Roy Luke Cantrill was born in Orange in 1898, the youngest of nine children born to Joseph Cantrill and Sarah Ann Richards. The family were living in Trundle when WWI broke out, and Roy enlisted in March 1916, aged 18. He embarked in Sydney in September 1916 and proceeded to France in December, a Private in the 19th Battalion.
Roy was hospitalised in February 1917, and was shot by a German sniper just two weeks after he was released. He was 18. Sgt Davies of the 19th Battalion described him as “a quiet man and much liked among the boys.”
Cantrill Street in Trundle was named in Roy’s honour. His name appears on the Honour Roll at the Soldier’s Memorial Hall in Trundle, alongside that of his brother, Matthew, who also served during WWI.
* Cantrill, Peter W. 1998, Cantrill ancestry: the history of Cantrills in Australia
Western Champion, 12 April 1917, p. 23.
Roy Luke Cantrill memorial service
