Porritt, Alexander by Central Coast Council

Gosford District Casualties of World War One Bragg, Edmund Allen Porritt, Alexander

Service Service Number Number 1494 2671 Killed in Action 19th May 1915 Died of Wounds 27th February 1917 Gallipoli Peninsula 1st South Midlands Casualty Clearing Station, France

Gosford City Council gratefully acknowledges the voluntary efforts of Benalyn Campbell And Vivienne Tranter in compiling this resource

The information in this file has been extracted from official records held in the The Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia (ÂŠ Commonwealth of Australia [National Archives of Australia] 2013) Further information on this soldier may be found online at: Commonwealth War Graves The AIF project Content advisory: This file may potentially contain disturbing accounts of service-related injury and death, disease and family grief. Adult supervision is recommended for children using these resources. Individual files should be viewed within the context provided by wider research on service conditions in the 1 st AIF. This resource is presented by Gosford City Council for research purposes only. Please note that copyright for resources contained within remains with the original copyright owners.

NAME

Porritt, Alexander

SERVICE NO

2671

UNIT

13th Battalion/8th Reinfs./trans 45th Battalion

RANK

L/Cpl

AGE at Enlistment

26 yrs 7 mths

PLACE OF BIRTH

Wandsworth, NSW

ADDRESS OCCUPATION

Labourer

DATE OF ENLISTMENT

13 Jun 1915

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT PREVIOUS SERVICE

Liverpool, NSW

NEXT OF KIN PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Mother;- Sarah Elizabeth Porritt, Watt St., Gosford, NSW/later 107 Ohio St., Armidale Height-5’11¾”. Weight-169lbs. Chest-35-38½”. Complexion-Fair. Eyes-Brown. Hair-Brown.

RELIGION

C/E

EMBARKED DISEMBARKED NOTES

17 Mar 1917-Awarded Military Medal

WOUNDED/ILLNESS

21 Feb 1917-GSW Chest (penetrating) & R/Eye-at Gudecourt

DIED

27 Feb 1917-1st Sth Midlands Cas Clearing Stn. France

BURIED

Nr Pilgrims Way nr Gudecourt/ Dernancourt Communal Cemetery, Albert, France 1914-15 Star-13487, British War Medal-17401, Victory Medal-17333. Memorial Plaque & Scroll-315848. Mother

MEDALS DEPENDANTS PERSONAL EFFECTS

Steel mirror, tobacco pouch, whistle, wristlet watch & strap (damaged), cigarette holder, testament, fountain pen/ Letters, cards, Arabic book, belt, kit bag handle, handkerchief/

WILL CORRESPONDENCE

Parents; John & S E Porritt, The Ridge Wandsworth, via Guyra, NSW Anderson, Wiltshire & Manning Solicitors Inverell/

REMARKS

Brother;- Pte S J Porritt 2880 56th Btn. Father;- John Porritt died Aug 1918 in Inverell/ Brother;- R Porritt, Woombi Wordsworth, via Guyra Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows/

Gosford Times 9th November 1916 Gosford District War relief League Parcels were made up and sent last Tuesday to Captain N H Hobbs, Lieutenant T Humphries, Corporal Rigelsford, Driver Mobbs, Privates A Porritt, S J Porritt, D Agst and W G Goodsir. Letters were received from Privates Bromley, D Sgst, and C Cox, acknowledging receipt of parcels. N COULTER, HON. SEC.

Gosford Times 17th May 1917 Late Corporal Porritt .Captain W L Young, 45th Battalion, writes from France to Mrs Porritt, Gosford, in connection with the recent death of her soldier son:- Dear Mrs Porritt, -I thought you would probably like to hear a few particulars of your gallant son's death. We were getting back to aggressive warfare while the ground was frozen, and just when the thaw set in our turn came for the line. There were still a few hundred yards of trench on our new line held by the Germans, and our job was to clear them out. The condition of the trenches was appaling. Mud was thigh deep and very sticky, so that to move up and down the line was indeed a fatiguing task. The men required to ensure the success of such an attack had necessarily to be the strongest and best in the Battalion. Your son was one of the chosedn, in fact the section he was in charge of led the way. They scattered the Germans in all directions as they bombed their way up the trench held by the enemy. The attack was a huge success. Your son was badly wounded by a piece of bomb, and we got him down to the dressing station as soon as possible-a tremendous job when one considers the awful mud and the heavy weight he was. The doctor was afraid he would have a bad time and had him sent straight to a field hospital, where he died a couple of days later. As a subltern I was Corporal Porritt's original officer in this Battalion, so I speak very feeling when I say what a fine soldier he was. One of the boys rightly described him when he said he was, quiet but white all through. He had been with me in several nasty places and always proved absolutely fearless. I remember saying in Egypt "if I had an army of Alec Porritt's, I would soon take Berlin" Mrs Porritt, I cannot do nay good by writing on and on, but I can say this, that your son was one of Australia's best. You have our deepest sympathy. Our loss is great, but we recognise that yours is greater.

Gosford Times 30th August 1917 Mrs Porritt has been officially informed that her eldest son, who is in Egypt, has been wounded-gunshot wound in the right arm-and is at present in the hospital. Mrs Porritt has also been informed that her son the late Corporal A Porritt, who died of wounds last February, was awarded the Military Medal for bravery, and that the latter is being sent on.

Gosford Times 10th January 1918 Mrs Porritt, of Gosford, has just received the military medal won by her hero son, Corporal A Porritt, for bravery on the field of battle, and who met his death in France last February.

Gosford Times 10th January 1918 BRAVE AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER Gives His Life-Wins the Military Medal Mrs E Porritt, Gosford, has received the following letter, and Military Medal won by her son, Corporal A Porritt, who was wounded in France on 21st February, and died on the 27th, with 16 shrapnel wounds in one of his lungs. The medal is inscribed, and reads, "For Bravery in the Field":"Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence, Melbourne, 1st January, 1918:Dear Madam,- it is with feelings of admiration at the gallantry of a brave Australian soldier, who nobly laid down his life in the service of our King and Country, that I am directed by the Hon. The Minister to forward to you, as the next of kin of the late No.2671 Temporary Corporal A Porritt, 45th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, the Military Medal which His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to award to that gallant soldier for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty while serving with the Australian Imperial Force. I am also to ask you to accept his deep personal sympathy in the loss which, not only you, but the Australian Army has sustained by the death of Temporary Corporal Porritt, whose magnificent conduct on the field of battle helped to earn for our Australian soldiers a fame which will endure as long as memory lasts. - Yours Faithfully, J W LEAN, Major, Officer-in-Charge Base Records

Abridged record/s courtesy of the National Archives of Australia (NAA) Series No: B2455 Item Barcode: 8021176