1914-1915 Star
2024.13
1914-15 Star awarded posthumously to 7427 Driver G.H. Case A.I.F.
Name/Title
1914-1915 StarEntry/Object ID
2024.12Description
The obverse has two crossed gladii (swords) with their blades upwards, the points and grips of which form what might appear to be four additional points to the star. The swords are overlaid by a wreath of oak leaves, with the Royal Cypher of King George V at the base of the wreath and an overlaying central scroll inscribed "1914–15". The reverse is plain and is impressed with the recipient's number, rank and name. The ribbon is 32 millimetres wide and has the red, white and blue colours of the flag of the United Kingdom in shaded and watered bands. The same ribbon was used for the 1914 Star.Use
Born in Kaniva, Victoria in 1887, Gilbert Harold Case enlisted in the 53rd Battalion on April 1, 1915. A labourer by trade, he lived at Torrensville, with his wife Violet and young son, at the time of his enlistment. Posted to the 4th Light Horse Training Brigade, Gilbert embarked as part of the 5th Reinforcements for Egypt on aboard HMAT Ballarat on September 9, 1915. A driver, he was transferred to the 20th Australian Light Horse in March 1916, before joining the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) and disembarking at Marseilles in May the same year. Transferred to the 53rd Battalion, Driver Case spent time in England, undertaking training for his return to France as a driver for the 25th Machine Gun Company (MGC), 5th Battalion, in early September 1917. The unit saw action on the Western Front, including Polygon Wood in September 1917, as part of the Third Battle of Ypres. During November the same year, Gilbert was also stationed at Hollebeke, where his unit was involved in various attacks upon the enemy. At the beginning of December, the unit's War Diary reports “the first fall of snow” and a football match between the 14th and the 25th MGC. The unit expended many thousands of rounds at the enemy throughout the month, and while artillery shelling on both sides was exchanged, the unit suffered no casualties. The unit was relieved on December 16th, undertaking further training behind the front lines in new warfare tactics, including the use of the Mills Bomb. Gilbert and his unit continued to provide support for the AIF throughout the early part of 1918, although most diary entires report that the days were “quiet” and only one casualty was reported in the first three months. Preparations were being made to counter an expected German offensive in the spring, with the 25th MGC moved back into an offensive position at the end of March. On April 24, 1918, Driver Gilbert Harold Case fell victim to the Lys Offensive, for which he and his unit had been preparing, when he was severely injured by a "gunshot wound chest penetrating", and evacuated to the 9th General Hospital at Rouen. Two weeks later, on May 9th, Gilbert succumbed to his wounds. Sadly his personal effects were lost on their voyage home, when the SS Barunga was sunk by a German submarine off the Isles of Scilly on July 15, 1918. Unlike Driver Case and his effects, all aboard survived, returning safely to Plymouth, UK. Buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen on May 17th, Driver Case would eventually be re-interred in the Australian Section in 1919. A simple headstone marks his final resting place, his widow and son receiving a photograph in September the same year. A Memorial Scroll was despatched almost 12 months later, and his Memorial Plaque another four years after his death. 7247 Driver Gilbert Harold Case was posthumously awarded a 1914/15 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal for his service, and his family received the last of the trio in 1923. 7427 Dvr. G.H. Case St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France P. XI. E. 7A,Category
Medal, War Memorabilia, Personal Effects