Herbert's army life is told through his his service papers which are available and described on this page. Unfortunately little is know of his life in the years up to his arrival in at the Army recruitment office on New Years Day 1915(see FGN Page here). How and my what means he travelled to Australia is unknown. As he has (as of yet) not been located in the 1911 Census in England he may well have well already departed the shores of his birth.
Provided in the table below are links to a number of PDF files containing images of the original documents of the Australian Imperial Force.
Left is a copy of Herbert's Casualty Form for his active service. This is the typed version, the original hand written version can also be found as part of the Casualty Record pdf below. It documents his recovery from a severely crushed finger through to being wonder and missing.
LInk: More about Herbert and his voyage to Gallipoli
Herbert Swallow's Record in the Australian Imperial Force.
| Link | Notes |
| Attestation Papers | Documents showing Herbert's enrollment in the Australian Imperial Force, including his medical details. (364k) |
| Nominal Roll | AIF Embarkation Roll, showing Herbert's next of kind and pay details. |
| Casualty Form | Full details of Herbert's injuries and treatments, plus his movements in and out of hospital. |
| Field Service | Field Service Report of Death for Herbert Swallow date 17th May 1916. |
| Inventory | Inventory of Effects. Herbert's sole possessions at his time of death included three photographs, a rub and his riffle cover. |
| Red Cross Report | Missing in action and confirmation that there was 'No Burial'. |
| Pension Advice | Details of Herbert's pension to be paid to his next of kin. |
| Medal Awards | Confirmation fo medals awarded to Herbert. |
| Roll of Honour | Successful application form submitted by Herbert's brother and sister to have Herbert remembered in in Canberra's Roll of Honour Memorial. The result can be seen in the image below. |
This photo below is provided by Diane Harwell, and shows Herbert list in the bottom left hand corner of the stone..
