KERFORD, Michael James
| Service Numbers: | 6274, 6274A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 June 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kirkstall, Victoria, Australia, May 1886 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 3 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Jun 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 2nd Depot Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 6274, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 28 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 6274, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Anchises, Adelaide | |
| 3 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6274A, 27th Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6274A awm_unit: 27 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-05-03 |
Help us honour Michael James Kerford's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
- Life before the War
Michael James KERFORD, a solider of multiple infantry battalions in World War 1, later killed in action in France. He had blue eyes with dark brown hair and measuring 5 feet, 5 ½ inches (166cm). His examined eyesight at medical examination was R: 6/6, L: 6/9. Growing up in Kirkstall, Victoria, a small town he had his mother beside him by the name of Mrs. Katherine Kerford. It’s not known which school he attended however was a labourer from a young age.
- Life in Service
It is not known when or why he moved to Adelaide, South Australia, however we know that he was in Adelaide at the time of pre-enlistment. There are multiple documents supporting this from the National Archives of Australia. Before embarking, he went through a medical exam on the 3rd of June 1916 which checked if he was ready for war and finalising the enlistment process. When enlisted for war, he was enlisted to the 10thA.I.F. (Australian Imperial Force) Battalion and transferred to England to then be ready for war in France. After enlisting on the 6th of June 1916 in Adelaide, he embarked on the 28th of August for England which he arrived at Plymouth on the 11th of October 1916. After a couple months of further training, he was finally sent on the ship SS “Golden Eagle” to France on the 18th of December to serve war. After arriving at France, he was TOS (Taken on strength) to join the 27th Battalion. On the 3rd of May, five months after leaving England, he was killed in action. A commanding officer reported him dead on the 5th of May, at the battle of Bullecourt. His body was never recovered but he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.