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Edgar Reginald PACKER was born at Adelaide on 12 th July 1889, the Son of Job and Elizabeth Packer, of Basket Range. He had a sister the family called “Nessie”. Edgar was known to family and friends as ”Ted”. He was educated at the Basket Range Public School, after which he was employed by Mr. W. T. Cramond as a fruit grower. Later he moved to Waikerie, where he was employed at the Government irrigation works as a “teamster” (a Bullocky). He was very active in football and cricket playing for WAIKERIE. In about 1911, Ted became father to a daughter, Muriel Ruth SCHENKE. She stayed with her mother, Flora SCHENKE. By 1922 Flora had married a returned serviceman, an orchardist, Allen McLAREN and was living in WAIKERIE with Muriel being treated by Mr McLAREN as his own daughter. Ted enlisted (after several unsuccessful attempts) on January 18, 1916. He may have ‘forgotten’ his previous attempts as he endorsed the paperwork saying he had never been rejected previously! He enlisted and attested at ADELAIDE. Ted went immediately into camp, first allocated to the 9 th Light Horse, but then being quickly changed to the newly formed 43 rd Battalions strength. The 43 rd sailed from South Australia on June 9, 1916 aboard “HMAT AFRIC”. After further training on Salisbury Plain, the 43 rd left for France arriving in Marseilles on 20-7-1916. The battalion moved to the dreaded Western Front in an exceptionally wet winter. Ted moved into the trenches for the first time in late December, just in time for the onset of the terrible winter of 1916-17. The battalion was in the Ypres Sector of Belgium in mid-1917; this was where the battle of Messines was launched on 7 th June. The 43rd Battalion spent 1917 bogged in bloody trench warfare in Flanders. On the 30 th June 1917, Ted was in the front line trenches at Messines when he received a gunshot wound to the head. Ted was moved to a dressing station and then to the 9 th Field Ambulance and to the Number 3 General Hospital at Boulogne. From there he was transferred to a convalescent camp until the 27 th July 1917 when he returned the front lines with the 43 rd . On the night of 31 st July 1917, Ted and the 43rd moved forward to attack and take a German strongpoint called “The Windmill” in front of their position at Messines. They took the point but were very quickly heavily attacked and retreated. Immediately preparing to charge again and retake the point, the 43 rd were heavily bombarded, they charged forward and retook the position, but during these actions Ted was “Killed in Action”. Although he was buried, his grave on the battlefront could not be located after the war and as such Ted’s body was never recovered. As Edgar PACKER has no known grave. He is commemorated on the MENIN GATE at YPRES. This gate was one of only two entries into the medieval fortified city. It was through this gate that allied soldiers, including Ted and the Australians,
