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Kimberley Henry Berry - Information

Kim was born in London and grew up in Middlesex. In the 1900s, he migrated to Australia, settling down in Camden Park, Menangle where he worked as a gardener. Deciding to assist the mother country, he enlisted in the AIF on the 21st of August 1916 at the Royal Australian Showground. He commenced training in Dubbo, becoming a Private with the Light Trench Mortar Battery. He then boarded the HMAT Ascanius in Sydney on the 25th of October 1916.

Kim landed in Devonport in late December. On the 6th of February 1917, he was transferred to the 35th Battalion. However, at the end of the month, he broke camp. He was arrested and sentenced to 14 days detention. He returned from detention barracks in mid March, and resumed training before being sent to France in late September. He joined the 35th Battalion in the lines the following month. At the time, they were getting ready to rush the Germans at Passchendaele during the Third Battle of Ypres. On the 17th of November, Kim reported for duty with the 1st Australian General Hospital in Rouen. Working so closely with sick patients, Kim came down with diphtheria in April 1918. In September that year, he was detached for duty with No. 2 Surgical team attached to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station. Here, he witnessed the many medical innovations that were developed as a result of the war to save lives such as splints and drains. However, these were no match to the brutality of modern weapons and infection. In November, Kim was detached to the Surgical Team at No. 1 Australian Stationary Hospital. After the war ended, he headed back to England in early December, and returned to Australia in 1919.