Christopher Henry Gage

From The Orange Wiki

Revision as of 23:59, 3 July 2014 by 150admin (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are warned that content on this page may contain images and references to deceased persons.


GAGE, Christopher Henry

Service no: 2158 [1]

Place of birth: Eugowra

Address: Orange

Occupation: Rabbit grader

Next of kin: Violet May Gage (nee Newton) (wife), 79 Dalton Street, Orange, later Kia Ora, Chappell Street, Bankstown

Date of enlistment: 4 April 1916

Place of enlistment: Dubbo

Age at enlistment: 28

Fate: Joined camp at Dubbo 4 April 1916. Joined 54th Depot Battalion at Bathurst 21 April 1916. Embarked HMAT Boorara A42 Sydney 19 August 1916. Disembarked Plymouth 13 October 1916. Proceeded to France 14 December 1916. Appointed Lance Corporal 15 April 1917. Killed in action, Belgium.

Date of death: 26 September 1917

Buried: New Irish Farm British Cemetery, Belgium, Plot 34, Row E, Grave 13


Christopher Henry Gage and his brother Charles Alfred Gage were born in Eugowra to Christopher Henry Gage (Snr) and his wife Mary (nee Sloane). They were two eight known Aboriginal servicemen from the Orange area, and they were both killed in action.

Christopher was living in Orange with his wife Violet and their two young sons, when he enlisted in April 1916. He spent two weeks at camp in Dubbo, before joining the 54th Battalion at Bathurst. Gage embarked from Sydney in August 1916, and arrived in England in October. He proceeded to France in December 1916, less than two weeks after his younger brother Charles was killed there.

In April 1917 Christopher was promoted to Lance Corporal. On the night of 24 September Gage’s unit was moved into the front line trenches, where they remained until the morning of 26 September, awaiting their orders. They came under fierce attack at 5.45am, and shelling continued all day. The following morning Gage and four of his comrades were found, having been struck by a shell that killed them all instantaneously.

Lieutenant JAS Mitchell wrote a letter of condolence to Gage’s widow, Violet, describing him as “a very popular man” who “died a game death”. Lance Corporal Gage’s name appears on the Patrician Brothers’ Roll of Honour.

Violet and her sons, Noel and Walter posted the following poem in Christopher’s death notice in The Leader:

Killed in action, the cable said,

That is all the tale they tell

Of the soldier brave who loved us,

Of the one we loved so well.

How his life was spent, we know not,

What the last word, look or thought,

Only that he did his duty,

Died as bravely as he fought.

Personal tools