Darcy Allan GRAINER
Year of Birth: 1896
Place of Birth: Limestone, Queensland, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 11 October 1915
Date and Place of Embarkation: 30 March 1916 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Ship: HMAT Star of Victoria A16
Rank: Private
Unit(s): 26th Australian Infantry Battalion
Regimental Number: 4414
Died: 29 July 1916
Darcy Allan Grainer was born on 14 October 1896 at Limestone, Queensland, the fifth of eleven children of Frank Grainer and Jane (nee Burchell). Their family were Frank (b. 1887), Joseph Charles (b. 1890 and died at 5 months of age), Ronald Albert (b. 1891), Lynda (b. 1893), Allan Darcy (as registered in 1896), May Jane (b. 1899), Samuel Ernest (b. 1901), Eva (b. 1904), Vera (b. 1906), Donald (b. 1908) and Harold Lawrence (b. 1910).
The family were living in Thornborough via Cairns when father, Frank, a storekeeper died on 20 June 1912, leaving his wife to raise 10 children on her own. She continued to run the store until 1919 when she moved to Cairns.
Darcy Grainer joined others from the Thornborough district to travel to Townsville to enlist in the A.I.F. then on to Brisbane.
When he enlisted Private Grainer was 19 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall with a dark complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He was Church of England. As his father was dead, he nominated his mother, Jane Grainer, as his next of kin.
The Cairns Post at the time reported on their movements –
He embarked on the HMAT A16 Star of Victoria from Brisbane on 30 March 1916.
He arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, then proceeded to Marseilles, France on the HMT Scotian on 18 May 1916. He proceeded to Etaples, Frances to join his unit on 26 July and was taken on strength on the 28 July. He was reported missing the next day and a Court of Enquiry by the Commanding Office of 26th Battalion declared him killed in action.
His death was reported back home in the Cairns Post 23 September 1916.
He is remembered at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Picardie, France.
His mother eventually received his War Medals in 1922.
Online Resources
NAA: B2455 (GRAINER D A) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Australian Light Horse Studies Centre
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
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