Francis Walter Bertie FIRTH #1162

Indigenous Australian, Francis FIRTH, 2nd Australian Divisional Mechanical Transport Company

Francis Walter Bertie Firth was born in Narrabri in 1888 to Patrick and Catherine (Kate) (nee McCarney). One of three brothers to serve, Bertie volunteered to serve in the first AIF at Barcaldine, where he had been working as a shearer. It was several months later before he was sworn in at Enoggera Camp, Brisbane, where he had been assigned to the 8th Reinforcements for the 2nd Light Horse Regiment. He left Australia in August 1915 and arrived in Egypt four weeks later.

Firth was transferred to the 4th Divisional Ammunition Sub Park and embarked for England, and soon after arrived France in November 1916. In December 1917 he was admitted to hospital suffering from burns to his left arm, he returned to his unit three months later, serving the remainder of the war in France, being appointed a Driver in September 1918. Bertie Firth returned home in July 1919.

Read more ...

• Service record: FIRTH, Francis Walter Bertie
• Embarkation roll: 8th Reinforcements 1915
• Blog: The Aboriginal Firths, an unusual Anzac connection
• One of the soldiers featured in SLQ’s HistoryPin Collection
• Queensland’s Indigenous Servicemen Digital Story and Oral History

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.