MCCORMACK, Patrick John
| Service Number: | V147179 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 August 1914, 1 year 3 months 31st Battery AFA. 2nd Lt (Prov) 16/5/1913 |
| Last Rank: | Colonel |
| Last Unit: | Lines of Communication Units |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia , 19 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Elwood, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Melbourne University, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Soldier |
| Died: | Illness, Elwood, Victoria, Australia, 7 June 1943, aged 51 years |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria 2.T.D.13. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 18 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery Brigades, 1 year 3 months 31st Battery AFA. 2nd Lt (Prov) 16/5/1913 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement 2nd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Feb 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 27 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 14th Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 10 Jun 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 14th Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 4 Sep 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Major, 14th Field Artillery Brigade | |
| 30 Sep 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Major, 14th Field Artillery Brigade , Third Ypres, Gassed - Remained on Duty | |
| 18 Apr 1918: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Third Ypres, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 18 April 1918 on page 842 at position 101 | |
| 18 Apr 1918: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, Third Ypres, Command of Artillery during March 1917 as the enemy retired to the Hindenburg line - Louverval and Doignies. On 31st of July at Ypres led his Battery forward to Cambridge Road under heavy fire. 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 57 Date: 18 April 1918 | |
| 12 Jan 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Major, 5th Division Artillery |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Jan 1938: | Honoured Officer of the Order of the British Empire, London Gazette: 1 January 1938 on page 8 at position 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement V147179 | |
| 30 Dec 1941: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette 30 December 1941 on page 7357 at position 15 | |
| 25 Feb 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Colonel, V147179 | |
| 30 Jun 1942: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette 30 June 1942 on page 2857 at position 22 | |
| 7 Jan 1943: | Involvement Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Colonel, Lines of Communication Units |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From How We Served
The final resting place for; - VX257 & V147149 Colonel Patrick John McCormack DSO, OBE, VD of Windsor, Victoria, who prior to the outbreak of the First World War, had already been serving with the Australian Field Artillery, and was commissioned as a Lieutenant.
With the outbreak of hostilities, Patrick applied for an Officer’s Commission with the 1st AIF on the 17th of August 1914, and was accepted, completing his course of instructions and granted the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
Patrick was posted to the newly formed 2nd Field Artillery Brigade 1st AIF and was embarked for Egypt and further training on the 20th of October 1914.
With his Unit committed to the Dardanelles Campaign, Patrick was sent to Lemnos Island where preparations were underway for the landing of Gallipoli. Whilst at Lemnos, Patrick was evacuated due to sickness and was returned to Egypt for hospitalisation. Following his recovery, Patrick was embarked for Gallipoli where he re-joined his Unit on the 3rd of June 1915.
Aside a short period at a rest camp away from Gallipoli during November, Patrick’s service in the trenches was to be continuous, and following his time spent at rest, he re-joined his Unit once more after their return from Egypt following the general evacuation of Gallipoli.
With the formation of the newly created 5th Division, Patrick marched out from his original unit, and was promoted to the rank of Captain by the 5th of June 1916. Shortly after his promotion, Patrick and his Unit were embarked for France where they were disembarked on the 30th of June.
From his arrival in France, Patrick’s service would be again continuous, and by 21st of January 1917 he was promote to Major. Due to the effects of being gassed on the 30th of September, and initially remaining on duty, he was evacuated for medical treatment on the 28th of October.
Patrick was back with his Unit by the 18th of November, and shortly after his return he was granted a respite of Leave to England between the 6th of December 1917 to the 9th of January 1918. On his date of return he was advised that he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order, after having been Mentioned in sir Douglas Haig’s Despatches for his gallant service and devotion to duty in the field during 1917.
Returning to his Unit in the field, Patrick was granted 6 months leave to Australia and Transport Duty, having been an original 1914 enlistment, and departed England on the 6th of October.
Following his return to Australia, and with the War now over, Patrick’s Appointment as a Commissioned officer of the 1st AIF was terminated on the 12th of January 1919.
With the outbreak of World War Two, Patrick again presented himself for service with the Australian Military Forces for duty outside Australia on the 20th of February 1940 and was dually accepted.
Appointed Lieutenant Colonel, Patrick was allocated to command the 14th General Base depot on the 6th of March, and was embarked for the Middle East on the 14th of April 1940, having been taken on strength with 2nd AIF Base Depot, and following his arrival overseas he was posted to command the ‘Y’ Anti-Aircraft Regiment.
On Christmas Day 1940, Patrick was promoted to Temporary Colonel, and would continue to serve continuously throughout the Western Desert, and then was to serve at Tobruk, Greece, Crete and Syria, before he was returned to Australia in November 1941 due to being declared as medically unfit owing to his continuous service with the 2nd AIF.
Following his return to Australia, Patrick again re-enlisted for service within Australia on the 25th of February 1942, and was posted to the 52nd Battalion, before being promoted to Command 7th Melbourne Lines of Communication Sub-Area.
Whilst serving fulltime with this formation, Patrick’s death occurred suddenly whilst at his home in Elwood on the 7th of June 1943, at the premature age of 51. Following his sudden passing, Colonel Patrick McCormack DSO, MBE, VD, a veteran of Gallipoli, France, Belgium, The Western Desert, Tobruk, Greece, Crete and Syria, was afforded a full Military funeral when he was laid to rest within Springvale War Cemetery, Victoria.
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