Willie CUMMINGS #63989

Indigenous Australian, Willie Cummings, Australian Army Service Corps

Willie Cummings (aka Cummins) was born at Stanley Hills, Qld. in 1899, he had been removed from his family in Boonah in 1913 and was living at the Aboriginal Mission at Barambah (now Cherbourg) when he enlisted in June 1916. The Office of the Chief Protector of Aboriginals was contacted to obtain consent for Cummings to be considered for service, Willie himself signed a statutory declaration as to his heritage and age.

Cummings was accepted as a recruit and sent to Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera for initial training. He had expressed a preference for the Light Horse Regiment but was assigned to the 5th General Reinforcements for Egypt.

Before embarking Cummings was caught overstaying his 'home leave' by two days and obviously a man of humour, he was fined for shouting at new recruits entering the camp "you will be sorry" - a common cry from 'old hands'.

Cummings sailed for Egypt on board HMAT Port Darwin in September 1918, he was briefly hospitalised whilst at sea with influenza.

In October 1918 he was allotted to the Australian Army Service Corps and later to the Anzac Mounted Divisional Train, 32nd Company as a driver.

He remained with this unit until they were returned to Australia in September 1919 and soon after married Florrie Don in 1920 who sadly died in 1934. Willie Cummins (Cummings) married Lively Moreton in 1937, also a resident of the Aboriginal settlement at Barambah.

Read more ...

• Service record: CUMMINGS, Willie
• Image: The Queenslander Pictorial, 26 October 1918
• 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.