Picture of Louis' name, mentioned on the Menin gate.
Louis Henry Eitelberg junior (his father was also called Louis Henry Eitelberg) was born in 1890. One year later the family was living at 6 Pytchley Road, Rushden Northamptonshire. Around 1909 the whole family, with exception of two sisters, emigrated to Australia and settled in the city of Melbourne. It's possible that this move was brought about by the increasing anti jewish sentiment being expressed in England at the time. Louis Junior (also known as uncle Harry) enlisted in the 23rd battalion, 2nd reinforcement of the Australian Army on the 19th May 1917, embarking for Egypt on the 16th July 1915. At the time of his enlistment he was a hotel porter and the family was living at 67 Cobden Street, Kew, Victoria. From Egypt, on the 30th August he was to join his antipodean comrades in the hell hole that is known as Gallipoli fighting the Turkish forces. He survived this, unlike many of his comrades, and was evacuated on the 7th of January 1916 back to Egypt. On the 19th March he was tranferred to the Western Front in France. The term, out of the frying pan into the fire, comes to mind. Whilst in France he was promoted through the junior ranks to Sergeant on the 2nd October 1916. The 5th of November 1916 must have seemed like heaven to Louis as he was to spend the next six months away from the horrors of the front line when he was appointed to No. 2 officer cadet battalion at Pembroke College, Cambridge in England. He was able to spend time in Northampton with his sister Maud (one of the sister that didn't move to Australia) during this period. On the 31st of March 1917 he was appointed as 2nd lieutenant and on the 27th of April he returned to France but was not taken onto the strength of the 23th Battalion until the 20th of August in the same year. Louis was killed in action on the 6th of November 1917 in Belgium and he was buried near Helles track closer to Garter point, approximately 500 yards south west of Pilckem, Ypres sector. Sadly, his grave was lost after the First World War. This is however not the end of Louis' story as whilst he was in Cambridge, he met and married licensees daughter, Valletta Gertrude Hart, of the Horse and Groom Hotel, King Street, Cambridge, now called the King Street run. Family sources say that Louis and Valletta have spent their honeymoon in the hotel. Their son Louis H.S. Eitelberg was born in the autumn of the same year. Louis is currently commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres. He was missed by his wife, son and also his sister Maud. His photograph in uniform hung on the wall of her home at 22 Alcombe Road, Northampton, for many years but disappeared after her death.