GILVEAR Kenneth

Kenneth GILVEAR was the eldest of the seven sons born to Thomas & Christina (Smith) Gilvear. He arrived in Australia, with his family, from Scotland, in August 1911.

Kenneth Gilvear enlisted in the A.I.F. on 20th December 1915 in Brisbane. At the time of his enlistment he was age 20, single and was working as a 'ploughman' for the Fairymead Sugar Co. Bundaberg, Queensland. He named his father Thomas Gilvear (Snr) of Glass house Mountains, North Coast Line, as his next of kin. Initially he was posted to the 11th Depot Battalion at Enoggera and was granted a weeks home leave from 12-3-16 to 20-3-16.

On the 11th May 1916 he was appointed to the 11th Machine Gun Company at Chermside, Brisbane. His unit embarked from Sydney, NSW on board HMAT A30 "Borda" on 5 June 1916 bound for Alexandria where they disembarked on 20 July 1916. From Egypt he proceeded to England where on the 20-11-1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal. On 23 November 1916 he left England for France. He was promoted again to (Temporary) Corporal on 30-3-1917 in Rouen, France - and received the full rank of Corporal on 20-5-1917. Marched out on leave from field; 11th to 23rd Dec 1917. From 23-2-1918 to 23-3-1918 He attended the Brigade NCO School in field. Re-joined Battalion in field. KILLED IN ACTION 15th April 1918 at Sailly-le-Sec, Somme Sector. Buried - Bonnay British Cemetery Extension adjoining Civil Cemetery 3 Km north of Corbie

RED CROSS - Site Eye Witness Account: "Gilvear was killed by shell in a building at Sailly le Sec while we were holding the line; 5 killed one wounded. We got them all out and buried them at Bonnay in Military Cemetery".

THE CHRONICLE - 7th June 1918 p3, OUR HONOUR LIST. MAY'S MANY ADDITIONS. List 399 included only Corporal Kenneth Gilvear of Glasshouse Mtns., on 15th April 1918.

24th SEPTEMBER 1919 - letter to Mrs Christina Gilvear from Base Records in reply to her letter informing that personal effects of her sons Robert and Kenneth shipped from England per SS "BARUKGA" vessel lost at sea with all cargo no hope of recovery.

GILVEAR FAMILY - RECORD of SERVICE

6976 - Private Thomas Gilvear (Senior) returned to Australia 1st August 1919
4496 - Lance Corporal Alexander Smith Gilvear - was Killed in Action 7th May 1917 - Bullecourt, France
2428 - Private Robert Gilvear - was Killed in Action 28th March 1918
65 - Corporal Kenneth Gilvear - was Killed in Action 15th April 1918 - Somme, France
6560 - Private James Smith Gilvear - Returned to Australia 13th July 1919
66 - Private John Gilvear - Returned to Australia 30 June 1918
6976 - Private Thomas Gilvear (Junior) returned to Australia 1st August 1919

Glass House Mountains Honor Roll, Glass House Mountains RSL, Cnr Steve Irwin Way & Reed Street, Glass House Mountains

Glass House Mountains Honor Roll, Glass House Mountains Hall, Coonowrin Road, Glass House Mountains

Shire of Landsborough Roll of Honour, Caloundra RSL, West Terrace, Caloundra

Nambour (Maroochy Shire) Roll of Honor Scroll, Private Collection, Nambour (this scroll was available for sale to the public after the war)

Fairymead House WW1 Honour Roll

Bonnay Communal Cemetery Extension, France Grave Memorial Reference A13

Australian War Memorial, Roll of Honour Panel 176

AIF Project

Digger's photo courtesy of Sunshine Coast libraries.
Headstone photo courtesy of Australian War Graves Photographic Archive.
Group photo: AWM E01498 at Locre, Ypres area, 19 Jan 1918
Group portrait of officers and NCOs of the 11th Machine Gun Company at Locre. Left to right, back row: 6110 Sergeant (Sgt) Frederick William Tyler; 2009 Lance Corporal (LCpl) Kenneth Gordon McLiver; 609 LCpl Frederick Harold Wack; 65 Corporal (Cpl) Kenneth Gilvear (killed in action 15 April 1918); 243 LCpl Charles Hadden Spurgeon Zillman; 46 LCpl Theophilus Thomas Douglas; 99 LCpl Herbert Radford McDougall; 336 LCpl (later Lieutenant) Thomas Walter Williams; 458 LCpl Abel Anthony Kroll. Middle row: 54 Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS) Charles Fincham; 421A LCpl Edward Cogan Kidman (later killed in action 15 April 1918); 125 LCpl Richard Rouse; 3255 Cpl (later Lieutenant) Cecil Bert Wotley; 117 LCpl Alexander Palmer (later killed in action 7 August 1918); 84 Cpl Daniel Frederick Loch; 56 LCpl James Hugh Alexander Frost; 440 LCpl William Henry Langdon; 330 Sgt William John Kilpatrick. Front row: Sgt J A Ferguson; Lieutenant (Lt) Charles Edmond Coldwell-Smith; Lt Frank Leslie Thorn; Lt Frank Elwyn Wells; Captain Albert William Taylor; Lt Charles Edward Hughes; Lt Lionel John Parks; Lt Wallace John Ball; Cpl Stanley Ward Tacey.
Ancestry.com.au
www.naa.gov.au - record search
Honour board photo courtesy of ‘Fairymead House Collection’