CHAMBERLIN, Hector Llewellyn
| Service Number: | 3799 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 3799, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 1917: | Embarked Private, 3799, 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney |
Went AWOL in Trinidad on his way to the war
Hector Llewellyn Chamberlin, born 26 December 1879 in Geelong, Victoria, was the son of Albert A. Chamberlin (1844-1887) and Louisa Bridget Moylan (1852-1911).
Chamberlin enlisted in Sydney, NSW on 16 January 1917, aged 34, leaving his job as a merchant. He listed his wife Brigid (or Bridget) Teresa (nee Mullins) as his next of kin. They had married in 1905 and had one daughter, Fabie, born in 1906. He joined the 10th Reinforcements of the 55th Battalion AIF. The 10th Reinforcements embarked from Sydney, on 31 October 1917 aboard HMAT A14 Euripides. This was one of Euripides seven voyages from Australia carrying troops of the 1st AIF. This voyage saw Euripides traverse the Pacific and pass through the Panama Canal on the way to England.
After passing through the Panama Canal on 27 November 1917, the ship docked in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 2 December 1917. For a man born in Geelong and for whom there are no records of overseas travel prior to the war, docking in Trinidad would have seemed a very exotic location. No colony in the British Empire had a population more varied. The reinforcements (there were approximately 2,500 people aboard ship) were given a day’s shore leave, split into two groups over two days. The first group embarked on barges and were towed into the docks on 3 December. Soft drink and beer was supplied to the men. Unfortunately, Hector Chamberlin overstayed his shore leave which ended at 4pm on 3 December. He was apprehended by the Town Piquet at 9 pm that night and was given 168 hours detention as well as forfeiting 11 days’ pay.
The Reinforcements arrived in Devonport on 26 December 1917. On 27 December 1917 Chamberlin was marched in to Codford on Salisbury Plain. On 13 March 1918, Private Chamberlin went AWL again, this time for three days for which he forfeited six days pay. On 30 June 1918 he was sent sick to the Brigade Clearing Hospital at Codford. Later in September he moved to Command Depot No. 2 at Weymouth. Command Depot No.2 accommodated those men not expected to be fit for duty within six months. It was here that Private Chamberlin was diagnosed with having ‘malformed feet and on 6 November 1918 he returned to Australia on HMAT A74 Marathon. The ship stopped at Cape Town, South Africa on the route home. He may not have made it to France, however Private Chamberlin circumnavigated the globe on his voyages to and from England.
He was discharged in Melbourne on 17 January 1919. Since he never made it to France, his British War Medal is his sole medal entitlement.
After returning from the war in January 1919, sadly, his wife Brigid died the following March after a long illness.
He died in East Melbourne on 20 February 1932 and is buried at Geelong Eastern Cemetery.
Submitted 9 March 2024 by Tim Barnett