Edward Morency CAMPBELL

Edward was born on 5 December 1875.  He was married to Mary and had five children – Frederick, Carl, Nora, Margaret and Dorothy – and lived at Chapel Hill.  His occupation was ‘timber feller’.  He enlisted on 11 January 1915.

Edward was in the 9th Battalion 4th Reinforcement and embarked for Egypt on 8 April 1915, arriving in late May.  He subsequently arrived at Gallipoli on 1 June 1915, just a month after his son, Frederick had been killed there.

He was transferred to the 3rd Field Company Engineers on 6 August and promoted to corporal on 13 August 1915.

Edward then had a history of illness.  The men lived in close, unhealthy conditions and disease spread easily.  On 8 September 1915 he was in hospital at Gallipoli with rheumatism and synovitis (inflammation of the lining of a joint).  He joined a hospital ship on 17 September and was transferred to hospital in Malta.  He did not recover well and was further transferred to hospital in England on 13 October.

He was returned to duty in Egypt in February 1916 but was again in hospital by 18 March.

He recovered sufficiently to embark from Alexandria for France on 2 August 1916.  After being in action in the field, Edward was admitted to hospital in France on 10 February 1917 and then returned to hospital in England.  He was suffering from synovitis and ‘general debility’.

Edward was returned to Australia on 22 July 1917 and discharged from the AIF on 26 October 1917.

The Campbell family are well-known in Brookfield and both Edward and his remaining son, Carl, farmed at Upper Brookfield from the early 1920s.

Edward Morency Campbell.  Courtesy Don Midgley, Brookfield

Edward Morency Campbell. Courtesy Don Midgley, Brookfield

Typical dugout accommodation at Gallipoli (men unknown) Courtesy AWM

Typical dugout accommodation at Gallipoli (men unknown) Courtesy AWM