Cpl
Eric Albert Edwin Goodacre
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1897 |
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Place of birth: Smithfield, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: 'Winitoba', Cecil Street, Fairfield, New South Wales, Australia |
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Profession: Shop Assistant |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Corporal |
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Service number: 1390 |
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Enlistment date: 21/08/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Moore Park, Sydney, South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 34th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Augustus Wood, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 20 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: 23 Row: G Grave: 2 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Eric Albert Edwin Goodacre, a former shop assistant, was born in 1897 in Smithfield, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. On 7 August 1916 Eric enlisted in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He served as a Corporal in the 34th Battalion Australian Infantry, part of the 9th Australian Brigade, of the 3rd Australian Division.
His battalion took part in the First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. The 3rd Australian Division attacked at 5.25 a.m. The 34th Battalion Australian Infantry advanced but heavy shelling on the jump-off line brought confusion, as men could not determine which barrage was theirs and which was fired by the enemy. The 35th Bn. A.I.F. overran Hillside Farm and Augustus Wood, they could go as far as the village of Passchendaele, where patrols entered the village. But the attack was not strong enough to secure it and they had to fall back almost to their jump-off line.
Eric Goodacre, aged 20, was killed in action on October 12, 1917. He was first reported missing and later reported killed in action. In his Red Cross file, multiple witnesses state that Corporal Goodacre was killed in the artillery barrage. This happened in close vicinity to the jump-off line. Goodacre was initially buried near Augustus Wood at 28.D.17.a.40.90. His remains were exhumed and interred at Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot XXIII, row G, grave 2. His brother Earl Christian George Goodacre, part of the 5th Heavy Trench Mortar Battery was wounded just a day before, on 11 October 1917. He was taken back to Australia on 10 January 1918 and survived the war.
His battalion took part in the First Battle of Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. The 3rd Australian Division attacked at 5.25 a.m. The 34th Battalion Australian Infantry advanced but heavy shelling on the jump-off line brought confusion, as men could not determine which barrage was theirs and which was fired by the enemy. The 35th Bn. A.I.F. overran Hillside Farm and Augustus Wood, they could go as far as the village of Passchendaele, where patrols entered the village. But the attack was not strong enough to secure it and they had to fall back almost to their jump-off line.
Eric Goodacre, aged 20, was killed in action on October 12, 1917. He was first reported missing and later reported killed in action. In his Red Cross file, multiple witnesses state that Corporal Goodacre was killed in the artillery barrage. This happened in close vicinity to the jump-off line. Goodacre was initially buried near Augustus Wood at 28.D.17.a.40.90. His remains were exhumed and interred at Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot XXIII, row G, grave 2. His brother Earl Christian George Goodacre, part of the 5th Heavy Trench Mortar Battery was wounded just a day before, on 11 October 1917. He was taken back to Australia on 10 January 1918 and survived the war.
Sources 5
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34th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/51/12). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Beaver E. and Meldrum J.W.G, A Short History of the 34th Battalion, AIF, (Carlton, Illawarra Press, 1957), p 22-25. Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, GOODACRE E A E). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Sources used |
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McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele : The Day-by-Day account, (London, Uniform, 2018), p 128-130. Sources used |
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Red Cross Wounded and Missing File and Embarkation Roll https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search?query=Goodacre+1390 Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462907 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7471676 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=113665 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=e34cef8f-ce7a-48f7-bb2a-5fa62f7b7c30 |