BROWNING, Bernard John
| Service Number: | 2873 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Malvern, near Worcester, Worcestershire, England , 1887 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | St Thomas Rich's School, Gloucester, England |
| Occupation: | Motor driver |
| Died: | Accidental , Quedgeley, United Kingdom, Quedgeley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, 16 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Quedgeley (St. James) Churchyard, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Manly War Memorial NSW |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2873, 19th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2873, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 2873, 4th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2873 awm_unit: 4th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-08-16 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Pauline Graves
Born at Worcestershire, England. His next of kin was listed as his mother Mrs H L Browning Severn Farm, Quigley, Gloucester England.
Bernard was 21 when he arrived in Australia and he was 28 when he had enlisted in Sydney. He was living at the Rugby Hotel, Newtown.
Bernard was home in the UK on sick leave. A newspaper article from The Times, Friday August 18, 1916 reported the following:
"While an Australian soldier was being driven home on Wednesday night to Quedgeley, Gloucester, in a taxicab, driven by Frank Lippiatt of Gloucester, the vehicle missed Rea Bridge in the darkness and ran into the Gloucester and Berkley Canal. The cab was recovered yesterday as a result of dragging operations and with it the body of the soldier, Bernard Browning, son of a local farmer, who enlisted in Australia, whither he went some years ago and had served in Gallipoli, Egypt and France. He was on sick leave."
Biography contributed by Cathy Sedgwick
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick (OAM) – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland”
Bernard John Longney Browning was born at Malvern, near Worcester, Worcestershire, England to parents Albert James & Harriet Louisa Browning (nee Morris). His birth was registered in the March quarter, 1888 in the district of Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire.
On 28th April, 1911 Bernard J. Browning, aged 23, was listed as a passenger on Wakool which had departed from the port of London bound for Sydney, Australia.
The 1913 Australian Electoral Roll for the division of Middle Harbour, subdivision of Manly listed Bernard John Browning, Tram Conductor, of 245 Pittwater Road.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 9th August, 1915 at Warwick Farm, Sydney, NSW as a 28 year old, single, Motor Driver from Rugby Hotel, Newtown, Sydney.
Private Bernard John Browning, Service number 2873, embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on HMAT Euripides (A14) on 2nd November, 1915 with the 5th Infantry Brigade, 19th Infantry Battalion, 6th Reinforcements.
On 14th February, 1916 Private Browning was transferred to 4th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 16th February, 1916
Lance Corporal Browning embarked from Alexandria on 23rd March, 1916 for Overseas on Troopship Simla & disembarked at Marseilles, France on 30th March, 1916.
On 3rd June, 1916 Lance Corporal Browning was taken to 3rd Australian Field Ambulance while in France then admitted to 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station. He was invalided to England on Hospital Ship St. Denis from Anglo American Hospital, Wimereux, France suffering from sub-acute appendicitis on 9th June, 1916.
He was admitted to County of London War Hospital, Epsom with sub-acute Appendicitis on 10th June, 1916 & discharged to Tidworth, Wiltshire on 12th July, 1916.
From 11th August, 1916 Lance Corporal Browning was on special sick leave & was to report back for duty on 24th August, 1916.
Lance Corporal Bernard John Browning died on 16th August, 1916 when the Taxi-cab he was a passenger in was accidentally driven into the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal at Rea Bridge, Quedgeley, England.
He was buried on 21st August, 1916 in St. James Churchyard, Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, England – North-west of Church and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. His Headstone is marked at the top “Known To Be Buried In This Churchyard.”
A Court of Enquiry was held on 23rd August, 1916 at Hut 4, No. 1 Camp, Perham Down, Wiltshire for the purpose of enquiring into and expressing an opinion on the death of No. 2783, Corporal B. J. Browning, 4th Battalion, A.I.F. The Court declared that Corporal B. J. Browning was accidentally killed in the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, Rea Bridge, Quedgeley on 16th August, 1916. He was not responsible for the accident and was absent from camp on special sick leave when it occurred.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/quedgeley.html
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