Stanley Robert Ferris

Stanley Ferris was born in Bathurst, N.S.W.  He enlisted with the Australian Naval and Military Tropical Force on 16th August 1914 (Service No 106) and embarked from Sydney for Rabaul, New Guinea on board HMAT A35 Berrima on 19th August 1914.  He returned to Australia at the end of his 6 months service and enlisted in the AIF on 9th June 1916.

At enlistment with AIF (Service No 29272), Stanley was single, 26 years old and had been working with the police service as a constable.  Initially he nominated his mother, Emma Ferris of Sutherland, as his next of kin, but this was changed to his sister, Mrs Blue of Thirroul.

He embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A60 Aeneas with Howitzer Brigade 117 on 30th September 1916, and arrived in England on 19th November 1916.  He served in England until 4th October when he arrived in France where he joined 5th Brigade Artillery on 15th December 1917.

Stanley saw service on the Western Front; he was promoted to Corporal on 16th June 1918.  On 20th February 1919 he was admitted to hospital in England suffering from myalgia, and returned to Australia in April 1919.  Stanley was finally discharged from the AIF on 6th June 1920, medically unfit.

In 1920 he married Ruby Smithhurst, and found employment as a used car salesman.

In August 1928 Stanley was arrested and charged, in error, with assault on a policeman.  A fight had broken out at a football match at Arncliffe and plainscloth police, mistaking Stanley for one of the rioters, struck him.  Because the policeman was in plain clothes, Stanley retaliated, thinking he was being attacked by one of the rioters, and was immediately arrested.  At the subsequent Kogorah police court hearing, the true story came out, and all charges were withdrawn, police being satisified that Stanley was not one of the rioters, and was in fact trying to assist the police.

Stanley died in 1963 and is buried in Woronora Cemetery.  His service is commemorated at the Thirroul-Woodward Memorial park.