Gerald or Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Francis Scarfe

SCARFE, Gerald or Jeremiah -‘Jerry’ Francis- – – – SPC 1914

DoB:- – 1890, Ballarat, VIC

Father: – Benjamin Joseph Scarfe

Mother:- – Margaret, nee Harpes

Jerry attended St Patrick’s College with his brother, Benjamin Joseph Scarfe (SPC 1914). Benjamin also enlisted for service in the war.

Service No:- 1426

Rank:- – Trooper

Unit:- – 13th Light Horse Regiment, Veterinary Hospital

Gerald Francis Scarfe enlisted on 12 July 1915, aged 25 and a halfyears. He was a single man, who had completed five years of his architectural drafting apprenticeship, at a company called Jas. Moore, Melbourne. He was five feet, eight and one quarter inches tall, with fair hair, grey eyes and brown hair.

Trooper Scarfe embarked for overseas service on 23 November 1915, disembarking at Marseilles, France on 23 March 1916. Two months later he was taken on strength at the 1st Anzac Mounted Regiment.

On 10 June 1916 he was admitted to the No 4 Cavalry Field Ambulance suffering from a tumour on his back. His injury was considered to be of a -‘trivial nature’. By 7 July, he was transferred back to the 1st Anzac Army Corps Light Horse Regiment. In August he was wounded in action, receiving a wound in his left arm and suffering from shell shock. He was transferred out to the 1st Canadian General Hospital to recover from the shell shock. In November 1916 he rejoined his unit from hospital.

Towards the end of 1917, Trooper Scarfe was plagued with skin problems, a common occurrence for many soldiers in the Field. He was admitted to hospital in Etaples, France with scabies and dermatitis in November, where he remained until 2 January 1918 when he rejoined his unit.

He was granted leave in the UK from 20 September to 6 October 1918, after which time he was back in France on active duty. On 28 January 1919 he travelled from Calais to Weymouth, England to prepare for his return to Australia.

On 25 March 1919, he embarked aboard the Port Denison for his return home, and disembarked at Melbourne on 15 May of that year.

Jerry Scarfe married Mary Ann Ursula Curtin in 1923, when he was 33 years old. They had three children. Jerry died on 30 January 1969 at the age of 80 years. He was buried at the Box Hill Cemetery, Victoria.