2046 Private Eric Stuart Ball, a farmer born in Cootamundra, was 21 years of age when he enlisted at the RAS Showgrounds, Sydney on 11 April 1916. After a standard 4-months’ training, he embarked on the Anchises on 24 August 1916, arriving in England on 11 October 1916. The voyage took seven weeks (all troopships carrying Australian reinforcements to England had to travel via South Africa).
Ball crossed to France on 21 November 1916 and was taken on strength of the 35th Battalion. In May 1917, Ball was gassed, resulting in him spending months in hospitals both in France and England. Ball returned to his battalion in France in January 1918 and he fought on until he was killed in action on 5 April 1918. His body was never found, hence his name on Australia’s National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux. This memorial has the names of 11,000 Australian soldiers of the First World War who died in France but have no known grave.
Eric's brother, George Forester Ball, also died in the war. He enlisted under the name 3871 Harold Francis Melville.
Private Eric Ball is honoured on the:
- Junee Reefs First World War Memorial
- Junee War Memorial Clock Tower
- Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial, Canberra.