Thomas Ernest Osborne was born in the spring of 1884 in the New South Wales town of Cardiff. One of twelve children, his parents were Bartholomew and Hannah Osborne.

Little information is available about Thomas’ early life, but he found employment as a miner when he completed his schooling. In 1903 he married Florence McLean: they settled in Wollongong, to the south of Sydney, and had six children.

When war broke out, Thomas stepped up to play his part, and he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 12th June 1916. His service records show that he was 5ft 7.5ins (1.71m) tall, and weighed 168lbs (76.2kg). He had brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted has having two vaccination marks on his left arm, and an inch-long scar on his lower lip.

Private Osborne boarded the A40 Ceramic troop ship on 3rd October 1916. It took nearly two months to make the trip from Sydney to Britain, and his unit – the 45th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – finally disembarked in Plymouth, Devon, on 21st November. From here, he marched into the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire.

The voyage from Australia took its toll on a significant number of troops, and Thomas’ health was also impacted. He was admitted to the military hospital in Sutton Veny – just a few miles from base – suffering from pneumonia. The condition was to prove fatal: Private Osborne died on 10th December 1916, at the age of 33 years old.

The body of Thomas Ernest Osborne was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

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Thomas’ effects were sent to his widow, although she was still chasing their return some nine months after his passing. They consisted of “diary, pocket book (leather), wristlet watch and strap, pipe, writing tablet, soap dish, jack knife, pencil, letters, postcards, photos, Testament, money belt, 2 keys, small penknife, ring.”

Florence married again on 16th February 1918, to a Victor Johnson. Thomas’ papers show that communications about her late husband continued, however. On 27th July 1921, an urgent missive was sent to Florence regarding the erection of a permanent headstone for his grave. There is no evidence of any response, and it seems likely that the now Mrs Johnson was unable to cover the cost. Thomas’ grave marker was eventually erected by his army colleagues.

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Thomas’ youngest sibling, Reuben, also fought in the First World War. Eleven years younger than his brother, Private R Osborne was attached to the 35th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. By the spring of 1917 his unit was firmly entrenched on the Western Front. Rueben was killed on 7th June, and is commemorated on the Menin Gate at Ypres.

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Richard Charles Gladstone Ryan was born in Talia, South Australia, on 31st March 1895. The son of Richard and Margaret Ryan, he was the older of two chidren.

There is little information available about Richard Jr’s early life. When he finished his schooling, he found work as a farm hand, and this was the trade he was following when war broke out. In his spare time, he was a member of the Elliston Rifle Club, and, on receiving the call to serve his King and Empire, he stepped up to play his part.

Private Ryan’s service papers show that he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 13th March 1916. The document shows that he was 5ft 4.75 (1.64m) tall, and weighed 143lbs (64.9kg). A Roman Catholic, Richard had auburn hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.

Richard ‘s unit – the 50th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – left Adelaide on 21st September 1916. The ship he was on, the A73 Commonwealth, would take nearly two months to reach Britain, and he disembarked in Plymouth, Devon, on 14th November. From there, he was marched to the ANZAC base in Codford, Wiltshire.

Soon after arriving, Private Ryan became unwell. He had contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital in Codford on 13th December 1916. His condition quickly worsened, and he passed away just three days later. He was 21 years of age.

The body of Richard Charles Gladstone Ryan was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church in Codford.

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Edwin Beattie was born on 14th March 1894, in the town of Coomera, Queensland, Australia. He was the youngest of three children to John and Mary Beattie.

There is little information available about Edwin’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he took up farm work. When war broke out, he was keen to play his part, and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 28th March 1916.

Private Beattie’s service records show that he was 5ft 9.5ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Methodist, he was recorded as having brown hair, blue eyes and a medium complexion. He also had a birthmark on the small of his back, and scars on both knees.

Edwin was assigned to the 44th Battalion of the Australian Infantry. His After training, his unit boarded the SS Seang Choon in Brisbane, and set off on the ten month voyage to Britain, arriving in Devonport, Devon, on the 9th December 1916.

During the voyage, Private Beattie had fallen ill, and, on disembarking, he was taken to the local hospital for treatment. By 23rd December, he was moved to the Military Hospital connected to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire. His condition – pneumonia – worsened over the coming days, and Edwin would eventually succumb. As a new year began, he breathed his last, passing away on 1st January 1917, at the age of just 22 years of age.

Thousand of miles from home, Edwin Beattie was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford.

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Harold Vincent Brooks was born in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, in the spring of 1898. One of ten children, his parents were William and Mary Brooks.

Little information is available about Harold’s early life, but when he completed his schooling, he found work as a labourer. When war broke out, he was initially turned down for military service because of poor eyesight, but as the conflict rolled on, he tried to enlist again and was accepted into the Australian Imperial Force.

Private Brooks’ service records show that he was 5ft 4.5ins (1.63m) tall, and weighed 136lbs (61.7kg). A Roman Catholic, he had brown hair, hazel eyes and a medium complexion.

Assigned to the 47th Battalion of the Australian Infantry, Harold left his home country from Brisbane on the 27th October 1916. The ship his unit was sailing on – the Marathon – took just over ten weeks to reach Britain, eventually docking in Devonport, Devon. From there Private Brooks was marched to the ANZAC camp in Codford, Wiltshire.

Harold’s time in Britain was not to be a lengthy one. He contracted pneumonia, and was admitted to the nearby Sutton Veny Military Hospital on 24th January. Private Brooks’ condition worsened, and he passed away on 5th February 1917. He was just 19 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Harold Vincent Brooks was buried in the newly extended St Mary’s Churchyard, Codford.

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Alfred Henry Parkinson was born in Reedy Creek, South Australia, on 20th October 1880. One of nine children, his parents were William and Isabella Parkinson.

There is little concrete information about Alfred’s early life, but when he finished his schooling he found work in the mines. When war broke out, however, he stepped up to play his part, joining the Australian Imperial Force on 2nd November 1916.

Private Parkinson’s service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.65m) tall, and weighed in at 10st 4lbs (65.3kg). He was noted as having brown hair brown eyes and a fair complexion. After a month’s training, he left Australia on board the SS Berrima, bound for Europe.

Alfred’s unit – the 16th Battalion of the Australian Infantry – arrived in Devonport, Devon, on 16th February 1917. Within a matter of days he arrived at the ANZAC camp at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire.

Illness amongst the Australian troops was rife by the time they arrived in Britain, and Private Parkinson was not to be immune. He was admitted to the Military Hospital connected to the camp on 20th March, suffering from bronchial pneumonia. The condition worsened, and he died just six days later. Alfred was 36 years of age.

Thousands of miles from home, the body of Alfred Henry Parkinson was laid to rest in the newly extended graveyard of St Mary’s Church, Codford, not far form the base in which he had breathed his last.

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