Bond, Chester George Lee

38163 Gunner Chester George Lee Bond - 1st Division Ammunition Column

Chester George Lee Bond was born in 1895 in Fremantle WA to George and Johanna Bond. His siblings were Florence in 1887 and Ruby in 1888. Sadly Ruby died shortly after birth.

He was educated in Fremantle and after leaving school took up an apprenticeship with the newspaper Westralian Worker. He spent eighteen months as an apprentice but then secured employment as a Clerk.

Chester had moved up to Geraldton where he was working for McKenzie and Co in Marine Terrace Geraldton.

On the 30th August 1916 Chester enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 10 & 1/4 inches tall;

Weight - 140lbs;

Chest Measurement - 31-34 inches;

Complexion - Pale;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment Chester was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 8th Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion. On the 3rd November 1916 he was sent to No.22 Training Depot and it appears that Chester was now reassigned to the Artillery reinforcements.

Chester was sent to Victoria to complete his artillery training. During February to August 1917 he was in the general artillery training group at Maribyrnong Camp. On the 22nd August 1917 he was transferred into the 31st Field Artillery Reinforcements.

This group left Port Melbourne aboard the transport ship Port Sydney on the 9th November 1917. The ship reached Suez Egypt on the 12th December 1917. They spent six days in Egypt and were then re-embarked on a different transport ship in Alexandria. This ship then set sail for Italy where it reached Taranto on the 22nd December 1917. After a brief stay it sailed for England, reaching Southampton on the 5th January 1918.

After being disembarked the men were sent to the Australian Artillery Training facility at Heytesbury. Chester had the next few months here and on the 30th April 1918 departed for France. On his arrival he was posted to the Artillery Base Depot Camp at Rouelles. He had another week there and then on the 9th March 1918 he joined the 12th Field Artillery Brigade.

The 12th Filed Artillery Brigade were then situated near the Somme river on the Amiens front. Chester spent a month on duty with them but on the 14th June 1918 was transferred to the 1st Australian Division Ammunition Column. These units supplied the ammunition to the Field Artillery Batteries.

Chester remained with this unit until the end of the war except for a week in August 1918 when he was seconded for duty with the 1st Division Medium Trench Mortar Battery.

On the 26th October 1918 Chester was sent to the 2nd Army School for a period of instruction on signals. He returned to his unit on the 6th November 1918.

When the Armistice was declared on the 11th November 1918, Chester's units was currently on a rest period out of the line.

On the 19th November 1918 Chester was sent to the 3rd Australian General Hospital with foot issues and after a few weeks was shipped to England where he was admitted to a military hospital in Torquay. He remained there till the 30th December 1918 and was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield. He only spent a few days there and was then granted a two week furlough.

On the 17th January 1919 Chester reported into No.1 Command Depot Camp at Sutton Veny.

On the 9th February 1919 Chester left England aboard the transport ship HMAT Ascanius. The ship set sail for Australia, reaching Albany on the 17th March 1919. He then had to catch a train back up to Perth.

Chester was discharged from the AIF on the 17th April 1919. He then returned to Geraldton.

In the 1920's he lived at 47 Colin St West Perth  and worked as a Salesman. He then had a stint in the Goldfields, living at 12 McDonald street Kalgoorlie.

In the 1940's Chestre returned to the Metropolitan area and resided at 4 Broome St Cottesloe.

Chester died on the 26th February 1954 in Cottesloe aged 56. He was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery plot Roman Catholic OC 0119.

(Photo courtesy of family ancestry page)