About Edward Mofflin

Edward Mofflin was born in 1888 in South Australia to Horace and Margaret Mofflin. He was the eighth and youngest child born to the couple, who had emigrated from New Zealand after 1880. The family lived in Adelaide for around ten years and then moved to Fremantle, Western Australia. Horace worked as a mine agent, then as a wool, skin and hide merchant under H.E. Mofflin & Co. Ltd. Edward served 4 years in the 4th Battalion, 7th Royal Fusilers.

Broome Connection

Edward’s older brother William Horace became a sailor at an early age. In 1908 William was listed as a pearler in the Wise Post Office Directories and Ted joined him in the industry. The brothers travelled from Broome to Perth together to enlist in the AIF.

War Service

Ted and his brother William were posted to the 11th Battalion, D Company. The pair were among the first to enlist in the war effort in Western Australia and were shipped to Egypt aboard the Ascanius. Edward was promoted to Corporal before the ship sailed in February. The 11th Battalion was one of the first ashore at Gallipoli and landed astride of the Ari Burnu Promontory and struck inland to Plugges Plateau through the tangle of scrub and steep gullies. Their original objective was to be along Third (aka Gun) Ridge north of Scrubby Knoll. Like the rest of the landing force they were to be thwarted by the terrain and the Ottoman response and were held to the Second Ridge line along which the ANZAC position was consolidated.

Ted was promoted to Sergeant in May after the landing at Gallipoli. He became ill not long after his promotion and was sent back to England to recuperate. In June of 1916 he was transferred to the 51st Battalion, who arrived in France on the 12th June, and moved into the trenches of the Western Front within a fortnight. Edward was wounded in action in early July and was admitted to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station of gun shot wounds to the elbow and legs. He died of those wounds four days later and was buried at Estaires Communal Cemetery and Extension, Estaires, Nord Pas de Calais, France.

Enlistment Details

Newspaper Articles

Other Online Resources

View Edward Mofflin at the National Archives of Australia
View Edward Mofflin at the Australian War Memorial