| Regimental number | 553 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Occupation | Labourer |
| Marital status | Single |
| Age at embarkation | 23.9 |
| Height | 5' 6" |
| Weight | 143 lbs |
| Next of kin | William Foster Griffiths, Truro, Cornwall, England |
| Previous military service | Nil |
| Enlistment date | |
| Rank from Nominal Roll | Lance Corporal |
| Unit from Nominal Roll | 5th Machine Gun Company |
| Fate | Died of illness |
| Place of burial | Wimereux Communal Cemetery (Plot I, Row P, Grave No 5), France |
| Miscellaneous information from cemetery records | Correct NOK details: Mr W.R. Salisbury, Gordon House, Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. |
| Family/military connections | Brothers: 1163 Driver Isaac SALISBURY, 5th Mechanical Transport Company, returned to Australia, 5 April 1919; |
| Other details |
War service: Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front Embarked Egypt to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Gallipoli, 16 August 1915. Appointed Lance Corporal, 23 August 1915. Disembarked Alexandria from Mudros, 9 January 1916 (general Gallipoli evacuation). Taken on strength, 5th Machine Gun Company, 8 March 1916. Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 17 March 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 March 1916. Found guilty, 23 May 1916, of being absent without leave from 7.50 am, 23 May, until he surrendered to Military Police at about 6.30 pm, same day: reprimanded, and forfeited 1 day's pay. Admitted to 5th Australian Field Ambulance, 14 July 1916 (vomiting); transferred same day to No 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital, Amiens; discharged to duty, 18 July 1916. Admitted to 2nd Australian Field Ambulance, 24 July 1916 (fits and hysteria); transferred to Casualty Clearing Station, 25 July 1916; to 14th Stationary Hospital, Boulogne, 28 July 1916 (cerebro sinal meingitis). Died, 30 July 1916 (cerebral haemorrhage). Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal Statuory Declaration by father, William Robert SALISBURY, 12 July 1917, stated that his son had assumed the name Edward Foster GRIFFITHS 'some years prior to his enlistment'. Base Records wrote to his daughter, Miss Hazel SALISBURY, Auburn, Victoria, 22 March 1922, saying that the father was not a 'fit and proper person' to receive his son's medals. Hazel SALISBURY, Statutory Declaration, 1 December 1921, stated that her brother, john Clarence SALISBURY, served in HMS 'Prometheus', and 'after the condemnation of the ship, he deserted and assumed the name of Edward Foster Griffiths.' Brother George Norman SALISBURY (who served as 5114 John Clarence SALISBURY)stated in evidence, 6 December 1921: 'My father is not a fit person to be grantred a war pension as he is drinking what he has and on the death of my mother, he deserted the family and everyone has been since compelled to battle alone.' |
| Miscellaneous details | Real name: John Clarence SALISBURY |
| Sources | NAA: B2455, GRIFFITHS Edward Foster |
Postal Address:
Po Box 7916
Canberra BC 2610, Australia
Street Address:
Northcott Drive,
Campbell, ACT 2600
