The Two Local Kangaroo Marchers
Henry MouldsThe plaque in the Illabo Memorial Gardens records the names of two men from the area around Illabo who joined the 1915 Kangaroo March, the country recruiting drive that began in Wagga Wagga NSW and ended at the Domain in Sydney. At just over 560 kilometres, it was the longest of the recruiting marches.
The two men who joined the march were 1713 Miles Robert Edward Pettiford, a 23 year old labourer and 1740 Gus Stevens, a 19 year old labourer. Both men were allocated to the 55th Battalion AIF and embarked for Europe on board HMAT A40 Ceramic on 14 April 1916.
Private Gus Stevens died of wounds on the 13th of October 1916 and is buried in the Estaires Communal Cemetery in France. His name can be found on panel 161 in the First World War section of the AWM Roll of Honour.
Private Miles Pettiford survived the war and returned to Australia on the 19th of October 1918. He died on the 4th of August 1967. There is a plaque in his memory in the New South Wales Garden of Remembrance.
