| Regimental number | 5048 |
| Place of birth | Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria |
| School | University High School, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Occupation | Station hand |
| Address | Charleville, Queensland |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 22 |
| Next of kin | Father, W A Brookes, The Braes, Waterdale Road, Ivanhoe, Victoria |
| Enlistment date | |
| Rank on enlistment | Private |
| Unit name | 15th Battalion, 16th Reinforcement |
| AWM Embarkation Roll number | 23/32/2 |
| Embarkation details | Unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A16 Star Of Victoria on |
| Regimental number from Nominal Roll | 5058 |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Lance Corporal |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 47th Battalion |
| Fate | Returned to Australia |
| Other details |
War service: enlisted in the 15th Bn, transferred in Egypt to the 47th Bn, and served in it in France and Belgium. He was severely wounded at Dernancourt while firing his Lewis gun in a German attack. The Germans overran the position, Brookes escaping by falling into a drainage ditch alongside a railway line, where he was rescued 36 hours later. The Lewis gun (now on display in the Australian War Memorial) was taken over by 4061 Lance Corporal Stanley Robert McDougall, who was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery. Brookes then spent two years in hospital in England and Australia. In 1921 he took up a Soldier Settlement block at Whitelaw, South Gippsland, Victoria. He served in the local Volunteer Defence Corps in World War II. |
| Date of death |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
