David Aya, The Queenslander Pictorial, 13 October 1917
Indigenous Australian, David Aya, Tunnelling Companies
Sapper David Aya,was born in Townsville, 4 August 1888 and worked as a labourer prior to his enlistment in July 1917. He was the oldest child of Lizzie Cassidy an Aboriginal woman from Black River, near Townsville, his stepfather was John Aya, of Ceylonese heritage born in Cooktown.
David Aya embarked from Melbourne where he had been training, on board HMAT Indarra 26 November 1917. They disembarked in Egypt before sailing for Europe. When he arrived in England he was hospitalised with mumps, and just a few months later became seriously ill having contracted pleurisy.
Sapper Aya was returned to Australia in April 1918 and discharged, medically unfit.
Read more ...
- Service Record: AYA, David
- Embarkation Roll: Tunnelling Companies
- One of the soldiers featured in SLQ’s HistoryPin Collection
- Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen [mp4]
The information in this blog post has been researched by State Library staff and volunteers, it is based on available information at this time. If you have more information that you would like to share or further research uncovers new findings, this post will be updated.
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