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Private David Earnest Wolff

Commemorated at
Given name
D E
Family name
Wolff
Gender
Male
Service number
7609
Conflicts
First World War, 1914–18
Campaign
Somme 1918
Fate
Killed in action (KIA)
Fate date
04 July 1918
Additional information
Last held rank
Private
Unit at embarkation
13th Battalion
Service
Australian Army - First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF)
Veteran Notes/Bio

The Wolff brothers, 3506 Arthur Carlson Wolff and 7609 David Earnest Wolff, one of seven sets of brothers on the Auburn War Memorial, were both in the 13th Battalion, Fourth Australian Division at the time of their deaths. They attended Auburn Public School and their names are on the First World War honour roll of St Philip’s Anglican Church Auburn, even though David gave ‘Baptist’ as his religion on enlistment. Both brothers nominated their parents living at 33 Susan Street, Auburn as their next-of-kin. Younger brother, labourer David Wolff, 21, enlisted in Inverell, NSW on 2 April 1917. He embarked on the Marathon a month later arriving in Devonport, United Kingdom on 20 July 1917. Crossing to France on 7 December 1917, David was initially taken on strength of the 1st Battalion but on 2 March 1918 he was transferred to the 13th Battalion to be with his brother. They were in the 13th Battalion together for just two months before Arthur was killed in action on 3 May 1918. David was killed in action in the battle of Le Hamel, 4 July 1918. For both his sons, Arthur and David, their father chose the inscription 'HE WAS BELOVED BY US ALL' but the inscriptions were never used for neither body was ever found. The names of Arthur and David Wolff are inscribed on the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux.

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