Bernard Balfour Garrett

GARRETT, Bernard Balfour- – – – SPC 1909-1910

DoB:– – 1898, Hobart, TAS

Father:- – Alfred William

Mother:- – Ann Margaret, nee Butterworth

Service No:- 19642

Rank:– – Private

Unit:– – Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC)

Bernard Garrett enlisted on 2 February 1917. He was 18 years and 11 months old, five feet eight inches tall with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. He was a medical student, and as he was under 21 years of age his parents had to give written permission for him to enlist, which they did on the proviso that he was assigned to the AAMC.

Private Garrett embarked from Melbourne aboard the Indarra on 26 November 1917. He disembarked at Southampton on 15 February 1918 and marched in to Parkhouse to undergo further training. In October he was admitted to hospital with diphtheria.

Throughout the following year, 1919, Private Garrett was frequently admonished for either being Absent Without Leave, or Out of Bounds, resulting in numerous occasions where he had to forfeit several days’ pay. On one occasion in June he was awarded 168 hours detention.

In December 1919 he returned to Australia aboard the Runic, and was discharged, due to being medically unfit -“ possibly due to the diphtheria -“ in March 1920.

Records show that Bernard Garrett married Jean Anderson in 1918 in Portobello, Scotland. This might explain why he was frequently discovered to be -‘out of bounds’ during 1919 -“ perhaps he was trying to spend as much time with his new wife as possible.

Bernard and Jean settled in Australia and Bernard became a medical practitioner. The couple had three children, and the family lived in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick.

Bernard died on 18 July 1947 at the age of 49. He was buried at the New Cheltenham Cemetery, Victoria.