A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Private Cyril Egbert Judd
Born: 29 June 1879 Alma, SA. Died: On active duty 25 September 1915 Castlemaine.
Enlisted: 30 July 1915 aged 36.
Served: Australia.
Also known as “Bert”, Cyril was the third son of William Judd and Esther Evans. He was born Alma, South Australia, and his connection with Pakenham, when he might have attended the local state school, has not yet been established, although it is known that his father was the Church of Christ minister at Berwick in 1889, when Bert was 10.
One of Bert’s sisters, Inez Emmeline Judd also later lived in Pakenham Upper from 1909 to 1913 and an uncle Robert Judd lived in Warragul, and may have previously lived in Pakenham too.
Bert was a 36-year-old sawyer when he enlisted for service on 30 July 1915.
He was posted to the 20th Training Battalion at Castlemaine Army Camp from 13 August, where it was said he was “making good progress, thoroughly able to carry out the somewhat excessive tasks allotted to young soldiers”.
However, on 20 August, Bert fell ill with meningitis, which was raging through the army camps. He was sent to hospital, but his condition deteriorated rapidly and he died on 25 September 1915.
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
