SULLIVAN, Reginald William
| Service Number: | 6080 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Company Sergeant Major |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Burwood, New South Wales, Australia, 21 November 1889 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Porter |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 12 April 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pozières British Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 6080, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Wiltshire embarkation_ship_number: A18 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 6080, 2nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wiltshire, Sydney | |
| 9 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Company Sergeant Major, 6080, Wounded in action in France on Easter Monday during the capture of the village of Hermies. He was admitted to the 3rd Field Ambulance with a penetrating gunshot wound to his chest and transferred to the Operating Centre at the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station where he died of those wounds on 13th April 1917. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Oakes
Reginald William Ezzy SULLIVAN (Service Number 6080) was born on 21st November 1889 at Burwood in Sydney. He first worked from 18th January 1907 for the NSW Railways in the Traffic Branch in the Superintendent of Lines District as a probationer.
On 9th December he progressed to be junior porter and in January 1911 to 3rd class porter. In 1912 the district to which he was attached was changed to Metropolitan. On 18th April 1912 he became a porter. This usually happened when a junior turned 21, but by this date Sullivan was more than 23-years-old. Recollections of his mates later in France suggest that he was working at Penrith.
He was granted leave to join the Expeditionary Forces on 5th September 1915. He had in fact already enlisted at Warwick Farm a few days before. He gave his age as 26 years and 9 months when he was really 25 years and 9 months. He was unmarried and gave his father Benjamin living in Belmont as his next of kin. He was allotted to the 19th Reinforcements to the 2nd Battalion. He was promoted to Corporal soon after enlistment on 16th October 1915 and Sergeant a month later on 17th November 1915. He had attended the depot Training School and No. 9 Officers Training School at Duntroon. On 19th April 1916 was promoted to Acting Company Sergeant Major. Sullivan embarked HMAT ‘Wiltshire’ at Sydney on 22nd August 1916, nearly a year after enlisting, and reached Plymouth (England) on 13th October.
On 12th December 1916 he proceeded overseas to France per ‘Arundel’ through Folkestone and joined the 2nd Battalion on 18th December.
Sullivan was wounded in action in France on 9th April 1917, Easter Monday, during the capture of the village of Hermies. There are numerous accounts, which all agree on the basic facts and that Sullivan was well liked and regarded as an NCO.
Pte. Chapman (6130) stated:
‘I knew Sullivan very well. We went over together. He went away as Company Sergeant Major. He was wounded at Hermes on Easter Monday in the charge. It was about three o’clock in the morning. He was popular with everybody.’
He was admitted to the 3rd Field Ambulance with a penetrating gunshot wound to his chest and transferred to the Operating Centre at the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station. He died of those wounds on 13th April 1917.
He was buried at the Pozières British Cemetery.
A pension of £2 per fortnight was awarded to Sullivan’s mother Mary Ann from 29th June 1917, but a similar claim by his father was rejected.
- based on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll and notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board.
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