Herbert Edward BOOKER
Year of Birth: 1894
Place of Birth: Port Douglas, Queensland
Date of Enlistment: 13 February 1915
Date and Place of Embarkation: 16 April 1915, Brisbane
Ship: HMAT Kyarra A55
Rank: Corporal
Unit(s): 15th Australian Infantry Battalion – 1 to 23 Reinforcements
Regimental Number: 1905
Died: 8 August 1915 – Gallipoli 
Herbert Edward Booker was born on the 17 January 1894 in Port Douglas, the second of 3 children of Arthur Sidney Booker and Elizabeth Rose Hurley. His brother Arthur John born 1896 and sister Mabel Rose 1893.
Prior to his enlistment he was mobilized by war service in August 1914 and embarked Cairns on 6 August for Thursday Island War Station Garrison Duty. He enlisted on 14 August for service outside Australia. He re-embarked at Thursday Island on 16 August on the Troopship “Kanowna” to take part in the capture of German New Guinea. He was taken on strength of the A.N. & M.E.F. on 6 September 1914. The ship returned to Townsville on 18 September on account on the trouble caused by the firemen on the troop ship and did not participate in the capture of German New Guinea. He was discharged on 18 September 1914.
He again enlisted in Cairns on 13 February 1915, he was 21 years of age, occupation a Clerk, and next of kin his father Arthur S Booker, Sub Collector Customs, Cairns. He was 5 feet 6 inches in height, weighed 140 pounds with a fair complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. He was Church of England. His brother, Arthur John Booker, No. 2574 enlisted on 19 May 1915 and by coincidence embarked on the same ship on 16 August 1915. He returned to Australia on 20 May 1919.
Herbert joined the 15 Infantry Battalion and embarked from Brisbane on the HMAT Kyarra for the Gallipoli Peninsula landing on 13 July 1915 and was killed in action just over a month later on 16 August 1915. He is remembered at Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey. In the Roll of Honour in the Queenslander Newspaper, Brisbane of 16 October 1915, he is listed as A- Q.M.S. H E Booker (Acting Quarter Master Sergeant) but he had reverted to rank just prior to his death.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455, Booker, H.E. National Archives of Australia
NAA: B2455, Booker A J, National Archives of Australia
Photograph of H E Booker Northern Herald, 24 September 1915
Queensland Register of Births, Deaths & Marriages
Photograph of HMAT Kyarra A55, Australian War Memorial
The Queenslander, Brisbane 16 October 1915
Cairns Post 11 September 1915 p4
Other Resources
The First Expeditionary Force: the Thursday Island Expedition: a collection of reference documents. Denis Bird, 2015 [CDFHS Library]
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