This year is the centenary of the landing at Gallipoli. When I first thought about writing a book about the No 1 Australian Stationary Hospital I was hoping to publish the book in 2015 to coincide with the anniversary. However as I do not do this professionally or for money then it was a little ambitious with all the other things happening with life. However this does not stop me researching for the book as it will be written and the story of the men and women that served with this hospital will be told.
The book will include, where possible, a biography of each member of the unit.
LSGT Luck taken at Gallipoli
Here I wanted to share the life of one of those men – LSGT Sidney Luck.
Sidney Ivor Luck was born Srool Itzek Luck in Zamostie, Lublin, Russia (today Poland) on 16 Mar 1887. He commenced his childhood learning Russian before moving to England with his parents when he was young. Sidney Luck lived in London and attended the Royal School of Mines in South Kensington as well as studying at the University of London completing a Bachelor of Science degree. At the conclusion of his study, he was instructed by the Institution of Mining Metallurgy to travel to Australia and work in Broken Hill as a Surveyor. He arrived in Adelaide aboard the Grosser Kurfurst on 01 Mar 1912 before traveling to Broken Hill. Luck worked in the ‘Wolverhurst’ mine for two years before leaving Broken Hill to return to Adelaide in order to volunteer for the Australian Medical Corps. Enlisting as a private, Luck was promoted to Corporal in October 1914 and Lance Sergeant in November 1914 before the unit had even departed Adelaide. Sidney Luck served with the No 1 Australian Stationary Hospital in Egypt, Lemnos and Gallipoli. He discharged from the AIF in England on 22 Jul 1916 before being appointed a commission, with probation, as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers, Chatham. Luck would serve with the 33rd Base Park Company, Royal Engineers in Salonica (Macedonian Front) between 30 Sep 1916 and 04 Jan 1919 before moving to Constantinople as part of the occupation force between 05 Jan 1919 to 18 Feb 1919. After the war, Captain Sidney Luck returned to England and married Isobel Gertrude Warnock at Hackney that same year. The following year he would be bestowed the Order of the White Eagle 5th Class with Swords in 1920 from HM King of Serbia as well as the Order of the British Empire for his war service.
In 1936, Sidney Luck was a member of the ‘The British Eclipse Expedition’ which travelled to Omsk in Western Siberia to conduct Astronomy tests and observations of a total eclipse of the sun on the 19 Jun 1936. Sidney had a book published of his experiences by Macmillan in 1938 entitled “Observation in Russia” which was dedicated to his wife. On the outbreak of World War II, Sidney Luck was given an emergency commission on the 26 Sep 1939 as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers and rose to the rank of Major becoming the Deputy Assistant Director for the Quartermaster General. After the war Sidney travelled regularly to Gibraltar and pre-deceased his wife and daughter on 28 Nov 1954.