Adair Alfred Peters
The return of an old enemy foiled Englishman Adair Peters’ plans of serving with Australia’s artillerymen during the Great War, after he was discharged as medically unfit during training.
A 27-year-old carpenter, Adair was among the many immigrant workers who had found employment opportunities in the burgeoning timber town of Canungra.
He enlisted in the AIF in Brisbane on December 4, 1915 and was marked as a Gunner, for the 33rd Battery of the 9th Field Artillery Brigade.
However, during training at the Addison Road Camp at Marrickville in New South Wales in March 1916, Adair suffered another bout of severe muscular rheumatism.
According to his service record, he had previously suffered the condition in 1910 in Ireland and then in November 1915, a month before enlisting, when he was laid up for two weeks.
The attacks had been precipitated by wet weather and, according to a medical report, the episode in 1916 had likely been caused by exposure, with Adair suffering shooting pains aggravated by exercise.
Adair was discharged as medically unfit on April 8, 1916.
Severe muscular rheumatism meant Adair would be unfit for duty as a field artillery gunner.
(Image: Australian War Memorial; Public Domain.)
“Attacks precipitated by wet weather.”
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