BLAND, Archibald Evatt
| Service Numbers: | 702, 234 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 September 1914, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Second Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 1st Field Company Engineers |
| Born: | Gloucester, England, 1885 |
| Home Town: | Manly, Manly Vale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Civil Engineer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 23 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Puchevillers British Cemetery, France Puchevillers British Cemetery, Puchevillers, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Manly War Memorial NSW |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 702, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 702, 1st Field Company Engineers, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '5' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 702, 1st Field Company Engineers, HMAT Berrima, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 702, 1st Field Company Engineers, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 16 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 1st Field Company Engineers | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Corporal, 234, 1st Field Company Engineers, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 234 awm_unit: 1st Field Company, Australian Engineers awm_rank: Second Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-07-23 |
Help us honour Archibald Evatt Bland's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"234 Archibald Evatt Bland was born in 1885 in Gloucester England, the youngest of 4 boys and his sister Ellen, to parents Samuel Bland a journalist and Emma Bland – nee Evatt.
Arch at 16 was schooled at Dean Close Memorial School in Cheltenham, and was a talented football player, having played inside forward for the Gloucester City Football Cub.
At age 25 he arrived in Australia in May 1911 on the “Otway” from London. His occupation at the time was as a Porter. Shortly after settling in New South Wales he had met Belle (Isabella) Emery from Hamilton NSW and they were married in 1912. Like other fellow sappers Reynolds, Taylor, Phillips and Ogilvy, Arch and Belle were living at the popular beachside haven of Manly..." - READ MORE LINK (aussiesappers.wordpress.com)
"...234 2nd Corporal Archibald Evatt (Arch) Bland, 1st Field Company, Australian Engineers, carrying water along Bridges Road on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Most of the water for the Company was obtained from wells sunk by the 2nd Field Company in the valleys. 2 Cpl Bland, originally of Gloucester, England, worked as an engineer prior to enlisting on 16 September 1914. He embarked from Melbourne, Vic, aboard HMAT Berrima (A32) on 22 December 1914. 2 Cpl Bland died of wounds received in the Chalk Pit at the beginning of the Battle of Pozieres on 23 July 1916, aged 30 years. Primarily used by the Australian Engineers during the First World War, Second Corporal was a former British Army rank in the Royal Engineers and Army Ordnance Corps. Second Corporals wore one rank chevron, but unlike Lance Corporals they held full NCO rank. The rank was abolished in 1920." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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