Samuel Edmund Tucker was born in Ballarat and was a Masseur by trade when he enlisted in the 39th Battalion, B Company as a Captain on 1 May 1916 at the age of 38. His unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 27 May 1916. On June 7th 1917 he was wounded in action (gassed) at Messines in Belgium. This led to a series of hospitalisations – wounded, ædilated action of the heart' and appendicitis – that kept him away from the battlefield for most of the next year and it was decided he should be returned to Australia.

Prior to his hospitalisation he had served with distinction, earning a recommendation for the French Legion of Honour æMajor Tucker has been with the Battalion since its formation in February 1916. During the frequent absences of the Commanding Officer and the Second in Command he shared the heavy task of satisfactorily carrying on the work of the battalion. He has always carried out his military duties in a conspicuously efficient manner.' (The award was never made.) He arrived back in Melbourne in September 1918 and his AIF appointment was terminated two weeks later. He resumed his military career after the war, with the 8th Battalion. After unfavourable assessments in 1924 and 1925, in October 1926 he was assessed as suitable for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Tree No. 2381