Laurie James Cadzow

  General Notes:

Laurie James Cadzow first joined the AIF on 5 July 1915 when he was 18 years 10 1/2 months old. At the time he was a resident of the Havilah Hotel in Victoria St, Ballarat. He was assigned to the 14th Depot Battn at Ballarat but was discharged from the AIF on the 20 October 1915 on medical grounds as he had "Valvular Disease of the Heart".

Clearly, Laurie was determined to enlist. He reapplied to join the 39th Battalliion of the AIF on 29 May 1916. He was recorded as 19 years and 8 months old. His previous service was recorded as was the fact that he had been discharged as medically unfit. Perhaps by this time the Army had relaxed it's enlistment criteria. His occupation was recorded as Labourer and his address was still the Havilah Hotel, Victoria St, Ballarat East. His father, James was listed as next of kin at the same address. Laurie was recorded as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 9 stone 7 lbs. His complexion was dark, eyes brown and hair Dark Brown. His religion was listed as Roman Catholic. He had vaccination marks, a scar on the outside right upper arm, inside right ankle and moles on his neck.

Laurie was re-assigned to the 14th Depot Battn in Ballarat on the 29 May 1916. On the 1 June 1916 he was transferred to "J" Coy Reserve, 39 Battn as a Private and then to "E" Coy of the 39 Battn on the 7 July 1916.

On the 6 July 1915 Laurie's mother, Florence, provided a written consent for him to join the Australian Expeditionary Forces and on the 9 July 1915 Laurie's father, James, sent him a telegram at the South Melbourne Barracks also giving his consent for Laurie to join the expeditionary force. He left Australia on the Shropshire from Melbourne on the 25 September 1916, disembarking in Plymouth , England on the 11 November 1916. On the 20 December 1916 he was sent to France on the Princess Victoria from Folkestone, marched to his unit on the 17 January and was "taken on strength" at Etaples, France on the 19 January 1917. Just a few months earlier his second cousin's husband Thomas Martin (see separate entry) had also been through Etaples, before being killed in action in The Somme.

Within just 12 days he was wounded in action (27 January 1917) with a "slight" gun shot wound to the face and apparently gun shot wounds to his left leg and hand. He was treated at Wimereaux and Boulogne and did not rejoin his Battallion at Etaples until 3 March 1917. He was admitted sick to hospital on the 13 May 1917 and on the 7 June 1917 he was again wounded in action. This was a serious gunshot wound to his thigh and elbow on the right side necessitating the amputation of his right leg. On the 12 June he was sent from Boulogne to the Northampton War Hospital on board the Hospital Ship Panama. He was discharged from the Hospital to the Depot on 10 September 1917 and embarked for Australia that day. He was discharged from the AIF on the 25 January 1918. He was granted a War Pension of 60/- on 7 February 1918.

He is buried in the St Arnaud Cemetery, Roman Catholic Section, Section 6, Grave 41, Marker 215D.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He worked as a Labourer when he joined the AIF on 29 May 1916 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

• He resided at the time of his enlistment in the AIF on 29 May 1916 in Havilah Hotel, Victoria St, , Ballarat, , Victoria, Australia.

• He resided at the time of the granting of his War Pension on 7 Feb 1918 in Streatham Hotel, , Streatham, , Victoria, Australia.

Laurie married Annie Pearce in 1932 in Victoria, Australia.