DU BOIS, Edmond

Edmond Du Bois was the son of Rene Du Bois of 99 Hotham St., East Melbourne. He was just over 22 when he enlisted, a signwriter by trade and with some military experience through having served two and a half years in the Cadets. He began training with the 22nd Depot Battalion at Royal Park, Melbourne,  on 9 September, 1916, but a month later was moved to the Domain, where he was taken on strength with the C Company Reserves. He stayed with the Reserves until 28 November, and was then assigned to the 8th Reinforcements, 60th Battalion. He finally embarked for England on HMAT 'Medic' on 16 December, 1916,  taking the rank of temporary Corporal of the 15th Training Battalion, for the duration of the voyage only.They landed at Plymouth on 18 February, 1917.

From Plymouth, Private Edmond Du Bois was sent to Hurdcott, and again given a promotion to Acting Corporal of the 15th Training Battalion. On 25 May, he was again promoted to Corporal and sent to the Musketry School of Instruction at Tidworth, where he qualified as having 'a fair knowledge' of the Lewis Gun. In July, he was transferred from the 15th Battalion, this time to the 66th Battalion, where he again reverted to Private. He stayed with them until 2 October, 1917, when he promoted to Lance Corporal of the 38th Battalion and sent to France. 

The 38th Battalion had arrived in France in late November, 1916, and moved into the trenches of the Western Front on 1 December. The winter was bitter and the troops were mainly engaged in raiding the Greman Trenches. In February, 1917, a special force of 800 men was raised from the 37th and 38th Battalions as a 'raiding party'. on 27 February, they engeged in a single 35 minute raid, and were then disbanded. 

In June, the 38th Battalion fought at the battle for Messines. On 4 October, they were engaged at Broodseinde, near Ypres,  and 12 October at Passchendaele, in Flanders, where the casualties were horrendous. Edmond Du Bois had joined them in September, so would have taken part in both these battles. 

On 13 October, however, he was admitted to hospital in France with trench feet.  This was a medical condition which occurred from the feet being exposed to damp, insanitary and cold conditions for prolonged period. Affected feet become numb and swell. They begin to smell as a result of necrosis setting in, which if untreated, turns into gangrene, necessitating amputation. If treated, however, the fett can rewcover, although recovery causes intense pain and the sufferer will always be affected by cold in the future. Edmond Du Bois was sent back to engand and admitted to the  No. 16 Canadian Hospital at Orpington.

His case cannot have been assessed as severe, because on 5 November, he was sent once more to France and served as a Lance Corporal with the 40th Battalion.  He remained on the Western Front until May, 1919, when his service finally came to an end, returning to Australia on board the 'Rio Padro' on 27 May. He was discharged from the army on 20 August, 1919. 

Edmond Du Bois was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.In 1919, he was living in Melbourne and working again as a signwriter. By 1931, an Edmond Amedi Du Bois is living at Lake Wallace, Edenhope, earning his living as a grazier, along Francois Charles Du Bois and his wife, Julie Eugenie, perhaps his brother. In 1931, Edmond is married to Anne and the couple were still living at Edenhope. They were still there in 1954, at which time he woud have been around 60 years of age.