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Norman S Cramp, Director of Darwin Military Museum Over 400 Territorians volunteered for service during the Great War, most returned, these are just four who did not make it home.
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AuthorWritten by Norman Cramp, Director Darwin Military Museum.  Private Matthew Garr circa 1915. (Source: National Archives of Australia, Discovering Anzacs website – Profiles, Matthew Garr, SERN 428). Matthew Garr, also spelt Ga, Gar and Gah, was one of five children: four boys and one girl, born to Filipino/Australians Carlos and Mary Anne Garr on Thursday Island, Queensland in 1889. Matthew was the twin of William and was most likely residing on Bathurst Island prior to enlisting in the 1st AIF in September 1915.
There is some confusion as to Matthew’s date and place of enlist, as one form on his file, his ‘Application To Enlist In the Australian Imperial Force’, records he enlisted at Darwin on 18th September 1915, while another form states he was enlisted, or at least sworn in at sea aboard the HMAT Demostheues (Ship A64) while enroute to England. This form records he enlisted at Brisbane on 20th October 1915, however, that has been ruled through and the details of him being enlisted at sea written in. AuthorBy Norman Cramp, Director of Darwin Military Museum.  The young boy in the bottom right hand corner of this photograph is believed to be Alexander McKinnon. (Source Northern Territory Library, hdl:10070/214497). Alexander (aka: Alex) McKinnon was born at Charlotte Waters, South Australia, in 1889, the son of James McKinnon and an Aboriginal Woman named Cobb. Little is known of Alex’s younger life, but it is known that his father later married a Caucasian woman named Alice, who then became Alex’s step-mother.
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