Gordon Clarence Corbould

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BiographyGordon Corbould originally enlisted in the Royal Navy and then transferred to the Australian Navy and was posted to the submarine service on board AE1.

AE1 was Australia's first submarine, commissioned on 28 February 1914.

Together with her sister ship, AE2, she took part in the capture of Rabaul, German New Guinea, on 13 September 1914, Australia's first major military action of the war.

The following day, when patrolling with HMAS Parramatta, Australia's first battleship, the submarine disappeared, with the loss of 35 men, representing Australia's first significant casualties.

AE1 was found in 2017, it was found at a depth of 300 metres and was seen to be well preserved and in one piece. It was discovered that the submarine's rear torpedo tube was fully opened which may have led to her sinking.

It is a registered war grave.

Incidentally, HMAS Parramatta was abandoned in the Hawkesbury River in the 1930s, and its remains can still be found on a mud bank near Brooklyn.Age25Date of Death14 September 1914EducatedSydney High School, NSW Last edited by: Neil Chippendale

RelationshipsSon of Mr and Mrs Ernest and Alice Corbould, of 'Ashledoin', Essex Road, Epping, NSW.TitleEpping War MemorialLocationEpping

Service Information

Service number7297 Last edited by: Neil Chippendale

RankLeading SeamanRegimentHMAS AE1, Royal Australian NavyPlace of enlistmentWaverley, NSWPlace of deathNew GuineaMemorial/Cemetery Plymouth Naval Memorial, EnglandEpping War MemorialMemorial NotesAlso commemorated on Plymouth Naval Memorial in England and a memorial plaque at the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club in Sydney where he had worked as a lifesaver. Last edited by: Neil Chippendale

KeywordsFirst World War Last edited by: Neil Chippendale

Epping

WW1

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Gordon Clarence Corbould