By all accounts Herbert Edward Kidd enjoyed the nomadic life; his obituary in the Leader claimed: “He commenced his roving at an early age [and] seldom remained in any one centre for more than a few months”.*
Born in Lucknow in 1882, Herbert was the fourth of five children of blacksmith William Kidd and his wife Mary (nee Hennessey). Herbert enlisted for war service in April 1916 and entered Dubbo training camp. In June he was transferred to Liverpool and in July was assigned as a gunner to the 1st Heavy Trench Mortar Battery.
Herbert embarked for overseas duty in September 1916, arriving in Plymouth in early November. He served initially in England; in March 1917 he joined the 4th Division Ammunition Column in France.
Gunner Kidd was hospitalised on several occasions during his service. He was transferred to England in January 1918 and returned to Australia in June. He was discharged from the AIF in October 1918 due to ill-health.
In 1918 Herbert married Mary Follington in Sydney. Their marriage lasted barely a year; Herbert became a widower following Mary’s death in 1919.
On New Year’s Eve in 1928 Herbert was crossing Summer Street in Orange when he was struck by a car. He was taken to hospital suffering a fractured skull and several broken bones. Herbert passed away from his injuries on 30 January 1929, aged 46. He is buried in Orange Cemetery.
* Leader, 1 February 1929, p. 6.
