Three Unanderra brothers volunteered to serve in WW1

By Lisa Hutton, a senior library officer in the Local Studies department

When three of Charles Neaves’ sons signed up to serve in World War 1, he had to bear the worry alone. With their mother Emma Jane (Massey) Neaves already dead, Charles and his remaining children were left, like so many other Illawarra families to wait for news from the front.

First to enlist was Private Alfred Ernest Neaves, a Unanderra labourer, born in 1891. Alfred embarked with the 12th Light Horse in June 1915 and served at Gallipoli with the 6th Light Horse. In September 1915 he was shot in the neck, evacuated to the casualty clearing station on the beach, and died there. He is buried at the Beach Cemetery Gallipoli.

Younger brother Henry Herbert Neaves, a law clerk, born in 1892 enlisted at age 22. He arrived in Egypt before being sent to Gallipoli shortly after his brother's death.

After the Gallipoli evacuation, he was transferred to the 45th battalion and sent to the Western Front where he received a gun-shot wound to the back and was evacuated to England for treatment. In 1918 Henry was awarded the Military Cross.

He returned to Australia in 1919, working as a lawyer before passing away in 1933.

A third brother, George Neaves enlisted in July 1915. However, his father wrote to the Army stating that as one son had died, and a second was at the front, would they discharge George as he was under 18 years of age.

George was discharged on 15 February 1916.

To honour the men and women from the Illawarra who have served in the military Wollongong City Libraries has created Illawarra Remembers 1914-1918