Regimental number | 2856 |
Place of birth | Baulkham Hills, New South Wales |
School | Castle Hill Public School, New South Wales |
Religion | Church of England |
Occupation | Blacksmith |
Address | Brendamore, Baulkham Hills, New South Wales |
Marital status | Single |
Age at embarkation | 20 |
Height | 5' 9.25" |
Weight | 154 lbs |
Next of kin | Father, J T Luke, Brendamore, Baulkham Hills, New South Wales |
Previous military service | Served in the Army Service Corps, Citizen Military Forces. |
Enlistment date | |
Place of enlistment | Warwick Farm, New South Wales |
Rank on enlistment | Private |
Unit name | 17th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement |
AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/34/2 |
Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A14 Euripides on |
Rank from Nominal Roll | Private |
Unit from Nominal Roll | 5th Machine Gun Battalion |
Fate | Killed in Action |
Age at death from cemetery records | 20 |
Place of burial | No known grave |
Commemoration details | V.C. Corner (Panel No 23), Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France |
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial | 178 |
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Parents: John and Emma LUKE |
Family/military connections | Brother: 722 Pte Endicott Linden LUKE, 19th Bn, returned to Australia, 21 July 1917. |
Other details |
War service: Egypt, Western Front Allotted to and proceeded to join 55th Bn, Tel el Kebir, 16 February 1916. Transferred to 14th Machine Gun Company, 11 March 1916. Detached to School of Instruction, 1 May 1916. Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 19 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 25 June 1916. Reported wounded in action, 20 July 1916; subsequently pronounced ;Killed in Action, 20 July 1916'. Statement, Red Cross File No 1640125, 2nd Lt E. PHILLIPS, 14th Machine Gun Company (patient, 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, England), undated ('eyewitness'): 'I saw Luke killed by machine gun fire at Fromelles, and I think he was buried at Sailly in a cemetery.' Second statement, 4789 Pte W. DUCKETT, 14th Machine Gun Company (patient, No 9 General Hospital, Rouen), 24 May 1917: 'At Fromelles on the 20th July/16 we were in trenches and went over the top at 5.45 p.m. on that day, our objective being the German trenches about 300 yards to our front. I saw Luke shot through the neck by a sniper or M. Gun just after we got over the top. He fell down, dead. We went on and I never saw him after that and I never heard of his body being recovered. There were 9,000 Casualties on that "stunt" so it is most probable that many of the bodies of those who fell were never recovered.' Note on file: 'No trace Germany. Cert. by Capt. Mills. 10.10.19.' |
Sources | NAA: B2455, LUKE Cyril Spencer
Red Cross File No 1640125 |