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Cecil Joseph Anderson - Information

Cecil was born in Picton on the 5th of June 1894. When the war began, he was living at Cronulla Beach with his wife, Mary Francis. Here, Cecil worked as a butcher and served in the militia. Joining the colours, he signed up in Sydney on the 27th of March 1917, joining the 1st Light Horse Regiment. However, he was having difficulty completing training exercises. Consequently, he was medically discharged on the 3rd of July. Cecil reunited with Mary, and they relocated to 71 George St in Erskineville. Cecil then re-enlisted on the 4th of March 1918 in Redfern, aged 23. He trained at the Royal Showground Camp and the M & D Depot in Liverpool, before boarding the RMS Osterley in Sydney on the 8th of May 1918 as a Private with the NSW Reinforcements.

Although sick throughout his voyage, Cecil set down safely in Liverpool, England in early July. He then commenced specialised trench warfare training and was allotted to the 54th Battalion. In late September, he was transferred to the 56th Battalion. The following month, Cecil was transported to France via Southampton. He was mustered at the Base Depot, and on the 21st of October placed to the 53rd Battalion. However, three days later, he reported to hospital with the German measles. He was still in hospital when the war ended on the 11th of November. At the end of the month, he returned to duty. Unluckily, in January 1919, Cecil also suffered with appendicitis, granted a furlough in March to England. He was then sent back to Australia onboard the Medic on the 10th of April 1919. Cecil reunited with Mary, and by 1936, they resided at 50 Franklin Rd in Cronulla.