6602 Driver James Joseph GRAY is as follows: Grandson of Richard and Mary Gray. Son of William and Deborah Gray.

a. Enlisted in the lst Australian Imperial Force at Melbourne, Victoria on 11 August 1915 and allotted Army number 6602. He stated on enlistment that:
(1) he was born in Fitzroy, Victoria,
(2) he was 27 and 4/12 years of age, and
(3) his next of kin was his wife, Caroline Lena Gray of Montague Street, South Melbourne, Victoria.
b. Embarked at Melbourne, Victoria for service overseas with the 4th Australian Field Artillery Brigade per His Majesty's Australian Transport "WILTSHIRE" on 18 November 1915.
C. Served in France with the 4th Australian Field Artillery Brigade.
d. Disembarked in Victoria from France per Hired Transport "CASTALIA" on 30 May 1919.
e. Discharged from the lst Australian Imperial Force in Victoria on 22 July 1919.
f. Decorations, Awards or Medals:
(1) 1914/15 Star
(2) British War Medal
(3) Victory Medal

Alfred Edward KEED

Alfred applied for enlistment with the AIF at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, on 04 August 1915, aged 31 years and four months. The enlistment was to be for a period ending 4 months after the end of the war.

Alfred was enlisted in the 2nd Battalion on 11 August 1915 and subsequently transferred "on strength" to the 54th Battalion on 20 April 1916, at Ferry Post. On 19 june 1916, Alfred embarked H.T. Caledonian at Alexandria, to join the B.E.F. On 29 June 1916 he disembarked at Marseilles, France.

On 20 July 1916, Alfred was wounded in action and was admitted to the 8th Field Ambulance, with gunshot wounds to the legs. Alfred was transferred the next day to the 1st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, in the Field, where he died later that day.

54th Battalion The 54th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 16 February 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 2nd Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 2nd, the 54th was predominantly composed of men from New South Wales. The battalion became part of the 14th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division. Battle of Fromelles 19 July 1916 - 20 July 1916 Moving to France in June 1916, the 54th fought its first major battle on the Western Front at Fromelles, on 19 July. It was a disaster. The 54th was part of the initial assault and suffered casualties equivalent to 65 per cent of its fighting strength. Casualty rates among the rest of the 5th Division were similarly high, but despite these losses it continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months. Fromelles was the first major battle fought by Australian troops on the Western Front. Directed against a strong German position known as the Sugar Loaf salient, the attack was intended primarily as a feint to draw German troops away from the Somme offensive then being pursued further to the south. A seven-hour preparatory bombardment deprived the attack of any hope of surprise, and ultimately proved ineffective in subduing the well-entrenched defenders. When the troops of the 5th Australian and 61st British Divisions attacked at 6 pm on 19 July 1916, they suffered heavily at the hands of German machine-gunners. Small parts of the German trenches were captured by the 8th and 14th Australian Brigades, but, devoid of flanking support and subjected to fierce counter-attacks, they were forced to withdraw. By 8am on 20 July 1916, the battle was over. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, rendering it incapable of offensive action for many months; the 61st British Division suffered 1,547. The German casualties were little more than 1,000. The attack was a complete failure as the Germans realised within a few hours it was merely a feint. It therefore had no impact whatsoever upon the progress of the Somme offensive. After a freezing winter manning trenches in the Somme Valley, in early 1917 the 54th Battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. It was spared the assault but did, however, defend gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt. Later in the year, the AIF's focus of operations switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium. The 54th's major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September. With the collapse of Russia in October 1917, a major German offensive on the Western Front was expected in early 1918. This came in late March and the 5th Division moved to defend the sector around Corbie. The 14th Brigade took up positions to the north of Villers-Bretonneux and held these even when the village fell, threatening their flanks. Once the German offensive had been defeated, the Allies launched their own offensive in August 1918. The 14th Brigade did not play a major role in these operations until late in the month, but its actions, including those of the 54th Battalion at Anvil Wood, were critical to the capture of Péronne, which fell on 2 September. Heavy casualties throughout 1918 and declining enlistments in Australia resulted in a decision in mid-September 1918 to disband several Australian battalions to reinforce others; in the 14th Brigade this battalion was to be the 54th. The men mutinied in response, which resulted in a temporary postponement of the order. The 54th fought its last major battle of the war, St Quentin Canal, between 29 September and 2 October 1918. On 11 October it ceased to exist as a separate entity when it was merged with the 56th Battalion to form the 54/56th Battalion. 1st Australian Imperial Force Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the name given to the expeditionary forces raised by Australia in the First World War. Under the provision of the Defence Act 1903, enlistment for service overseas was voluntary. During the First World War, Australia and South Africa remained the only countries in the war which did not resort to conscription. The AIF was disbanded on 1 April 1921.

KIRBY ,Gilbert Thomas
Number: 434682
Rank: Flight Sergeant [Flt Sgt]
Unit: 467 Sqn
Service: RAAF
Conflict: 1939-1945
Date of Death: 12/09/1944
Place of Death: Germany
Cause of Death: Flying Battle
Memorial Panel: 111
Cemetery or Memorial Details:
Next Of Kin
Notes:
Source: AWM148 Roll of Honour cards, 1939-1945 War, Air Force

RANK: Pte
Christian Names: George William Thomas
Surname: MENZIES
Date Of Enlistment: 14th June 1940
Marital Condition : Married
Place : Caulfield
Next Of Kin : Elsie Menzies
Date and Place Of Birth 24/2/1909 South Melbourne
Address of Next of Kin: 10 Thomson Street
Trade or Occupation: Storeman Clerk South Melbourne Religion : C of E Relationship : Wife
Medical Classification - Class 1 Identification: Colour of Hair Dark Eyes Hazel Distinctive Marks Appendix Scar
REPORT : Record of all casualties regarding Promotions and Transfers ETC Date of Casualty Place of Casualty Authority or Doc other Doc Signature of Officer Certifying Date From whom received 14/6/40 O.C.R.R.D Taken on strength RRD 14/6/40 C'field R.O122/38/40 INITIAL 21/6/40 A.A.S.C Trans to No7 Training Depot 20/6/40 Bendigo W301/6/40 R.O 1/304/40 INITIAL 23/9/40 2/22TB Transferred to 7TH Div Supply Col Seymour 23/9/40 Bendigo W3011-179/40 RO 55/141/40 INITIAL 24/9/40 7Div Sup Col Posted from 2.22 Training Btn 23/9/40 Pucka W301176/40 RO55/141/40 INITIAL EMBARKED 1/1102 DISEMBARKED 18/10/40 22/11/40 SYDNEY KANTARA A206 A206 7/7/41 CAS SECT KILLED IN ACTION 51/2217 1/7/41 TOBRUK W3014 INITIAL 2/7/41 NONEFFSECTO2E Buried Grave No 522 Torbruk War Cemetery 68/2915 2/7/41 TOBRUK W3314 INITIAL (NOTE BORN: 24 FEB 1909 AS GEORGE WILLIAM THOMAS GRAY SON OF GEORGE HAYWARD GRAY

MENZIES, G W T
Number: VX26705
Rank: Private [Pte]
Unit: AASC 7 DIV SUP COL
Service: Army
Conflict: 1939-1945
Date of Death: 01/07/1941
Place of Death: Libya
Cause of Death: Killed In Action
Memorial Panel: 83 Cemetery or Memorial Details:
Next Of Kin:
Notes: Source: AWM147 Roll of Honour cards, 1939-1945 War, 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force) and CMF (Commonwealth Military Force) MENZIES Pte. GEORGE WILLIAM THOMAS, VX.26705. A.I.F. 7 Div. Sup. Col., Australian Army Service Corps. Ist July, 1941. Age 32. Adopted Son of Robert Stuart Menzies and Son of Blanche Hannah Menzies, of South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; husband of Elsie Menzies, of South Melbourne. Buried 4. F. 1 1. TOBRUK, WAR CEMETERY

1784 Private Samuel Thomas Gladson MADDOCK (Ellen Gray and Thomas Rentle)
a. Enlisted in the lst Australian Imperial Force at Melbourne, Victoria on 17 August 1914. He stated on enlistment that:
(1) he was born in Camberwell, Victoria,
(2) he was 21 and 5/12 years of age, and
(3) his next of kin was his sister, Annie Maddock of Forster Street, Albert Park, Victoria.
b. Served in Australia with the 6th Australian Infantry Battalion.
c. Discharged from the lst Australian Imperial Force in Victoria on 5 September 1914.
d. Re-enlisted in the lst Australian Imperial Force at Melbourne, Victoria on 4 January 1915 and allotted Army number 1784.
e. Embarked at Melbourne, Victoria for service overseas with the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion per His Majesty's Australian Transport "WILTSHIRE" on14 April 1915
f. Served at the Gallipoli Peninsula with the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion.
g. Killed in action at the Gallipoli Peninsula on 6 August 1915.
h. Decorations, Awards or Medals:
(1) 1914/15 Star
(2) British War Medal
(3) Victory Medal
(4) ANZAC Commemorative Medallion



MADDOCK, Samuel Thomas Gladson
Number: 1784
Rank: Private [Pte]
Unit: 8th Bn Australian Inf
Service: Army
Conflict: 1914-1918
Date of Death: 06/08/1915
Place of Death: Cause of Death: Killed in action
Memorial Panel: 53 Cemetery or Memorial Details: GALLIPOLI 31 Shrapnel Valley Cemetery Anzac
Next Of Kin: Place Of Enlistment: South Melbourne, VIC
Native Place: Camberwell VIC
Notes: MADDOCK, Pte. Samuel Thomas Gladson, 1784. 8th Bn. Australian Inf. Killed in action 6th Aug., 1915. Son of John Samuel and Emma Louisa Maddock. Native of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia. II. A. 48. Source: AWM145 Roll of Honour cards, 1914-1918


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