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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Bertie, Joseph (1073)

Place of Birth: Bendigo, VIC

Age: 30 years 5 months

Enlistment Details: Thursday, 1 July 1915 – Melbourne, VIC

Service Number: 1073            view online service record

Address:
162 Station Street
Port Melbourne, VIC

Next of Kin:
E Bertie (mother)
162 Station Street
Port Melbourne, VIC

Embarkation Details:
Date: Wednesday, 10 November 1915
Ship: HMAT Ascanius A11
Port: Melbourne, VIC
Unit: 29th Infantry Battalion

Fate:
RTA: Tuesday, 12 March 1918
Discharged: Friday, 28 June 1918

Awards: MM


Joe Bertie (seated centre, drinking) in the trenches during WWI. Courtesy Charlie A Lawson.
Joseph Bertie, How-to-vote card for Port Melbourne Council election 1951. PMHPS Collection

Joe Bertie was born in Bendigo, VIC on 8 February 1885. He gave his mother, Mrs E Bertie as next of kin when he enlisted on 1 July 1915 at Melbourne. It is noted on his papers that his father was deceased.

Joe’s mother later lived at 131 Graham Street and after she remarried to a man called Williams she lived at 19 Station Street.

Joe was a stevedore and after the war lived at 33 Nott Street. He founded Port Phillip Returned Soldiers & Sailors Stevedoring, a forerunner of Strangs Stevedoring. Joe was elected to Port Melbourne Council on 23 August 1934, retiring on 25 August 1951 having served as Mayor in 1943-44.

His son John, with Alec James founded the Port Melbourne Colts Football Club.

Port Melbourne Mayor, Joseph Bertie c 1943. City of Port Phillip Collection.

1917 ‘ELECTRIC SPARKS’, Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1920), 3 March, p. 3. , viewed 08 Feb 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88367777

8 Comments

  • Brian Membrey
    Posted August 1, 2016 8.44 am 0Likes

    Second World War : Born 8 February, 1885 (Bendigo), enlisted 3 October, 1939, served V80223, Private, 12 Garrison Battalion, locality on enlistment Port Melbourne, Attested Melbourne NOK Elsie BERTIE . Discharged 13 May, 1941

  • Brendan Berti
    Posted April 25, 2018 1.44 am 0Likes

    Joe was my Grand Father thinking of him and my Father John J Berti

  • Helen Horn
    Posted November 2, 2018 8.47 am 0Likes

    Joe was my Mum’s great uncle! Lovely to read all about him on here xx

  • Charles Albert Lawson
    Posted October 2, 2019 6.54 pm 0Likes

    My Grand Mother Marie ( Berti) Salmon was Joe’s close sister and Joe used to take my brother Joe and myself Rabbiting when he was Fossicking for different minerals around Kyneton and Bendigo A Great Old Bloke many pleasant memories of him

  • Charles Lawson
    Posted September 19, 2023 2.23 pm 0Likes

    I can also remember as a 5 or 6 year old delivering how to vote papers to houses for my Great Uncle Joe . They stated vote for the decorated Digger. The voting was done in a tent in the gardens opposite the Clare Castle Hotel

    • David Thompson
      Posted September 19, 2023 8.23 pm 0Likes

      Thanks Charles,

      Interesting how elections are the same these days yet just a bit different.

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