Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

29/02/1916

Date of Discharge

02/10/1919

Place of Enlistment

Melbourne, Victoria

Gender

Male

Date of Birth

01/07/1890

Place of Birth

Healesville, Victoria

Address (at enlistment)

Black Rock, Victoria (previously Acton ACT)

Occupation

Surveyor

Next of Kin

Broderick and Ellen Whittenbury (parents), Black Rock, Victoria

Service Number

19945

Final Rank

Bombadier

Final Unit

8 Field Artillery Brigade AIF

Military Medal (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No.109, 15 September 1919, p.1368, position 51)

Whittenbury was born at Healesville in Victoria in 1890 and arrived in Canberra in January 1910 with surveyor Arthur Percival. He worked as an axeman on surveying parties in the Territory from at least January 1910 to 1912. In later years Percival told the story how, on one occasion, Whittenbury and another man were driving a buggy when Arthur Brassey from Acton blocked their way. Brassey was an Englishman who behaved like a squire, insisting his tenant farmers touch their forelock when they saw him. Brassey asked Whittenbury and his mate if they had forgotten something. Believing he meant that they had dropped something Whittenbury looked around, and seeing nothing unusual, replied to Brassey to that effect. Brassey then told both men that they had forgotten to touch their caps and requested them to do so.  According to Percival, Whittenbury and his mate couched their replies in "good Australian".

Whittenbury embarked from Melbourne in May 1916 and was in France at the beginning of 1917 with the 31st Battery of the 8th Field Artillery Brigade. During the operations from 22 August 1918 to 3 September 1918 Whittenbury earned the Military Medal. His citation states that between Bray and Clery on the Somme, "Bombadier Whittenbury by his conspicuous gallantry and splendid devotion to duty has set an excellent example to the men of the battery. He has served his gun throughout the period displaying marked ability, and although on many occasions subjected to heavy shell fire. He has shown an absolute disregard for his own personal safety." On 2 September near Clery-sur-Somme when two men of his detachment had become casualties he himself kept the gun in action until it was put out of action by a direct hit. During some of the final actions of the Australian artillery in the war, Whittenbury was wounded in a mustard gas attack.

It is not clear from the records how long Whittenbury stayed in the Canberra area. He is mentioned in an enquiry, about a workmate Doug Cavaye, written by a woman living near Jervis Bay. It is possible he was working with a survey party in the area before the war. He married Alma Gunnersen in 1923 and died on 10 July 1967 at Learmonth near Ballarat.

Description - height 5 feet 8¼ inches, weight 148 pounds, chest 34-38 inches, fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, Church of England.

National Archives (A206) Volume 2 [Federal Capital (Yass-Canberra district). Copies of correspondence, reports etc subsequent to passing of 'Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909 (NSW)' and 'Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909 (Commonwealth)'] - folio 114
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455, service file Douglas Cavaye
National Library of Australia: Country Women's Association of NSW (Canberra Branch) History, 1959 (manuscript call no. NLA MS 734)
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)
Ann Gugler, 'The Surveyor's Camps on Capital Hill and the building they left behind', Canberra Historical Journal (No.63), CDHS Dec. 2009
The Canberra Times - 20 January 1958, 20 January 1959
AWM Collections Record: DACS0116, DACS0116B, DACS0116C
NLA - Victoria Births, Deaths & Marriages