Historical information

Sydney William Phefley was born in Wodonga, Victoria on 5th November 1896 to Christian Phefley and Martha nee Schultz. He was their third son and eighth child in a family of 17 children.

Sydney enlisted in Melbourne on 4th August 1915 and was allocated to 29th Battalion Machine Gun Section. On 10th November 1915 he embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT Ascanius and saw service in Egypt and on the Western Front. In March 1916 Sydney was promoted to Sergeant. During that year he was also hospitalised for a minor case of mumps in Cairo in March and then for a case of trench foot in England in December.

In February 1918, Sergeant Phefley was accepted into the Officer Cadet Battalion which included the completion of an Officers Training Course at Oxford. In October 1918 he was transferred to the 32nd Battalion and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in December 1918. Lieutenant Phefley returned to Australia on 15th May 1919 and was discharged on 22nd August 1919.

Sydney was later employed by the Victorian Railways as an engine driver. He married Mary Johanna Hogan on 15th October 1924. Sydney William Phefley died in Moe, Victoria on 16th January 1973.

Significance

This image is significant because it portrays a member of a prominent Wodonga family who served Australia during World War I.

Physical description

A framed black and white image of Sydney William Phefley in Uniform