A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Robert Charles Cornwall
Born: 1895 Bairnsdale. Died of wounds: 4 August 1916 Wimereux, France.
Enlisted: 18 December 1914 aged 19
Served: Egypt, Gallipoli and Western Front.
Robert was a younger son of William and Mary Cornwall of “Pakenham North” (Toomuc Valley).
He grew up around Bairnsdale, where he enlisted on 18 December 1914, although his parents may have shifted back to the Toomuc Valley by this time.
Robert left Australia for Egypt on 13 April 1915 and arrived at Anzac Cove on 27 May 1915, taking sick and hospitalized in August with gastroenteritis, bronchitis and dysentery.
When Mary Cornwall was notified of Robert’s illness, she wrote to the Army telling them she was not surprised as he had been in the trenches since May. She hoped he would pull through as he had a “good constitution”.
In May 1916, Robert was sent to France, then Belgium on 13 July 1916. Less than two weeks later, Robert was wounded during the Battle of Pozieres. He may have lain on the battlefield for some time before being found.
Robert was subsequently evacuated to hospital, where he died of his wounds on 4 August 1916, two years to the day since Britain had declared war on Germany.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
