| Regimental number | 2117 |
| Place of birth | Frewville, South Australia |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Address | Fifth Avenue, St Peters, South Australia |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23 |
| Height | 6' 1" |
| Weight | 180 lbs |
| Next of kin | Father, Franz Wilhelm Martin Gerlach, Fifth Avenue, St Peters, South Australia |
| Previous military service | Served for 57 days in the AIF: discharged 12 December 1916 for 'Commandant's Special Reasons'. |
| Enlistment date | |
| Place of enlistment | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | Machine Gun Company June 1917, General Reinforcements |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 24/36/1 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board SS Indarra on |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Plaque in South Australian Garden of Remembrance |
| Discharge date | |
| Other details |
Enlisted, 12 October 1916, but was discharged in December 1916 on the grounds that his father was a naturalized German. War service: Western Front Embarked Melbourne, 26 November 1917; disembarked Southampton, England (via Egypt, Italy, France), 2 February 1918. Transferred to Machine Gun Details, Grantham, 10 April 1918. Proceeded overseas to France, 11 June 1918; taken on strength, 5th Machine Gun Bn, in the field, 22 June 1918. Wounded in action, 1 September 1918 (gun shot wound, groin, left thigh), and admitted to 61st Casualty Clearing Station; transferred to 11th Stationary Hospital, 3 September 1918; to England, 11 September 1918, and admitted to 3rd Southern General Hospital, Oxford (gun shot wound, left groin, hip, fractured femur: severe); to 1st Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, 30 December 1918. Commenced return to Australia on board HT 'Margha', 18 January 1919; disembarked, 28 February 1919; discharged (medically unfit), 21 January 1920. Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal |
| Date of death | |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, GERLACH Max Johann |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
