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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Pte. Mervyn Francis Moffat
Australian Imperial Force 1St Australian Auxiliary Hospital Army Medical Corps
(d.10th Oct 1916)
I don't know much about Mervyn Moffat's personal life, as he was my cousin 3x removed, and I only have current records to go on but I would like to tell what I know as it is so very sad, especially for his mother. When Mervyn Francis Moffatt was born in 1897 in Yass New South Wales, his father, Robert Benjamin Moffat, was 22 and his mother, Maria Harrison, was 23. He was the eldest son and had three brothers and one sister. He was a motor mechanic by trade when the family moved to St Leonard's, NSW.
He enlisted in WWI with the Army Medical Corps on the 29th Mar 1916 and either contracted Cerebro-Spinal Fever (meningitis) or, as they finally diagnosed on autopsy, that he suffered from a Cerebral Hemorrhage either shortly after arriving in England or on the transport hospital ship HMAT Kanowna itself. He died on 10th Oct 1916 in the Australian Auxilliary Hospital in Uxbridge, Middlesex, England at the age of 19, and was buried in Harefield Churchyard, Aus. Section on the 13th Oct 1916.
If this was not tragic enough this boy had enlisted knowing that his father had died in the trenches in Gallipoli 28th July 1915. We can only surmise that his mother thought if he was in the Medical Corps he would be safer than his father was but he was to die of an illness within 6 months of enlisting. To add to her woes the army would not issue his mother his medal even though she was listed as next of kin. They wanted to know if Mervyn had any "nearer blood relations" such as a father, Widow, eldest surviving son, eldest surviving daughter... Maria needed to advise his father was dead in Gallipoli and the Army needed to confirm that fact before they would send her anything from her son's service.
War was tragic not only for the loss of life of our young men but also for the women left behind.
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