Religion: Salvation Army Occupation: Miner Marital status: Married Age at embarkation: 23 Next of kin: Wife, Mrs Elizabeth Violet Langmead, Healesville, Victoria, Australia Enlistment date: 11 November 1915 Rank on enlistment: Private Unit name: 29th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement AWM Embarkation Roll number: 23/46/2 Embarkation details: Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on board HMAT A68 Anchises on 14 March 1916 Rank from Nominal Roll: Private Unit from Nominal Roll: 29th Battalion Fate: Returned to Australia 5 March 1919

The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix (though the correct title bestowed by the Battlefields Nomenclature Committee in 1922 is the Attack at Fromelles), occurred in France on July 19-20, 1916, during World War I. The action was intended partly as a diversion from the Battle of the Somme that was taking place about 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the south. The operation, carried out midway between the British-occupied village of Fleurbaix and that of Fromelles behind the German lines, sought to retake a salient just north of the latter, situated at about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the city of Lille. Fromelles was a combined operation between British troops and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). It would be the first occasion that the AIF saw action on the Western Front. After a night and a day of fighting, 1,500 British and 5,533 Australian soldiers were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The Australian War Memorial describes the battle as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." It was a decisive victory for the German Empire, and the Australian and British losses were sustained without the Allies gaining any ground.