WAIT, Edward Walter
| Service Number: | 2039 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 February 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Unley, South Australia, 13 November 1895 |
| Home Town: | Goodwood, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Thebarton Public School |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Turkey, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 11 July 1915, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
Beach Cemetery - ANZAC Cove Plot II, Row I, Row 2, Beach Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Aldgate Honour Board, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Unley Arch of Remembrance, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board, Unley U.A.O.D. Britannia Lodge No 32 Roll of Honour, Unley U.A.O.D. Britannia Lodge No 32 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2039, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2039, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Apr 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2039, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Adelaide | |
| 11 Jul 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2039, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Edward Walter Wait
On the 13th of November 1895 Annie Wait gave birth to a boy in the suburb of Unley with her husband Edward Wait alongside her. The boy’s name was Edward Walter Wait. He had grey eyes, a fair complexion and blonde hair. Edward grew up in a small house on William Street in Goodwood, a suburb in the south of Adelaide almost three kilometres from the city centre. During his youth he attended Thebarton Public School, a semi local school north-west of where he lived. Growing up, he lived with his parents in a medium class old house.
Later on in life, sometime in his teenage years he joined the Citizens Military which was a part of the Australian army reserve. He also worked as a butcher at the time.
Soon after, on the 9th of February 1915 in Keswick, South Australia, Edward enlisted into the 10th Battalion as a Private. His details included; height: 5 feet 6 ¾ inches, weight: 134 lbs or 60.7 kg, chest measurement: 33 - 35 inches, complexion: fair, eyes: grey, hair: fair, and his regiment number was 2039. He lied about his age, saying he was 21. After a few months of training in Adelaide he was sent on a ship to a camp in Egypt. He was soon shipped off to Egypt where he waited to be sent to Gallipoli to fight.
On July 11th 1915 Edward Walter Wait was killed in action only three days after arriving on the peninsula. The Chaplain, Reverend T. Gordon Robertson, who was there at the time said it was a Sunday afternoon around 1730 when he was struck by a pellet from shrapnel that went through his heart. Almost instantaneously he died and three hours later he was buried.
In 1918 after the war ended Edward was reburied. They buried him at Beach Cemetery (Plot II, Row I, Row 2) Anzac Beach, Gallipoli, Turkey. His grave stone reads “He Patiently Waited His Master's Call, Died As He Lived, Loved By All”.He is also commemorated in the commemorative area in panel 61, at the Australian War Memorial also known as the Roll of Honour.
To honour sacrifice he was awarded multiple medals. These included 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. The 1914-15 star was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The British War Medal was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. And the Victory Medal is a United Kingdom and British Empire First World War campaign medal that was awarded to all who received the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star.
Edward Walter Wait died at the age of 19 serving for his country. He had only been fighting in Gallipoli for three days after being struck in the heart by a pellet from a shrapnel ending his life. War stole his life. He was still so young. He lost the opportunity to live a long happy life because of war. He showed bravery and courage going to serve for his country, He sacrificed himself to war, as he was so young and optimistic not knowing what was going to happen to him and whether he would survive.
Bibliography
- Find War Dead. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead
- Home | The Australian War Memorial. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.awm.gov.au
- Trove. (2019). Retrieved from https://trove.nla.gov.au
- The AIF Project. (2019). Retrieved from https://aif.adfa.edu.au
- Search the collection – National Archives of Australia, Australian Government. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/search/
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