Carroll, Herbert

1314 Private Herbert Carroll - Australian Mounted Division Train

Herbert Carroll was born in Nyngan New South Wales in 1885 to Michael and Catherine Carroll. He had eight siblings and he lived his early years in New South Wales. In 1902 he was residing at East Maitland but soon moved over to Western Australia.

He was working in Fremantle as a Labourer prior to the Great War and was residing at Luke Street Fremantle.

On the 6th July 1915 Herbert enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 149lbs;

Weight - 149lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Dark.

Upon his successful enlistment Herbert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.15 Depot Company. He only had four days there and was then assigned to the 10th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment. He had a few months of training in WA then on the 13th October 1915, Herbert and his group entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Themistocles. The ship then set sail for Egypt.

Herbert and the men would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli but with that battlefield being evacuated, the reinforcements would remain in Egypt. Herbert was sent into the 3rd Light Horse Brigade reinforcement camp.

Herbert was not taken on strength of the 10th Light Horse Regiment until the 26th February 1916.

On the 27th August 1916 he received an injury to his leg which necessitated a stay in hospital but he rejoined his unit in September 1916.

Herbert saw action with the 10th Light Horse Regiment at Magdhaba in December 1916 and Rafa in January 1917. On the 9th January 1917 at Rafa Herbert was wounded when shrapnel hit him in his side. He was sent to the 31st General Hospital at Port Said. Fortunately it was not a severe wound and Herbert was back with his unit on the 12th February 1917.

He served with his Regiment for the next four months in the desert including at the Gaza action in April 1917.

In June 1917 Herbert reported ill as he was having blurred vision. He was sent to hospital in Cairo and was then sent to a Rest Camp. On the 19th July 1917 Herbert was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Training Regiment where he spent the next five weeks.

On the 28th August 1917 Herbert was transferred to the Divisional transport, the Australian Mounted Division Train. He would be assigned to the 34th Company Australian Army Service Corps. Their job was to ensure supplies got to the Regiments from the base supply camps.

Herbert served with the 34th Company AASC Australian Mounted Division Train through to the end of the war.

After the Turkish forces surrendered in October 1918 and the Germans in November 1918, Herbert's work with the Mounted Division Train continued and he remained in Egypt till May 1919.

On the 15th June 1919 Herbert boarded the transport ship HT Essex and set sail for Australia. Herbert did not return to Fremantle but disembarked in Sydney on the 28th July 1919. He was discharged from the AIF on the 20th September 1919.

After his return to New South Wales, he resided in Mascot Sydney.

Herbert died in Campsie NSW on the 25th December 1959 aged 75.