Private: 1904 Selwyn Kemp SKIPWORTH

44th BATTALION - 34th BATTALION AIF

Private: 1904 Selwyn Kemp SKIPWORTH

Born: 1891. Dromana via Red Hill, Victoria.

Died: 24th July 1917. Died of Wounds.

Father: Frederick James Skipworth. (1856-1902) Died Wallaroo, South Australia.

Mother: Sarah Parsons Skipworth. nee: Fanning. (1859-1948)

INFORMATION

No.1904 Selwyn Kemp SKIPWORTH was a 24 year old farmer from Pitharra Siding in Western Australia when he enlisted in the AIF on the 29th of March 1916 and entered Blackboy Hill Camp.

He embarked from Australia as a member of the 2nd Reinforcements to the 44th Battalion AIF on board the HMAT (A28) ‘Miltiades’, which departed Fremantle on the 7th of August 1916 and arrived at Plymouth in England on the 25th of September.

In November he was one of a number of men from the 2nd Reinforcements of the 44th Battalion to be transferred to the Australian 9th Brigade to replace men drafted out of the Brigade the previous month. On the 10th of November he was taken-on-strength by the 34th BATTALION AIF (Maitland’s Own). Due to a duplication of Regimental-Number within the Battalion his Regimental-Number was given the suffix “A”…and he became 1904A S.K.SKIPWORTH.

On the 21st of November 1916 the 34th Battalion deployed across from England to France as part of the 9th Brigades entry onto the Western Front. The 9th Brigade soon moved into the trenches near the village of Armentieres.

He was with the 34th Battalion for the successful attack on the ‘Messines / Wyschaete Ridge’ in Belgium, which commenced at 3:10 a.m. on the 7th of June 1917 with the detonation of 19 huge ‘mines’ that had been dug under key German strategic positions on the Ridges.

On the 7th of July 1917 he was detached to a Lewis-Gun School, returning to join the 34th Battalion on the 21st of the month.

On the 23rd of July 1917, near Messines, he was WOUNDED-IN-ACTION, suffering wounds to back, leg, arm and foot. He was admitted to the 11th Australian Field-Ambulance, and then transferred to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station at Trois-Arbres where he DIED-OF-WOUNDS on the 24th. He was buried in the Trois-Arbres Military Cemetery at Steenwerck.