had joined the Expeditionary Forces on 12 June. In his enlistment papers signed at Liverpool, he claimed three years’ experience with the junior cadets.
He left Australia through Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Runic’ on 9 August 1915.
Submitted 8 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Reginald William CRACKNELL was born in 1894 in Liberty Plains which is an early name for the Sydney suburb of Auburn, NSW
His parents were William Andrew CRACKNELL and May BERNAUER who married in Sydney in 1893
He had previously served for 3 years in the Junior Cadets before he enlisted as a Private with the 17th Infantry Battalion & embarked from Sydney on the HMAT Runic on 9th August, 1915 with the 3rd reinforcements - on 11th February, 1916 he was transferred to the 55th Infantry Battalion.
He was wounded in action on 15th March, 1918 with a shell wound to his left shoulder and was subsequently Killed in Action on 17th May, 1918 in France - he is buried in the Daours Communal Cemetery Extension - he served in Egypt & France during WW1
Inscription on his headstone reads:
'THE LORD GAVE & THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY"
His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial & he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal & the Victory Medal
-------------------
Reginalds brother Horace Stock CRACKNELL also served in WW1 (SN3723) and returned to Australia in 1919
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Reg was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Cracknell, late of Edgar-street and now of Mary-street, Auburn, has been reported killed in action on 17th May last. He was 24 years of ago and enlisted in June, 1915. He sailed for the front with six companions from Auburn in August of the same year. He served at Gallipoli and took part in the evacuation, and on returning to Egypt contracted pneumonia. On recovering from his illness he went over to France, where he arrived in June, 1910. There he went through several battles, and one day, whilst engnged cooking a meal behind the lines he was struck by a stray bullet, which entered his back and lodged between the lung and heart. He went into hospital and had the bullet extracted. His parents thought he was still in hospital when they learnt of his death. The presumption is that the hospital must have been bombed during an air raid. The young soldier, like his father, was a native of Auburn, and received his education at the local Superior Public School. At the time of enlisting he was employed on the railways as a fireman. He was attached to D Company of the 55th Battalion. As a lad he took an active interest in athletic sports, excelling in cycling, football and boxing. Thefamily is one of the best known in Auburn, and his mother one of the leading patriotic workers. Another son (Private Horace Cracknell) is on active service. He left for the front in January, 1916, and has been wounded and ill in hospital. The latest news from him was that he was back in France.
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Reginald William CRACKNELL, (Service Number 1911) was born on 28th December 1893 at Auburn. He first began working for the NSW Railways as a call boy at Eveleigh on 17th October 1910. By 1913 he had been promoted to cleaner and by December 1915 he is shown as a fireman at Clyde, although this was a nominal promotion only, as he had joined the Expeditionary Forces on 12th June. In his enlistment papers signed at Liverpool, he claimed three years’ experience with the junior cadets.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Runic’ on 9th August 1915. Although it was late in 1915 before he reached Egypt, he joined the Mediterranean Force at Gallipoli on 2nd December. A fortnight later the Dardanelles campaign was over and Cracknell returned to Alexandria. A succession of hospital admissions followed. They were apparently related to venereal disease. It was not until June that he was fit enough to re-join the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion. He embarked at Alexandria to travel via Marseilles to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. In November he was Absent Without Leave and awarded seven days Field Punishment No. 2. In May 1917 he was again Absent Without Leave and this time sentenced to 28 days punishment and 35 days forfeiture of pay.
In July he was admitted to hospital again with tonsillitis. It was not until October that he was fit to re-join his unit. He had a week’s leave in England soon after. He was wounded in action on 13th March 1918 with shrapnel to his left shoulder. He was transferred to the 55th General Hospital at Boulogne. On 9th May he returned to his unit and he was killed in action on 17th May 1918.
He is buried in the Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, 2¾ miles West of Corbie. Rev A S Greville officiated.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Click images to start slideshow.