Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors

Edwin Verdon Russell Fooks was born on the 24th November 1871 at Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand. He was the son of William Pemberton Fooks of Auckland and grandson of William Haycroft Fooks QC, an English barrister. He was educated at Mercers School in England and studied medicine at Charing Cross Hospital graduating in 1894. He married Hilda Jane Maud Bains of York, England in 1901. Fooks had visited Australia   previously, so in 1902, he and Hilda decided to settle in SA. They lived first at Lyndoch and subsequently at Gawler, where, in 1902, he was a public vaccinator and in 1903, appointed to attend to the destitute persons and aborigines in Barossa Valley (East and West wards). Due to his wife’s health issues they moved to Adelaide in 1910. At the time he was President of the Gawler Bowling Club and in 1913 he became President of the Adelaide Bowling Club.

Fooks joined the British Forces as a lieutenant in the RAMC and was commissioned in January 1915. He served on a hospital ship and in France with 22 FdAmb, 7 Div from January – August 1915. He was permitted to resign his commission owing to the death of his child and was discharged in August 1915. Fooks returned to Australia and enlisted in the AIF on 22nd May 1916 in 4 MD Adelaide. He was 44 years old and his wife of 20 Clifton St, Goodwood and of 87 Wakefield St, Adelaide was named as his next of kin. He was 5ft 9ins tall, and weighed 14st. He could ride and noted previous hospital experience at St Saviours Infirmary, London. After embarkation from Adelaide on the 27th June 1916 Fooks was allotted to 2 AGH for one month and then 6 months with the 14 FdAmb.  He went to the 3 ACCS in France from March 1917 until August 1917 when he was hospitalised with a fractured third left rib as well as prolonged enteritis. This was deemed to be a previous disposition aggravated by active service. He returned to Australia on the 14th March 1918 to the 7 AGH, Keswick and declared as Medically Unfit for further Service and his appointment was terminated on the 28th March 1918.    After his incapacitation his wife and son of 87 Wakefield St, Adelaide, were respectively granted pensions of £1/1/3 and 10/- from the 29th March 1918. Fooks was issued with the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal 

He took over the practice of Dr William Thornborough Hayward on The Parade, Norwood for 2 years. He continued to suffer ill health so undertook several locum positions in country South Australia to build up his constitution. He became the medical officer for BHP in Whyalla SA. Edwin Verdon Russell Fooks died in Whyalla on the 5th October 1922 from heart failure aged 51 years.  He was survived by his wife Hilda, son Walter and daughter Mary.