Mercer, Samuel Alfred

1376 Private Samuel Alfred Mercer - 4th Field Ambulance

Samuel Alfred Mercer was born in London England on the 6th November 1894 to William and Martha Mercer. He was one of eight siblings, with, Beatrice (1887), William (1889), James (1891), Violet (1896), Ellen (1898), Reginald (1901) and Phyllis (1907).

He grew up in London and was educated there, the family living at St Pancreas. In 1912 he travelled to Western Australia with his Uncle and took up residence in Fremantle.

On the 10th September 1914 Sam enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 4 inches;

Weight - 140lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-38 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Green.

Upon his successful enlistment Sam was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was sent to 'C' Section of the 4th Australian Field Ambulance.

Sam trained with the 4^th Field Ambulance in WA for the next few months and embarked with them on the HMAT Mashobra from Fremantle Harbour on the 8^th February 1915.

They arrived in Egypt just over three weeks later and joined up with the 4^th Infantry Brigade and left with them from Alexandria on the 12^th April 1915. The 4^th Field Ambulance with the 4^th Brigade was heading to Lemnos Island to join up with the rest of the Expeditionary Force. They remained at Lemnos for the next few weeks while they waited for their orders to land on the Turkish coast.

On April 25^th 1915 the landing took place in the early hours as the 1^st Division went ashore. The 4^th Brigade did not land until early evening of April 25^th and they were then sent to the northern portion of the Anzac battlefield. It was a difficult time for the Stretcher bearers of the 4^th Field Ambulance in the first few weeks of the campaign as they collected the many casualties from the actions at Popes Hill, Quinn’s Post, Dead Man’s Ridge, Bloody Angle and the Nek.

In the early days of the campaign at Gallipoli Sam was hit by Turkish shrapnel in his right breast. He was evacuated by hospital ship, firstly to Malta and then on to England.

He was in hospital for several months and appearing before a medical board they decided that Sam had been too badly injured to return to the front.

On the 16th March 1916 at Portland he boarded the transport ship Ascanius and sailed back to Western Australia, disembarking in Fremantle on the 30th April 1916.

Sam was discharged from the AIF on the 8th June 1916.

In 1921 in Fremantle Sam married Daisy Margaret Moorhouse and a daughter called Phyllis was born the same year, followed by William in 1922, Lorna in 1924, Nina in 1926, Roma in 1929 and James in 1931.

Sam was working for an insurance company through the 1920's and did much travelling through the State.

The family were living at 108 Broome St North Fremantle in the early 1920's before moving to Zenobia Street in Palmyra before heading to 37 Russell Street South Fremantle (later renumbered to 17 Russell).

In the mid 1930's the family moved to Kenwick and Sam took up farming and they remained there till the 1950's. Sam then moved to Bentley and found work with the Post Office at their East Perth Depot.

In 1963 the family moved to Railway Street in Cottesloe.

Samuel died on the 28th June 1966 aged 71. He was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery