The AIF Project

War service: Egypt, Western Front

Allotted to, and proceeded to join, 59th Bn, Tel el Kebir, 26 February 1916.

Transferred to, and taken on strength of, 60th Bn, Tel el Kebir, 15 March 1916.

Found guilty, 9 June 1916, of being absent without leave from 2100, 7 June, to 2100, 8 June 1916: awarded 4 days' Field Punishment No 2, and forfeited a total of 6 days' pay.

Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 18 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 29 June 1916.

Reported Missing, 19 July 1916.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 4 August 1917, pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 19 July 1916'.

Statement, 3926 Pte G. SMART, 60th Bn (patient, 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital, Harefield, England), 20 September 1916: 'T.E. Smith, 3928, 60th Bt. told me Eddy was shot in the head at Fleurbaix. He was lying out in No Man's Land. Smith was a friend of his and to make sure went over and saw the number on his Pack.'

Second statement, 3928 Pte T.E. SMITH, 11 December 1916: 'I knew Dick Eddy: he came from Port Melbourne and was in B. VII.. I saw his dead body lying close to me on 19th. July, anbout 50 yards beyond our trenches. He had been shot through the head by a bullet.'

Third statement, 3929 T.E. SMITH (patient, The Priory Hospital, Cheltenham, England), 4 December 1916: 'Eddy and myself were both knocked over at the same time in No Man's Land. When I came to, I found Eddy dead, shot through the forehead.'

Fourth statement, 3329 Pte E. JUDD, 60th Bn, 28 February 1917: 'I saw his dead body in No Man's Land on 19th. July. He had been killed by a bullet through the head. I saw him as I was working as a S/B [Stretcher Bearer].'

Note on file: 'No trace Germany. Cert. by Capt. Mills. 10.10.19.'