Henry Joseph Carroll
From Our Contribution
 Henry Joseph Carroll and wife Mary c1916 | |
 photo courtesy South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | c1886 |
| Place of Birth | South Melbourne, Victoria |
| Death | 4 Jan 1919 |
| Place of Death | Station Hospital, Paris, France |
| Age at Enlistment | 30 years, 8 months |
| Description |
6'0½" (1.84m) tall ; 169lbs 76.657 kg ; dark complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Stationmaster |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Wheatley street, Gosnells, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Wife , Mrs Mary Carroll |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2722 |
| Date of Enlistment | 31 May 1917 |
| Rank | Sapper |
| Unit/Formation | February 1918 Reinforcements - 5th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company |
| Date of Embarkation | 13 Mar 1918 ‒ 15 May 1918 |
| Ship Embarked On | RMS Ormonde |
| Fate | Died of Illness |
| Monument |
Gosnells War Memorial Gosnells Road Board Honour Roll Gosnells Primary School Honour Roll Gosnells Ward Honour Roll Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
Born in Victoria, Henry married West Armadale school-mistress Mary Connell on 15 April 1914 at the Roman Catholic Church, Yarloop. They had two children; Peter born in 1915 in the Canning district and Isabella who was born on 5 July 1916 at the family home in Wheatley Street, Gosnells.
Mr Carroll was credited with the beautification of the Gosnells railway station where he was the Stationmaster between March 1912 and June 1917.[1]
War Service
Henry entered the Blackboy Hill camp on 31 May 1917, and on 2 Jul 1917 was transferred to the training camp at Rockingham. On 11 Aug 1917 he was sent to the Rockingham Camp Hospital and admitted with Gonorrhoea, remaining there until 19 Feb 1918. On 5 Mar 1918 he was allocated to the Railway Corps, and on 13 Mar 1918 he boarded the RMS Ormonde in Fremantle. The Ormonde conveyed him to Suez where on 4 Apr 1918 he joined the Australian Camp until 3 May 1918 when he boarded HMT Manitou ** in Alexandria, calling at Marseilles before landing Henry at Southampton on 15 May 1918.
On arrival in England he was posted to the Railroad training centre at Longmoor for further training, and on 30 May 1918 he was admitted to the Frensham Hill Military Hospital ill. On 2 Jul 1918 he was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital with bronchitis. Discharged to duty on 15 Jul 1918.
On 21 Sep 1918 he proceed overseas to France from Dover, disembarking at Calais. On 23 Sep 1918 Henry was taken on strength by the 5th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company. On 5 Nov 1918 Henry was admitted to the 7th Canadian General Hospital with Appendicitis for 10 days before moving to the 6th Convalescent Depot, and then on 18 Nov Henry returned to his unit. On 27 Dec 1918 Henry was granted leave in Paris, and it was during his leave that he sought treatment from the Station Hospital.
A Red Cross File AWM is held by the AWM that contains information relevant to his death. Admitted to the Station Hospital in Paris on 1 Jan 1919, seriously ill with influenza and chest complications. Henry died at 4:30pm on 4 Jan 1919.
Notes
- ↑ Gosnells Local History collection
Henry was survived by his wife and their two children. Mary began teaching at the Gosnells Primary School in 1923. A nearby park where she would take her students for a ‘nature ramble’ was named Mary Carroll Park in her honour, shortly before she died in 1971.