Hermann Arthur Booth (SN 1119) was born in Ballarat and attended the Dana Street State School before he enlisted as an 18 year old clerk on October 2nd 1914. He embarked in December with the 5th Infantry Battalion and took part in the Gallipoli landing on April 25th 1915. He suffered a face wound in May and was evacuated to Egypt, rejoining his unit in late July. Just two weeks later he sustained a gunshot wound to the back during the August Offensive and was again evacuated to hospital, first at Malta and then on to England. He was then assessed as unfit for further active service and was returned to Australia aboard the Themistocles and discharged in July 1916.
He re-enlisted on June 22nd 1917 (SN 3360) and once again sailed from Australia, joining the 57th Battalion in France in December. This time he avoided wounds and at war’s end returned aboard the Pakeha disembarking on November 24th 1919. Not content with two periods of service, in November 1920 he enlisted in the Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (SN 1471) whose task was to oversee the previous German territory at Rabaul in New Guinea.