Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ernest Edward BERNARD (Service Number 3025) was born on 27 September 1886 at Carrington. He began working for the NSW tramways as a casual conductor in March 1910 and became a permanent employee a year later. He remained in that role, with the normal pay increments for the rest of his career, though he had not worked as a conductor since his release from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on 28 August 1915, although he seems to have enlisted two or three weeks before that date.
He was married, to Marjorie. His papers then record that he deserted (approx.) 16/9/15 and that he was ‘discharged prior to leaving Australia’. On the same date of his suspected desertion he is shown as being transferred to the Special Railway and Tramway Company at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds, so the whole matter maybe just a clerical mix-up. There is no further mention of this special railway unit.
Nevertheless, a second set of Attestation Papers, dated 25 November, seems to rescind the desertion and he left Australia through Sydney on 20 December 1915 on HMAT ‘Suevic’. He travelled through Alexandria and Marseilles to France, joining the 17th Battalion, before being taken on the strength of the 5th Australian Light Trench Mortar Battery. He was promoted to Corporal on 21 April 1916.
He was killed in action on 28 July 1916 at Pozières and his body was never recovered. He is commemorated at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France.
(NAA B2455-3083456)