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Mark D'Esterre Brady

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Mark D'Esterre Brady
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Personal Information
Date of Birth not known
"not known" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation.
Place of Birth Albany, Western Australia
Death 15 Aug 1917
Place of Death Dickiebusche, Belgium
Age at Enlistment 18 years, 2 months
Description 5'8" (1.73m) tall ; 128 lbs
58.06 kg
; fresh complexion ; dark brown eyes ; fair hair
Occupation Student
Religion Church of England
Address Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Next of Kin Father , Mr Francis Lyndon Brady
Military Information
Reg Number 26985
Date of Enlistment 5 Feb 1916
Rank Gunner
Unit/Formation 10th Field Artillery Brigade, 5th Reinforcement, posted to 4th Division Ammunition Column, transferred to 2nd Battery, 1st FAB
Date of Embarkation 7 Sep 1916 ‒ 29 Oct 1916
Ship Embarked On HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Fate Killed in Action 15 Aug 1917
Monument Jarrahdale War Memorial
Jarrahdale Honour Roll
ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford)
Australian War Memorial
Medals British War Medal
Victory Medal



Pre War

Student

War Service

On entering camp he was identified for artillery reinforcements and thus sent to Maribyrnong in Victoria to train. In August 1916 he was allocated to the 10th Field Artillery Brigade's 5th reinforcements and travelled to England with them.

On arrival in England he went to the Park House camp for a week before moving to Fort Wallington for advanced artillery training.

On 2 Jan 1917 Mark proceeded overseas to Étaples in France from Folkestone aboard SS Princess Henriette. Taken on strength of the 4th Division Ammunition Column on 14 Feb 1917, and then transferred to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade's 2nd Battery on 27 Mar 1917.

His records list him as Killed in Action, Belgium on 15 Aug 1917, in the lead up to the series of battles known as 3rd Ypres.

Mark's Red Cross File [1]. contains a number of statements made by soldiers who knew him. One claimed that he was gassed in August 1917 and rejoined the unit in December 1917; another witnessed the construction of his headstone and believed he had been KIA at Zillebeke and buried at Benenghelst Cemetery; another that he was KIA at Zillebeke and buried at Dormihouse; and perhaps the most believable version is one that says he was killed instantly - accidentally - by an explosion in a piece of pipe that was being used for boiling eggs in the horse lines at Dickiebusche, and buried in the military cemetery there.

Regardless his body was later exhumed and reburied at the Perth Cemetery (China Wall) 3 kms east of Ieper (Ypres) on the Maaldestedestraat.

  • Perth (China Wall) Cemetery
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Notes

  1. "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Mark D'Esterre Brady". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018. 

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