Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

28/11/1914

Date of Discharge

07/08/1916

Place of Enlistment

Liverpool NSW

Gender

Male

Date of Birth

13/07/1890

Place of Birth

Queanbeyan district, NSW

Address (at enlistment)

Adaminaby NSW (previously Orroral ACT and Hall ACT)

Occupation

Labourer

Next of Kin

Elizabeth McLaughlin (mother), Adaminaby NSW

Service Number

1389

Final Rank

Private

Final Unit

2 Battalion AIF

McLaughlin was the brother of George McLaughlin. Like his brother, he was probably born in the Orroral area near Tharwa where his father owned about 360 acres of land, but at some stage after his birth the family moved to Adaminaby. However, during the 1890s his father, James McLaughlin, operated The Cricketer's Arms at Ginninderra.

Ernest embarked from Sydney in February 1915 and landed on Gallipoli on 7 May. Two weeks later he was shot in the thigh and sent to England for treatment. He was back on Gallipoli by December 1915 when he was evacuated for having a "foreign body", a piece of shrapnel, in his leg. He was invalided to Australia in April 1916 and discharged in August. Like a lot of returned servicemen he had trouble finding work. By 1938 he was requesting a copy of his discharge papers because of the need to constantly produce them when searching for work meant that they had "fell completely to pieces". On 27 March 1942 he enlisted for service in World War 2 and served with the 13 Garrison Battalion for three months.

Description - height 5 feet 7 inches, weight 147 pounds, chest 33-37 inches, dark complexion, brown eyes, black hair, Catholic, he had a scar on his right knee.

NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)
Canberra & District Historical Society, portion plans Parish of Orroral
NSW electoral roll - 1889
WWII Nominal Roll http://www.ww2roll.gov.au
Queanbeyan Age - 6 April 1883, 27 June 1894, 16 March 1895, 20 June 1896