BALME, Gerald Archibald

Gerald Archibald Balme was born in St. Kilda, Victoria, and went to school at Brighton Grammar. He was recruited from school to the St Kilda Football Club, playing for St Kilda from 1902-06, before moving to Perth, Western Australia. In 1907, he was playing as Captain of the West Perth Football Club, a position he held in 1907, 1910, 1911 and 1912, before transferring back to Victoria in 1915, where he joined St Kilda for one season, taking his final tally of games to 91. He was known as 'a dashing and authoritative defender. Upon moving to West Perth in 1907, he continued as defender, but soon developed as a first rate centreman.'

Gerald Balme was an Insurance Inspector by profession, aged 30 years old, when he enlisted at Geelong on 21/6/1916. He was an accountant by training, married to Ivy Matilda Balme and was living at 4 George Street, East Melbourne. He trained at Geelong with No.2 Battery, before being placed as Sergeant with the 10/29th Battalion. He embarked for the front on board HMAT Port Melbourne A16 on 21/10/1916, stopping at Devonport, before proceeding to England. By April, 1917, he was in training as an Acting Sergeant and a Qualified Expert in bomb throwing at the S.C. Bombing School at Lyndhurst. Following this, he transferred to the 70th Battalion from the 29th, initially as a Staff Sergeant, but on his own request, reverting to Private. He remained with them from 31 July to 1 August, 1917. In mid-October, he was sent overseas to France via Southampton with the 69th  Battalion to reinforce the 29th Battalion and fought in both France and Belgium. The 29th's major involvements during this time were at Polygon Wood in September, 1917, the attack at Morlancourt in August and September 1918, and the attack on the Hindenburg Line in September,1918.

On 18 March, 1918, Gerald Balme was wounded in action and was admitted to hospital with gas poisoning. He was sent back to England on board the Pieter de Cornich on 26 March and was transferred to the County of Middlesex Hospital, Napsbury. On 5 April, he was again transferred, this time to the Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Deptford.

Having recovered from the gas attack, Gerald Balme was sent to the 48th Army course at the Senior Offiers School,  Aldershot and remained there until he was returned to Australia on board the Port Melbourne, 5 July, 1919. He disembarked at Melbourne on 20 August, 1919, and returned to East Melbourne to live. By 1924, he and Ivy had moved to Carramer Avenue, Camberwell, with Gerald returned to his old job as an Insurance Manager. He was still there in 1931, but after that, is not listed in the Electoral Rolls. His wife, known as Billie, died on 24 June, 1945, at Johannesberg, South Africa. He was still alive then, but would have been eighty years old.

The State Library of NSW has a letter to his wife from England, dated 29 April, 1918, enclosing an m.s. Transcript of his shorthand diary as the sergeant of a working party on Messines Ridge, Belgium, 15-18 December, 1917.