Why did Australians Enlist to Fight Abroad in WW1?

Australians enlisted to fight in World War 1 for many different reasons. For some, it was to uphold the connection with the mother country (England) while some saw it as a sense of adventure. As the war became more drawn out and lengthy, huge casualty lists were posted around Australia daily and the sense of mateship and loyalty pushed others to volunteer to enlist.

Especially at the start of the war, Many of Australian citizens had immigrated from Britain and therefore, still had strong connections to their homeland. Many of the first volunteers felt that it was their duty to serve the mother country.

At the start of the war, it was expected that the war would be over very fast and many young men did not want to miss out on the chance of travelling across the world and having a crack at knocking over the German forces. Nobody knew how horrible the war would become or how many men would make the supreme sacrifice and therefore, this was seen as a great chance to see the world.

As soldiers were paid each day for serving overseas, another reason that men fought abroad was to earn an income. British soldiers only earned 2 shillings per day whereas Australian soldiers were payed approximately 6 shillings a day. For some men, this was more of an income of what they would have made staying back home in Australia so this was a prominent advantage of being in the military.

Not volunteering to fight was seen as cowardly by many young women during the First World War. Men that were of enlistment age however did not enlist were looked down upon and were given a white feather. This ‘white feather’ was seen as a sign of cowardice, lack of manliness and was a sign to women that the man was not nationalistic or willing to fight for his country.

After the casualty lists from Gallipoli were posted, many men felt a sense of duty to fallen comrades, as well as country to enlist and fight. At this point in time, the sense of ‘a great adventure’ had faded and the decision to enlist was seen as a moral one. As more and more deaths occurred, height requirements were dropped and the age limit was risen, giving more men the opportunity to become part of Australia’s military forces.

My War – Revised Edition

27^th October 1984:

As I walk through the fields, gun shots again ring through my head and send shivers down my spine. Poised like a snake in the mountains, they ambushed us, taking us by surprise. That moment flashes vividly in my mind. The great big Turk that was charging towards me was taken down by a fellow comrade. It came at a price. He was soon on the ground, screaming for help. We could do nothing. The wounds were too serious. He knew this. He took out his gun and before we could do anything, he died from self-inflicted wounds.

This is Gallipoli, this is where I died.

Kelvin Jones always used to tease me about how I looked like an 18 year old. Always picking on my short moustache or my long, skinny legs. He would call me a coward because I didn’t enlist for the Great War. I would walk home scared, terrified, with him running behind me calling me names. I didn’t want that. I just wanted to be a normal 17 year old. My mother had gotten used to seeing me come home with black eyes and blood dripping down my face. She would constantly remind me that I was an intelligent boy that I should not worry about Kelvin. I knew this was true but when it went on day in, day out, it was hard to ignore. One morning, I decided enough was enough, I lined up at the enlistment building. It was only 9am but the line was curved around the building. I told my parents that I was visiting a friend in the city. I hated lying but I knew I had to. I was getting bullied. It scared me and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. It was now my turn. I told them my name, Walter Kingfisher, my address, 31 Barkley Street, and then it came to my age. I told them I was 19 and without any hesitation, they let me through. The look on my face must have almost given me away, but was remembered of the dangers before long. Then was the general health test, I passed with flying colours.

After many long months of training in Cairo, we were told to board a ship, not knowing the destination. We landed at ANZAC Cove. Not our original plan. As soon as we left the ship, we knew this was a bad idea. Before we even stepped out of the lifeboats, the guns were firing. Good mates dropped all around me. Boom! I turned to look back at the ship for reassurance. I was having second thoughts. The ship was already retreating to the safety of familiar waters. As I was wading through the water, I thought of home. I wondered what my family thought when I didn’t return from my friend’s house? One word came to mind. Fear.

I was amongst one of the lucky ones that survived the landing. My comrades and I all headed for the treacherous landscape ahead of us. Some of them had wounds that needed looking after but we didn’t have time. Our battalion stopped when we were as covered as we could be. I was not one that liked the sight of blood so I busied myself with checking out our new surroundings. It was very mountainous. I began to think about what a beautiful place this was and how sad it was to see it surrounded with war. Two of my closest friends died during the landing. I said a silent goodbye to them reflecting on how I was lucky to know them.

The sound of gunshots brought me to my feet. How long had I been asleep for? My mind began to wander to home. Home sweet home. I was bought back to attention by a sound in my right ear. I turned around to see Baz standing there impersonating a Turk. “Very funny” I said in a sarcastic tone. Baz is known to be the joker of the group. In a way, it was nice to have some humour. Everything was so serious that we needed some humour every now and then. Everyone except me was laughing. I was able to crack a smile though. Everybody was telling me that I needed to lighten up.

We stayed two nights where we were before we were ordered to move. Groans and sighs became louder and louder. After hours of forward movement, we settled down at our next stop. I began to talk to Garry who lived in Darwin. Over time, he became what most people would describe as a father figure to me. He told me one day that he hadn’t told anyone that he was enlisting for the army. He would often tell us that he was having second thoughts about being in the army and he would drill us on what to say to his wife if he died. He died later that week after being shot in the stomach and receiving a life-threatening infection.

The funeral was not what he deserved. Because we were in a warzone, the service was very quick. Baz conducted the ceremony. He talked about our time together and then recited a verse from his pocket bible that he carried around with him. After the ceremony, Baz and some of my other mates buried him as best they could under the conditions.

After Gary was buried, I was left with the task of writing to his wife explaining his death. I really didn’t know what was harder, storming the beach when we first landed or writing this letter. It took many attempts to get the letter right. I only hope what I ended up writing was good enough.

The Battle of Lone Pine was the first major battle that I fought in. It was the second day into the battle when I was shot just above the knee. Blood freely flowed from my leg onto the ground as I stood up and continued to fight. Everyone told me that I should go be evacuated. I didn’t want to look like the coward that was sent out of action because of a gunshot wound. More and more days passed and my mates became very agitated. My leg was now purple and I had no movement in it. They persuaded me to seek medical attention.

I was taken by stretcher bearers to a make shift tent and one I arrived there, I was whisked into surgery. I was never told what was going to happen until it had already been done. It seemed like days had passed when I came around even though it had just been 3 hours. I automatically looked at my leg. The only thing I saw was the upper part of my leg. I started to thrash about. I remember thinking that I didn’t consent to this and I didn’t even have an opinion on what happened.  The doctor came soon after I had had my fit. He said that the bullet had ruptured blood vessels, gone through muscles and damaged the bone. It was the only thing that could be done. The bad news was not over yet. He said that I wouldn’t be able to return to service. It took a while for this news to sink in. I asked to see Baz. Baz came the following day with a few more of my mates. He said that he had a friend in the exact same situation as me and he knew what was going to happen. I pleaded him to talk to the doctor and try and see if I could continue but Baz just shook his head. He spoke to me one last time, and then left. That was when a part of me died.

I was taken to one of the hospital ships and sent home to Melbourne. I spent the whole trip on a stretcher, immobilized and angry. Why me, I would think to myself. I had wanted to get away from all the torment and now I was going back to where it all began. Many of my waking hours were spent thinking about Mum, Dad and Edith. I was very worried about what they would say to me. Would they be angry? Would they be proud?

It took many weeks to get to Melbourne. All of the men that were able to walk disembarked the ship first. These were the moments where I was getting very nervous. I asked to go with the physically able. They let me. I saw my mother, father and sister not far away from the dock. Edith was crying. She had not seen me like this before and then I started to cry too. She was the first one to embrace me. She had grown a lot during the time I was away. She said to me that I was her hero and that she would care for me until I was better. I felt an ache in my temple. I could tell that she really meant this and she wasn’t just trying to be nice. Next to come to me was dad. I had never seen dad cry before this moment. He wrapped his arms around me and said how happy he was that I was home. Lastly, mum came over and started to apologize about everything that happened before I went away. She said that she should have interfered when I was getting bullied and how she was too harsh on me. We made it into the tram and made our way home.

I was very surprised to know that Kelvin had come to see me. As he walked in, I could see he was apprehensive. He sat down at the end of my bed. There were a few minutes of silence before Kelvin started to pour his heart out to me about how sorry he was about making me go enlist. He said that he was the one responsible for making me lose my leg. As he was talking, flashbacks played in my mind. Him telling me that I was a coward, me enlisting for the army, lying to my mum and dad. I was bought out of this state when he started to talk about his brother. I had seen his brother around but I have to admit that I didn’t pay very much attention to him. He explained that his brother had moved to England and enlisted for the war. It was only a week into the war before he was captured and killed. As this was being said, tear were streaming down Kelvins face. He said he never wanted me to go to war but he needed someone to take his anger out on. We both sat there for a second before he stood up, came to my side and gave me a hug. As the hug went on, all I could hear was him whispering I’m sorry over and over again. This was when I knew that he truly meant it. A true friendship had just been formed.

Now, looking back on those times, I feel that I made the right decision. I married a lovey woman named Eliza Walker. My sister kept her word and tended to me for the remainder of her life. She died in 1979 due to a heart attack. Kelvin and I are still good friends now and spend our time talking about both the good and the bad times throughout our lives.  Taking the trip to Gallipoli made me realise that even though part of my soul died during my time there, it made me a better person. I turned into a person that overcame physical obstacles and to never give up.

Taking a trip back through these mountains was very special. This is Gallipoli, This is the war that I survived.

Ella Bibby 25/3/2018

Poem – Great Uncle

I wish I had met great-uncle

Who fought in the war

With his friends and brother

In the Australian Army Corp.

 

He left this home

Went to a far away land,

A land called Egypt,

with lots of Golden Sand

 

They trained in Cairo,

learnt how to fight,

and I can imagine

They must have been quite a sight

 

He was told to fight at Fromelles

How disastrous it would be

All of the men there

Could clearly foresee

 

That they would lose

the battle and many men

He would think of his family

Every now and then.

 

He survived the battle

How lucky he was.

He only did realised this

When he stopped and paused.

 

He fought in other battles

Such as Ypres and Polygon Wood

So young, too young

Just 18, just reached adulthood.

 

But when it came to Villers-Bretonneux

he had a plan,

Get through the war

And be the best man he can

 

He was out on night patrol

When he was shot near the heart

He died almost instantly

What a horrible way to depart.

 

He was buried in France,

Amongst comrades and friends,

With other Commonwealth soldiers,

other sons, husbands and dads.

 

I want to visit his grave,

Just go there and sit,

I want to be close to you

Even just for a little bit

 

I want to tell you

How proud I am of you

The things you did

I hope to never go through

 

He is such a brave man,

An inspiration to me,

and now I want you to know,

I want your spirit to be free.
Ella Bibby 5/9/2017

 

 

A Kokoda Campaign Chronology

*Information for this blog post was found on http://www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au*

Overview of the Kokoda Campaign: The Japanese landed on the Northern Coast of Papua New Guinea, near Gona, on the 21st of July 1942. In the two months that followed, they managed to push the Australians and their local Papuan allies towards Port Moresby (which was the Japanese objective). The Japanese were able to come within 40 kilometres of Port Moresby but in September, the tides turned and the Australians began to push the Japanese back the way they came. Even though costly, the Australians were able to force the Japanese into abandoning their plan to capture Port Moresby.

Even though both sides were not used to jungle warfare, the Japanese were the first to find their feet. Groups of 4-6 men would crawl towards their target to try and stun them with grenades. To kill a few enemies could take a couple of hours and it was not uncommon not to see any live enemies during an engagement.

Patrolling the jungle was a vital job because the jungle could easily conceal large numbers of men and therefore, it was important to know where the enemy was and what they were doing. At one point in the campaign, both armies were patrolling an area of up to 100 kilometres and could often be deep behind enemy lines.

The Australians suffered more from illness from the Japanese. A study of 1943 stated that the Japanese were the ‘most inoculated army in the world.’ However in November, the Japanese casualties started to rise and this can be traced back to problems with Japanese supply. Both armies had to battle through dysentry and malaria.

Timeline of Events:

Sunday 7th December 1941 – The War in the Pacific Begins: The United States base in Manila and the British army in Malaya were attacked.

Tuesday 9th December 1941 – Japan invaded Malaya and Thailand: This occurs just after midnight on the 8th of December.

Wednesday 10th December 1941 – Australia Declares War on Japan: Australia declares war on Japan.

Saturday 3rd January 1942 – Allies Arrive in Port Moresby: As a part of a plan to protect Australia, a battalion is sent to Timor, Ambon and Rabaul and a brigade arrived at Port Moresby.

Friday 23rd January 1942 – The Japanese Invade Rabaul: The Japanese invade Australian-held Rabaul and the division that was holding it, including six army nurses, were captured.

Tuesday 3rd February 1942 – Port Moresby is bombed: Port Moresby has its first bombing raid as Ambon falls to the Japanese.

Saturday 14th February 1942 – Military Rule is Declared in Papua: Military rule is formaly declared and Civil Government is suspended.

Sunday 15th February 1942 – Singapore Surrenders: On this day, General Percival calls for a ceasefire and makes the desicion to surrender. More than 100,000 troops (14,972 Australians) became Prisoners of War.

Thursday 19th February 1942 – Japanese First Bomb Darwin: Darwin suffers it first adn most devistating air raid and the Australian mainland was attacked for the first time.

Monday 23rd February 1942 – Fall of Timor: The Australian positions are overrun in the west of East Timor and Duch West Timor is surrendered to the invading Japanese force.

Sunday 8th March 1942 – Japanese land on New Guinea: The Imperial Japanese Armyland at Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea. Their aim is to establish airbases to attack Port Moresby.

Thursday 12th March 1942 – Fall of Java: Java falls to the Japanese with Dutch, British, Australian and American troops taken Prisoner.

Thursday 18th April 1942 – MacArthur is Appointed Commander in Chief: General Douglas MacArthur is appointed Commander in Chief of the South west Pacific Area.

Monday 4th May 1942 – The Battle of the Coral Sea: Japanese transportships were on their way to invade Port Moresby from Rabaul. An American adn Australian fleet attacked them and forced them to abandon. The Japanese and Americans lost 1 carrier each.

Friday 8th May 1942 – Philippine Falls: Philippine falls to the Japanese forces. This now means that the three Japanese infantry regiment that captured the Philippines are now available to assist in operations against New Guinea and the Soloman Islands.

Sunday 31st May 1942 – Japanese Submarines Enter Sydney Harbour: In the late afternoon, three Japanese submarines, sitting 13 kilometres off Sydney Harbour, lauhcned midget submarines. One of these midget submarines fired a torpedo that sunk the HMAS Kuttabul.

Wednesday 3rd June 1942 – The Battle of Midway: The Battel of Midway occurs in the Central Pacific. The Japanese Navy is defeated with the loss of four aircraft carriers.

Tuesday 14th June 1942 – Japanese Decide to Attack Port Moresby Overland: Japanese command decides to attack Port Moresby overland, from north to south. They would follow the Kokoda Trail to Port Moresby.

Tuesday 7th July 1942 – Australian Kokoda Operations Begin: Warned that the Japanese may land on the north coast of PNG, Papuan and Australian troops begin operations along the Kokoda track.

Tuesday 21st July 1942 – Japanese Forces Land at Gona: The Japanese land at Gona and begin the advance across the Owen Stanley Range and over the Kokoda Track.

Wednesday 29th July 1942 – Japanese Attack Kokoda: The Japanese attack on Kokoda is successful. The Australian commander is killed and the Australians retreat to Deniki.

Tuesday 4th August 1942 – Cameron Takes Command: Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Cameron arrived to take command of the “Marouba Force”.

Friday 7th August 1942 – US Marines Land at Guadalcanal: US Marines land in the Solomon Islands to divert the japanese focus from Papua New Guinea.

Saturday 8th August 1942 – Second Kokoda: Under Cameron, The Australians counter attack Kokoda from Deniki. They are unable to hold it and retreat to Deniki again.

Thursday 13th August 1942 – Major General Allen Arrives in Port Moresby: The 7th Australian Division is to reinforce th Australians along the Kokoda trail. Its commander flies into Port Moresby.

Sunday 16th August 1942 – Lrt Col Honner arrives: Lt Col Honner arrives at Isurava and takes command of the Marouba force from Cameron.

Friday 29th August 1942 – The Only VC of the Kokoda Campaign is won: When the outnumbered Australians wee defending Isurava, Private Bruse Kingsbury was firing his Bren gun and was able to break a path through the enemy and recapture the position. He is killed by a sniper, and awarded the Victoria Cross posthumosly.

Sunday 31st August 1942 – Australian Forces Withdraw from Isurava: The Australians who were followed by the Japanese, pass though Templeton’s Crossing and fall into the mountains.

Thursday 4th September 1942 – Japanese Defeated at Milne Bay: The Japanese suffer their first land defeat by Australian troops at Milne Bay.

Sunday 7th September 1942 – Japanese Attack at Efogi: The Australians stationed at Mission Ridge and Brigade Hill are defeated and driven back by the Japanese.

Wednesday 10th September 1942 – Potts is Recalled: Because of the defeats at Isurava and Brigade Hill, Brigadier Arnold Potts is recalled by Thomas Blamey.

Tuesday 16th September 1942 – Japanese Gain Control of Ioribaiwa Ridge: After a couple of days of heavy fighting, the Australian defences are shattered and the Japanese occupy Ioribaiwa Ridge. The Australians retreat to Imita Ridge.

Tuesday 23rd September 1942 – Blamey arrives at Port Moresby: Gemeral Blamey arrives at Port Moresby to take personal command of the New Guinea Force.

Sunday 28th September 1942 – Japanese Withdrawal Begins:  Fearing that the Australians may land to their rear, the Japanese reteat. When Eather attacks Ioribaiwa Ridge, he finds the Japanese have gone.

Monday 29th September 1942 – Australians Push Back Japanese: The Australians begin to push the Japanese along the Kokoda track.

Tuesday 30th September 1942 – Australians Re-enter Nauro: The Australian 2/25th battalion enters Nauro and find it unoccupied.

Monday 12th October 1942 – Japanese Defeated at Eora-Templeton’s: The Japanese attempt to hold the Owen Stanley Range’s postition but they are driven out of the mountains by the Australians

Wednesday 28th October 1942 – Australian Divisional Commander Replaced: Major General Arthur Allen is removed and George Vasey is appointed to replace him.

Monday 2nd November 1942- Kokoda is Recaptured: The Australians re-enter Kokoda on 2nd November, 1942

Tuesday 3rd November 1942 – The Australian Flag is Hoisted over Kokoda: Eather’s 25th Brigade enters the abandoned Kokoda. The Japanese rearguard had left two days earlier. Just after 11am, General Vasey hoists an Australian flag over Kokoda.

Wednesday 4th November 1942 – Japanese are defeated at Oivi-Gonari: The Japanese are defeated and are driven back to their base on the coast between Gona and Buna.

Monday 9th November 1942 – Blamey delivers ‘Rabbits’ Speech: In an address to the troops, General Blamey is accused of implying that the men ran like rabbits during the Japanese advance on Kokoda.

Thursday 12th November 1942 – Battle of Guadalcanal: The Japanese withdraw from Guadalcanal after their largest attempt to reinforce the island fails.

Monday 16th November 1942 – Battle of Buna-Gone Begins: Teh Japanese who have been pushed back to their main base in Papua, dig in around Gona, Sanananda and Buna. The Americans and Australians atatck them their

Wednesday 9th December 1942 – Gona Falls to the Australians: Gona falls to the Australians on the 9th December 1942.

Saturday 2nd January 1943 – Buna Falls: Buna falls to the Americans and Australians.

Friday 22nd January 1943 – Final Foothold is Annihilated: The final Japanese beach foothold is destroyed. The reminants of the Japanese force escape north towards Lae.

Saturday 23rd January 1943 – Papuan Campaign ends: Ofiicial end to the Papuan Campaign

Tuesday 2nd March 1943 – Battle of the Bismark Sea: The Japanese sent a convoy of ships to reinforce the reminants of their troops in New Guinea. In three days of air attacks, the RAAF and USAAF sank all of the transporters and four of the destoryers. At least 2890 Japanese were killed.

 

 

 

 

Poem – A Soldier’s Suffering

I wish I was home

With my wife and son

I will return to Australia

When this war is won.

 

The things I have seen

No-one should ever see

There are so many times

I have wanted to flee.

 

I am struck with fear

My mind is stuck on repeat

Memories going around and around

I feel so incomplete.

 

Guns shooting in my head

Bombs going boom!

They never go away so

I automatically assume,

 

I’m mad, i’m worthless

Who could love me like this?

It’s like I am hovering

Over a dark abyss.

 

I am now home

But the pain is still here

I wish it would just vanish,

Just disappear.

 

I am constantly transported

Away to another time.

It is almost like going

To another lifetime.

 

However, the memories are so real,

So vividly real.

Time after time,

Like on a filmreel.

 

I cannot live like this

I cannot control my voice

And now it looks like

I only have one choice…

 

Ella Bibby 2/7/2017

Poem – The War is Coming

The war is coming closer

We are all going to be hit

They will come and bomb us

And destroy every last bit

 

I really don’t like this

I really don’t feel safe

I wish mum and I

Would move to some other place

 

And then they came

With their bombs and their planes

And I must admit,

They had a crack aim

 

I ran to the post office

To try and find mum

But when I saw the wreckage,

How fast did I run

 

I tried to find shelter,

Somewhere to stay

Then my brain went on a tangent,

I tried to keep the thoughts at bey

 

At least dad is alive,

Fragments in his hip,

He is on his way to Perth

On a hospital ship.

 

I need to see him

I need to get out.

I need to get away

From all of these shouts.

 

That was 50 years ago

When I had to flee

The home that I loved,

But now I am free.

 

Free from war, from bomb,

From destruction and loss

Even from pain

And feeling cross

 

No one should go through that,

Not by choice,

But now that it is through,

I have found my voice.

 

A voice to share,

A voice to educate,

Who knows,

Maybe this was my fate?

 

Ella Bibby 1/7/2017

World War 1 Quotes

“Two armies that fight each other is like one army committing suicide” – Henri Barbusse, French Soldier

“This is a war to end all wars” – Woodrow Wilson

“Only the dead have seen the end of all wars” – George Santayana, in response to Woodrow Wilson

“If the women in the factories stopped for just 20 minutes, the Allies would lose the war” – French Field Marshal Joffre

“Being shelled is the main work of an infantry soldier, which no one talks about. Everyone has his on way of going about it. In general, it means lying face down and contracting your body into as small a place as possible.” – Louis Simpson

“In no circumstances whatever will the expression ‘shell-shock’ be used verbally or be recorded in any regimental or other casualty report, or in any hospital or other medical document” – British Army General Routine Order No. 2384

“This is the end and the beginning of an age. This is something far greater than the French Revolution or the Reformation and we live in it” – H.G Wells

“We had been brought up to believe that Britain was the best country in the world and we wanted to defend her.The history taught us that we were better than other people and now all the news was that Germany was the aggressor and we wanted to show the Germans what we could do.” – Private George Morgan

“Walking abroad, one is the admiration of all little boys, and meets an approving glance from every eye of elderly” – Wilfred Owen

“When our new armies are ready it seems folly to send them to Flanders, where they will chew barbed wire, or be waster in futile frontal attacks” – Henry Asquith

“Don’t forget me, Cobber” – Fromelles soldier to Simon Frasier

“We had strict orders not to take prisoners, no matter if wounded. My first job was when I finished cutting some of their wire away, to empty my magazine on three Germans that came out of their deep dugouts, bleeding badly, and put them out of their misery. They cried for mercy, but I had my orders” – A.H Hubbard

“We had a tremendous number of frostbite cases at the beginning of 1917. Their feet were absolutely white, swollen up, dead. Some of their toes dropped off with it.” – Kathleen Yardwood

“All that winter we took in bronchitis and rheumatism cases. Some of the bronchitis patients were as bad ad men who were gassed, but the rheumatism cases were really the worst. It was pathetic to see these young men absolutely crippled with rheumatism, sometimes doubled up as if they were men of eighty instead of boys in their twenties. They suffered terrible pain with it.” – Sister Mary Stollard

“The home front is always underrated by Generals in the field. And yet that is where the Great War was won and lost. The Russian, Bulgarian, Austrian and German home fronts fell to pieces before their army collapsed.” – Lloyd George

“Patriots always talk of dying for their country, and never of killing for their country” – Bertrand Russell

“Don’t believe stories which you see in the papers about troops asking as a special privilege not to be relieved. We stick it, at all costs if necessary, as long as ordered, but everyone is glad to hand over to someone else. And anyone who says he enjoys this kind of thing is either a liar or a madman.” – Captain Harry Yoxall

“We’re telling lies; we know we’re telling lies; we don’t tell the public the truth, that we’re losing more officers than the Germans, and that it’s impossible to get through on the Western Front.” – Rothermere to J.L Garvin

“The cries of the wounded had much diminished now, and as we staggered down the road, the reason was only too apparent, for the water was right over the tops of the shell-holes.” – Captain Edwin Vaughan

“One of the enemy soldiers remover his water bottle and passed it around. I will never forget this gesture as long as I live. Those troops o=now occupying our position turned out to be Canadians. After being searched for weapons and documents were led away.” – Gefreiter Fritz Heinemann

“They were pathetic, these shell-shocked boys, and a lot of them were very sensitive about the fact that they were incontinent. The’d say ‘Im terribly sorry about it, Sister, its shaken me all over and I can’t control it. Just imagine, to wet the bed at my age!” – Sister Mary Stollard

“The storm lashes us, out of the confusion of grey and yellow the hail of splinters whips forth the childlike cries of the wounded, and in the night shattered life groans painfully into silence. Our hands are earth, out bodies clay and out eyes pools of rain. We do not know whether we are still alive.” – Erich Remarque

“The brutality and inhumanity of war stood in great contrast to what I had heard and read about as a youth” – Reinhold Spengler

“The newspapers informed us that German soldiers crucified babies. Stories of that kind were taken for granted; to have disbelieved them would have been unpatriotic.” – S Sassoon

Fromelles – The Worst 24 Hours in Australia’s History

Recently, My father and I attended a talk on Fromelles hosted by Ross McMullin. The reason I went because I had a great-great uncle that fought and was wounded at Fromelles, who died 99 years ago today. In this post, I will be explaining about Fromelles and why it was such a disaster.

The two main points that I got out of McMullin’s talk were:

• The Battle of Fromelles was the worst 24 hours in Australian history since European settlement
• The amount of Australian casualties in Fromelles are equal to the Australian casualties in the Boer war, Vietnam war and Korean wars combined.

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Background Information: The battle at the Somme was raging on and the higher ranked British generals wanted to create a diversion so that some pressure would be taken off the British at the Somme. Fromelles was the place that was chosen and the objective was for the 5th Australian Division and 64th British Division to take the higher ground at Aubers Ridge.

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The Australians that took part in this offensive were from the 59th and 60th battalions. My great-great uncle was apart of the 60th battalion and was under the divisional leadership of General Pompey Elliot. The battalion leader was Geoff MacCrae and his 2nd in Command was Tom Elliot, both of whom were killed during the offensive. Most of the men in these two battalions were mowed down and many did not survive. My great-great uncle was one of the lucky ones, even though he was wounded, he was able to continue serving until 1918, where he was fatally wounded twice and died of his wounds.

General Pompey Elliot was against the diversion from the start. He had only just arrived at Fromelles but could see that this attack would be costly. General Hacking sent out Howard to meet with Pompey and see how preparations were going. When Howard got to Fromelles, Pompey took him out into No Man’s Land to have a conversation. During this time, General Pompey points out that in the “Do’s and Don’ts of Western Front Offensives’, it says that you should not launch an attack it NML is more than 200 yard, however Fromelles was 400 yards.

Elliot asked Howard what he thought of this offensive and his reply was “I think this will be a bloody holocaust”. However, when Howard went back to Hacking, other influences overruled and the offensive was still to go ahead.

The Battle of Fromelles started at 6:00pm on the 19th July 1916 when waves of Australian and British infantry ‘hopped’ over and charged at the enemy. Each different wave could see what happened to the one before it but they still went to their death, wave after wave. Through 4 waves of men that were spread 5 minutes apart, over 5,500 men became casualties.

After this offensive, the British division informed Pompey that they were planning to attack at 9pm that night and requested reinforcements. Pompey said that half of the 58th division would aid them. When it came the time, the Australians ‘hopped’ over but there was no sign of the British. It turns out that the offensive was cancelled but no one informed the members of the Australian battalion. The members of the 58th battalion, led by Justin Huchinson bravely charged at the enemy and were mowed down as soon as they started running.

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Before the discovery of the mass graves at Fromelles, the battle was little known by Australians. Ross McMullin was astounded to find out during his research that such a horrendous battle was not known by Australian’s unless they fought there, or had a family member that fought there. He said during his talk ‘How is it, that in a time where one death is headline news, that the tragedy that is known as Fromelles was so unknown”.

Two years after the battle, Charles Bean revisited Fromelles and wrote about what he saw. He explains, “We found the old No-Man’s-Land simply full of our dead”, he recorded, “the skulls and bones and torn uniforms were lying about everywhere”. These remains were gathered and buried in the newly constructed VC Corner Cemetery, which is the only solely Australian cemetery in the whole of France. It is the only cemetery without headstones, it has a wall that is inscribed with the 1,299 Australian soldiers that died during the battle but have no known grave.

Near this cemetery, there is a statue named ‘Cobbers’ that depicts Simon Frasier, who was one of the recovery workers of the 57th Battalion, carrying a wounded comrade to safety. This monument is a everlasting reminder of the rescue work that occurred after the battle and the spirit of the ANZAC that fought all over the Western Front.

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I hope this blog post gives you some more information on the happenings of the Battle of Fromelles and that we never forget the sacrifice of the brave men and women who lost their lives overseas protecting our countries freedom.

The New Zealand Part of the ANZAC Forces

This year, I was chosen to be a Shrine of Remembrance Youth Ambassador. As a youth ambassador, I am expected to inform both my community and my school of the happenings of World War One and Two as well as continuing on the legacy of the ANZAC Forces.

This school holidays, I was asked to help run a program called ‘Dogs, Dolphins and Donkeys’ for children aged 4-10. This program is about learning what animals did in the theatres of war.

When I ran the first workshop, I got into conversation with a mum (who was from New Zealand) who had brought her two sons to the program. We got talking and she shared with me two amazing stories of her great-grandfather and her grandfather who fought in WW1 and WW2.

The first story she told me was about her great-grandfather who fought at Gallipoli. He was apart of the ANZACs and he had a donkey. He was a stretcher bearer who also used a donkey to transport wounded ANZAC’s to hospital ships. He worked alongside John Simpson Kirkpatrick and the most amazing thing is the famous painting of Simpson and his Donkey that she recalls being told that it is actually of her great-grandfather.

The other story was of her Grandad. He was deployed to Crete and after fighting there, was taken Prisoner of War by the Germans. This is where the story takes a surprising turn. For some reason, the German officials in charge of his group liked him and allowed him to set up a laundry business for the Germans. He was even paid! By the time he was liberated, he had earned quite a bit of money and went back home to New Zealand with cash in hand.

Information about the Battle of Crete: The battles were fought from the second week of May, where German airbourne troops attacked the allied divisions. By the end of May, hte resistance had broken down and the Germans took small groups of allied soldiers prisoner. (Info found at https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/crete.asp )

These stories that were told to me were very facinating and being able to share stories of family members (especially her grandfather) must have being very hard and I thank her for sharing those stories with me.

For info about the Shrine of Remembrance: http://www.shrine.org.au/home

Important: I have recieved verbal permission for this to be posted.

 

Who is Who in the Allied Powers: World War One

Herbert Asquith (British Prime Minister 1914-1916): Asquith led Britain into war in 1914. After the Battle of the Somme, he was blamed for military failures and was replaced.

David Lloyd George (British Prime Minister 1916-1922, British War Minister 1916-1918): When Asquith resigned in1916, Lloyd George became Prime Minister of a new government.

Sir John French (British Commander in Chief 1914-1915): French was 66 when he was given command of British forces. He was replaced by Haig in 1915.

Sir Douglas Haig (British Field Marshal (head of British Forces) 1916-1918): Haig replaced Sir John French as head of the British forces. He retired in 1919.

Field Marshal Horatio Earl Kitchener (British War Minister 1914-1916): Kitchener was Britain’s most distinguished soldier. He died in 1916 when his ship hit a floating mine.

Admiral Sir John Jellicoe (Commander in Chief of Britain’s Grand Fleet) 1914-1916: Jellicoe was in command of the British Fleet during the Battle of Jutland in 1916.

Georges Clemenceau (Prime Minister of France 1917-1920): Clemenceau helped establish Ferdinand Foch as leader of the Allied Forces.

Marshal Joseph Joffre (Head of French Forces 1914-1916): Joffre is most famous for leading the allied armies at the Battle of the Marne. After Verdun, he was replaced by Nivelle.

General Robert Nivelle (French Commander in Chief 1916-1917): Nivelle became a French hero after the Battle of Verdun in 1916.

General Henri-Phillipe Petain (French Commander in Chief 1917-1918): Petain took command when there were mutinies in the French Army. He helped to restore order.

Marshal Ferdinand Fosh (Commander in Chief of all the Allied Armies March-November 1918): Foch was the first person to control all of the allied forces in France.

Woodrow Wilson (President of the USA 1913-1921): Wilson brought the United States of America into the First World War in 1917.

General John Pershing (Commander of American Forces 1917-1924): Pershing brought the US army from 500,000 men in1917 to 3 million in 1918.

Tsar Nicholas II (Emporer of Russia and Russian Head of State 1894-1917): Nicholas II was the last Russian tsar. He was overthrown in 1917 and was executed in 1918.

Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich (Commander in Chief of the Russian army 1914-1915): Nikolaevich was the uncle of Tsar Nicholas II.