BALDWIN, Cecil Charles Harpur
| Service Number: | 3019 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 16 August 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Rydalmere, New South Wales, 21 March 1893 |
| Home Town: | Rose Bay, Woollahra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Fort Street School, Sydney |
| Occupation: | Accountant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, La Barque, France, 2 March 1917, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Warlencourt British Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 16 Aug 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3019, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3019, 18th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3019, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 14 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 May 1916: | Wounded Private, 3rd Infantry Battalion, GSW (ankle) | |
| 18 Aug 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3019, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 19 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 1 Nov 1916: | Wounded Private, 3019, 3rd Infantry Battalion, 2nd occasion - GSW (left arm) | |
| 26 Feb 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 2 Mar 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 3019, 3rd Infantry Battalion, German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line and Outpost Villages, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3019 awm_unit: 3 Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-03-02 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Edwards
"Cecil Charles Harpur Baldwin was born at Rydalmere, New South Wales, in 1893, the grandson of Australian poet Charles Harpur. Preceding his First World War service he was a member of the senior cadets and the militia units St George's Rifles and the Legion of Frontiersmen. The 22-year-old clerk and accountant enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force on 16 August 1915, and he departed Sydney with reinforcements for the 18th Infantry Battalion aboard HMAT Suevic on 20 October 1915.
In February 1916 Baldwin was transferred to the 3rd Infantry Battalion, which was sent to the Western Front. Among his regular duties, he wrote of listening in the trenches at night for enemy movement and patrols. He wrote to his mother several times during his time on the front, taking great effort to portray a positive experience as to mitigate her worrying. Baldwin signed off most of these letters with the phrase, "Don't worry, be happy." The battalion's first major action in France was at Pozières in July and August of 1916. There Baldwin was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field during the battle. In November he was wounded in action with a gunshot to the left arm.
On 1 March 1917 Cecil Baldwin was killed at La Barque near Bapaume during an early morning raid by a Prussian Guards unit. He was killed instantly by a sniper's bullet as he emerged over the parapet of his dugout. Baldwin was described by his fellow B Company soldiers as being a "very fearless man" and "one of the bravest men that ever stood". He is buried in France at the Warlencourt British Cemetery." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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