VON BIBRA, Eric Ernest
| Service Numbers: | 283, T253505 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Launcestion, Tasmania, Australia, 2 September 1895 |
| Home Town: | Launceston, Launceston, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 27 February 1958, aged 62 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Carr Villa Memorial Park, Tasmania PLOT Crem Western Wall No. 133 Site A MEMORIAL ID |
| Memorials: | Lindisfarne Officers of the 12th Battalion Pictorial Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 283, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1914: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 283, 12th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Hobart | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 283, 12th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Aug 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 12th Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 28 Apr 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Aug 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 283, 52nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , GSW multiple, arm and chest, severe | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 52nd Infantry Battalion | |
| 18 Jul 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Captain, 283, 52nd Infantry Battalion, MD, as a result of severe wounding at Pozieres August 1916 |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Oct 1939: | Enlisted T253505 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Discharged T253505 |
Lest We Forget
Eric Ernest Von Bibra (Captain)
My Great-Great Uncle. 3rd Great Uncle to James Marshall and Joshua Marshall.
Eric enlisted in the 12th Battalion AIF on the 24th August 1914 and embarked on the Transport A2 Geelong on the 20th of August 1914.
He was one of the first to land on the Gallipoli Penninsular as part of the covering force for the Main Landing.
On the Western Front he was badly wounded on 15th August 1916 (multiple gunshot wounds) and was returned to Australia (on the Australian Hospital Ship Karoola) on 3rd of July 1917 and discharged on 18th February 1918.
After the war he became Tasmanian State Secretary of the RSL, then Mayor of Launceston, and then as Sir Eric Von Bibra, he was appointed Agent-General for Tasmania in the United Kingdom.
Submitted 25 April 2020 by Tony Marshall
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
Captain Eric Ernest von Bibra
Extracted from "Stewth' the newsletter of the Violet Town RSL, April 1914
Eric Ernest von Bibra was born on 2 September 1895 in Launceston, Tasmania.
His parents were Eric Ernest von Bibra and Jessie Louisa von Bibra (nee Smith). The von Bibra family was well-established in aunceston and was directly descended from a once-powerful noble family from Bavaria.
At 19 Eric enlisted in the 12th Infantry Battalion soon after the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914. Eric’s brother, Elbert, joined the AIF in May of the following year.
The 12th Battalion, consisting of men from Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia, was one of the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War and arrived in Egypt in
early December 1914. In the early hours of 25 April 1915, the 12th Battalion was among the first to land at ANZAC Cove as a unit of the 3rd Brigade, which was the covering force for the landing.
Eric’s leadership potential was recognised early. Within two months of enlistment he was commissioned lance corporal, and within a year, despite extended periods away from the lines recovering
from illness and wounds, he had been promoted through the ranks, from corporal, to 2nd lieutenant, and finally to captain.
In August 1915 Eric was evacuated from the Gallipoli peninsula with influenza. As he recovered, he fell ill again with diphtheria, and in January 1916 returned to his unit. After several transfers he was
seconded for duty with the 13th Light Trench Mortar Battery in July, serving with the 4th Division in northern France. Promoted to temporary captain and commanding the mortar battery, Eric and his unit were involved in some horrendous battles on the Western Front.
After suffering enormous losses around Pozières, the Australian units, including the 13th Light Trench Mortar Battery, pushed on in an attempt to take the heavily defended German strongpoint of Mouquet Farm. On 16 August, Eric was seriously wounded, suffering severe shrapnel wounds to his hand, arm and ribs.
More than a month later, whilst undergoing treatment in a French hospital, his condition was reported as “seriously ill” and it was decided that he should be moved to England.
Eric’s recuperation took a long time, during which he was promoted to captain, and in July 1917, almost a year after being wounded in action, he embarked for Australia aboard the hospital ship Karoola. His AIF appointment was terminated in February 1918 and he returned to civilian life in Launceston.
Sadly, Eric’s brother would not return. Promoted to sergeant, Elbert
was killed in action on 30 September 1917 while fighting with the
47th Battalion at Westhoek Ridge.
After his return from the war, Eric von Bibra became involved in the administration of the local RSL and in local government. He eventually became the Tasmanian state secretary of the RSL and served as the Mayor of Launceston between 1935 and 1936. In 1939 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire and became a Knight Bachelor in 1953 in recognition for his service as agent-general for Tasmania.
Sir Eric Ernest von Bibra died in 1958.
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