STEPHENSON, Edgar
| Service Numbers: | 685, 2977 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 38th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Crookwell, New South Wales, 1 August 1893 |
| Home Town: | Crookwell, Upper Lachlan Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds - gas then pneumonia, Reading War Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, 23 October 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Reading Cemetery, England (72. 16493) |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Crookwell War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 685, 8th Machine Gun Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2977, 60th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney | |
| 3 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2977, 60th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '20' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2977, 29th Infantry Battalion, Invalided 3rd MD to Melbourne, disembarked 21/6/1917 returning to England | |
| 21 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 685, 8th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Suevic, Melbourne | |
| 21 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 685, 8th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Dec 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 38th Infantry Battalion | |
| 29 Sep 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 685, 38th Infantry Battalion, "The Last Hundred Days", Died of gassing after contracting pneumonia. | |
| 23 Oct 1918: | Involvement Private, 685, 38th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 685 awm_unit: 38th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-10-23 |
Help us honour Edgar Stephenson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 23rd October……Edgar Stephenson was born at Curran’s Creek near Crookwell, New South Wales in August, 1893. His mother – Rebecca Stephenson died in September, 1899.
Edgar Stephenson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 19th September, 1916 at Goulburn, NSW as a 23 year old, single, Labourer from Curran’s Creek, Crookwell, NSW.
On 3rd November, 1916 Private Stephenson embarked from Sydney on HMAT Afric (A19) with 7th Reinforcements, 60th Battalion. He disembarked from HMAT Afric at Adelaide sick on 7th November, 1916 & he was placed in isolation.
He was transferred to 9th Reinforcements, 48th Battalion on 1st November, 1916 then transferred to Machine Gun Reinforcements on 1st January, 1917 & allotted a new Service number of 685. He was transferred to Machine Gun Depot on 17th January, 1917.
Private Stephenson embarked from Melbourne on HMAT Suevic (A29) on 21st June, 1917 with 8th Machine Gun Company, 12th Reinforcements & disembarked at Liverpool, England on 26th August, 1917 where he would receive further training before being sent to the War Front.
On 26th August, 1917 Private Stephenson was marched in from Australia to 8th Training Battalion at Hurdcott, Wiltshire. He was transferred to 29th Battalion Details on 27th August, 1917 & was marched in from 8th Training Battalion to 15th Training Battalion at Codford, Wiltshire on 5th November, 1917.
He proceeded overseas to France from Codford, Wiltshire via Southampton on 18th December, 1917 to Reinforcements of 38th Battalion. He joined 38th Battalion in the Field on 24th December, 1917.
Private Edgar Stephenson was wounded in action (gassed) in France on 29th September, 1918. He was admitted to Field Ambulance suffering from Mustard Gas then transferred to Casualty Clearing Station on 30th September, 1918. He was transferred to 1st Australian General Hospital at Rouen, France on 3rd October, 1918 & embarked for England on 4th October, 1918 on the Hospital Ship West Australian. (According to information supplied by his father for the Roll of Honour Private Edgar Stephenson was apparently gassed at Polygon Wood).
On 5th October, 1918 Private Stephenson was admitted to Reading War Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, England with Gas shell poisoning. The Hospital Admissions forms reads: “Severely gassed – Conjunctivitis, Pharyngitis, Laryngitis, extensive burns of 2nd degree on thighs, scrotum & forehead. Developed Lobar Pneumonia (R. upper lobe) & died of heart failure.”
Private Edgar Stephenson died at 4.30 am on 23rd October, 1918 at Section 4, Reading War Hospital, Reading, Berkshire, England from Gas shell poisoning (Mustard), Influenza & Pneumonia.
He was buried Reading Cemetery, Reading, Berkshire, England where 16 other Australian WW1 War Graves are located. All but one of these Australians are remembered on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Screen Wall as those buried in Plot 72 & in other parts of the cemetery that do not have headstones marking their graves. There is one Australian Flying Corps man who has a headstone but it is a Private Headstone.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/reading.html
Click images to start slideshow.