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Private Cleveland Churchill

Private Cleveland Churchill
Private Cleveland Churchill married Annie Editha Whayman

Cleveland Churchill of Hobart was 18 when he joined the 12th Battalion on 29 May 1916. Before enlisting he had served with the cadets and worked as a Labourer.

Private Churchill left Hobart on the troopship “Ballarat” on 8 August 1916 and disembarked in Plymouth, England, on 30 September 1916 later arriving in Etaples, France, on 20 November 1916.

While serving on the Somme, Private Churchill contended with a number of health issues. In July and August of 1917 he suffered diphtheria and tonsillitis. He rejoined the 12th Battalion in France on 18 August 1917. On 30 December 1917 he was diagnosed with scabies. Scabies, lice and other parasites were prevalent in the trenches during the war.

Private Churchill was wounded in action in France on 27 July 1918 when he received gunshot wounds to the left leg and thigh. On the 15 August 1918 he was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital in England suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Not all the shrapnel embedded in his leg was removed and this caused pain for the rest of his life.

On 8 November 1919, Private Churchill was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on the grounds that he was medically unfit.

After the War, Mr Churchill lived at Barnes Bay on Bruny Island, Tasmania. He married Annie Editha Clare Whayman. The couple had three children: Eunice, Cameron and Spencer. Eunice served in World War Two with Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF).

Mr Churchill was well-known on North Bruny as the island’s postmaster from 1925 to 1972. He also operated a small shop at the Barnes Bay ferry terminal until the 1970s. He died 16 August 1981 and was laid to rest at the St Peters Cemetery, Barnes Bay, Bruny Island.