Horace Archibald DAVIES

Year of Birth:  1894

Place of Birth:  Normanton, Queensland

Date of Enlistment:  24 December 1914

Date and Place of Embarkation:  13 February 1915, Brisbane, Queensland

Ship:  HMAT Seang Bee A48

Rank:  Private

Unit(s):  9th Australian Infantry Battalion – 1 to 9 Reinforcements

Regimental Number:  1338

Died:  17 July 1918

Private H A Davies Photo courtesy State Library of Queensland

Horace Archibald Davies was born 3 April 1895 to Moses Llewellyn Davies and Catherine Bardsley.  He was one of 5 children, Herbert Montague born 1897, Dorinda Cathrine Wyben born 1901, Claude Llewellyn born 1905 and James Lloyd 1911.

On his enlistment in Enoggera, Horace was 19 years 9 months of age, occupation a farm hand and gave his next of kin as his father, Moses Llewellyn Davies, McLeod St., Cairns.  He had been a Trainee for 2 years and spent 1 year in the School Cadets.  His height was 5 feet 5 ¾ inches, weighed 154 pounds with fair complexion, grey eyes and brown hair.  He gave his religion as Church of England.

Horace embarked on the HMAT Seang Bee in 1915.  He contracted measles and was later admitted to hospital with Enteritis. He was returned to Australia on the Kanowna on the 10 March 1916 suffering from “Post Dysenterie Debility”.  Horace re-embarked on the HMAT Demosthenes A64 on 23 December 1916.

Promoted to Temporay Lance Corporal 25 September 1917; he was wounded in action 7 October 1917.

Horace Archibald Davies was killed in action in France 17 July 1918 and buried in the Adelaide Military Cemetery 2 ½ miles south of Corbie, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France.

He is also remembered in the Martyn Street Cemetery on the headstone of his aunt Jane Bardsley who died 5 July 1925.

HMAT Seang Bee
NAA B2455

Online Resources

Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages

Photograph of the HMAT Seang Bee A48, Australian War Memorial

Photograph Horace Archibald Davies, State Library Queensland

NAA: B2455, Horace Archibald Davies, Natonal Archives of Australia

Australian War Memorial

If you have a photograph or further information about this soldier you would like to share and add to his biography, please contact the Society at projects@cdfhs.org or leave a comment below. Thank you!

Leave a Reply