Reginald Noel Lefebvre

LEFEBVRE, Reginald Noel- – – – SPC 1907-1908

DoB:- – c1894, Frankston, VIC

Father:- – Albert Edward Lefebvre

Mother:- – Eliza, nee Bennett

Reginald Lefebvre and his brother Charles (SPC 1907-1908) were boarders at St Patrick’s from Birchip, a small town in the north-west of Victoria.

Service No:- 2057

Rank:- – Sergeant

Unit:- – 2nd Australian Auxiliary Mechanics Transport Coy

Reg Lefebvre enlisted on 3 February 1915. He was a single man, aged 21 years and one month, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He was five feet, nine and a quarter inches tall, and his occupation was dental mechanic.

He embarked from Melbourne on 17 April 1915, going initially to Serapeum in Egypt before embarking from Alexandria to Marseilles on 10 June. In July, he committed the crime in the field at Rouen of careless driving of a motor ambulance and causing damage to that vehicle. He had to forfeit eight days’ pay. Ironically, he was made Driver on 11 August 1916.

The following year, on 31 January 1917, he was guilty of the crime of neglecting to obey unit’s standing orders in that he kept his primus stove burning. He was to forfeit three days’ pay for this misdemeanour.

He was made Lance Corporal in August 1917, and after returning from some leave in Paris in February 1918, was promoted again to the rank of Corporal. The following year he was made Sergeant. He remained in France for the majority of the war. He was admitted to hospital with jaundice in May 1919, by the end of that month had rejoined his unit. In June he marched out to England to prepare for his demobilisation.

On 27 July 1919 he embarked from England aboard the Chemnitz to return to Australia, disembarking at Melbourne on 5 September.

Reginald married Florence Mavis Brown around the time of his return. They had two children. He got married for the second time in 1952, at the age of 58, to Florence Edna Wilkinson. They had no children. Reginald worked as a public servant for his career, and lived in Albert Park, Melbourne.

Reginald Noel Lefebvre died on 1 November 1960 at the age of 66. He was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery, Carlton.