Sydney John ABBOTT

Service No:    2126
Rank:            Private
Unit:             46th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement

Born 1894, Modewarre
Son of John and Ellen Abbott from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Sydney enlisted 1/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/08/1916 from Melbourne on RMS Orontes
Served in France
Returned to Australia 8/1/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 7

Sydney arrived in Plymouth on 2nd October 1916 joining the 12th Battalion. In December the unit embarked per Princess Clementine for France. Sydney joined the 46th Battalion in the field at Etaples. Six months later, after being admitted to hospital with tonsillitis he re-joined his unit and was wounded four weeks later. On 10th April, 1917 he received a severe gun shot wound to the left thigh and was shipped to England to recover. Sydney returned to the front at Rouen on 23rd November, 1917. The following year, 10th September, 1918 he suffered gas poisoning subsequently he was shipped back to England. While recovering he lost 2 days pay for failing to appear at place of parade appointed by his CO. Sydney returned to Australia 8th January 1919 on board HMAT Orsova. He returned to Modewarre working as a labourer, married Ethel Matthews in 1922 before moving to Geelong West where he lived for many years. They had one child. Sydney died on 20 December, 1968 and is buried at Geelong Western Public cemetery.

 

Ernest Walter ACKLAND

Service No:    526
Rank:            Private
Unit:             37th Battalion, B Company

Born 1875, Colac
Son of Robert and Mary Ackland from Mount Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Ernest enlisted 10/03/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 3/06/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A34 Persic
Served in France
Returned to Australia 30/4/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

Charles ALTMANN

Service No:    1134
Rank:            Private
Unit:             24th  Infantry Battalion

Born 1892, Mt Duneed
Son of John and Helena Altman from Mt Duneed
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Charles enlisted 6/03/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 10/05/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in Gallipoli
Killed in Action 29/11/1915
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Puebla
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Torquay Improvement Association
– Barrabool
– Sth Barwon
– Mt Duneed

Charles was 23 years old when he enlisted on 8 March 1915 and was appointed to complete basic training at Broadmeadows attached to the 24th Battalion. This unit had been raised in a hurry because of a surplus of recruits at the Broadmeadows training camp and a need to clear a few of them out to make more space. The battalion officially came into existence during the first week of May 1915, and the men sailed on HMAT Euripides on the tenth of that month.
The men arrived in Egypt sometime in July, and then spent the next two months catching up on the training they had missed at Broadmeadows. Then, on 28 August, they proceeded to Alexandria, boarded a ship and headed for Gallipoli, arriving there on 6 September. Once having disembarked, the men were ordered to move to Courtney’s Post, one of the furthest advance points on the heights of Anzac Cove.
With the Turkish trenches being in very close proximity life at Courtney’s Post was hazardous, the men had repelled one large attack in May. Once arriving at the post very quickly the 24th Battalion was subjected to sniper fire learning very quickly to duck their heads. The stay here was short being ordered two days later to withdraw and occupy White’s Valley and hold the garrison position at Lone Pine which had been captured by Australian troops on 6 August. This was the day when feints were carried out to distract the Turks from the British reinforcements landing at Sulva Bay – the capture of Lone Pine stood out as a solitary victory, although at a terrible cost of life and wounded men. The Turks wanting it back carried out regular sniping, bombardments and attacks on the position. When it took over the garrison along with the 23rd Battalion, the 24th Battalion was subjected to sixteen weeks of fighting that the Australian War Memorial reports was so dangerous and exhausting that the battalions rotated between the valley and the garrison every day.
By 29 September, in addition to a significant number of casualties, the battalion diary indicated that 112 men were sick in hospital, suffering from afflictions such as dysentery. Typhus and general debilitation. When October began, the remaining troops were still rotating between White’s Valley and the garrison. Even in the valley, however, they were not safe. On 10 and 11 October, the diary recorded that shrapnel and shells were continually falling on them. The men returned to the garrison on the 12th and were subjected to continual bombing and sniping, and an enemy advance on one of their positions that was successfully repulsed. The diary indicated that the enemy fire that day was heavier than usual. The battalion spent most of November at Lone Pine with only a week relief at White’s Valley. On 29 November the temperature was freezing, lots of shells falling at Lone Pine resulting in heavy causalities for both the 23rd and 24th battalions – totalling over 100 across all ranks – Charles was one of those killed in action on 29 November.

 

Leonard Charles ANDERSON

Service No:    2306
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             2nd Field Company Engineers, Reinforcement 11

Born 1892, Ceres
Son of Charles and Margaret Anderson from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Leonard enlisted 14/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 9/11/1915 from Sydney on HMAT A72 Beltana
Served in France
Returned to Australia 28/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

After the war Leonard returned to farm at the Barrabool Hills. He married Frances Gugger in 1926 and they had four children. In retirment Leonard moved to Manifold Heights, Geelong. He died at Grovedale in 1982.

 

John Nelson ANDERSON

Service No:    3347
Rank:            Private
Unit:             60th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1896, Ceres
Son of Charles and Margaret Anderson from Tasman, Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

John enlisted 1/05/1917 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/07/1917 from Sydney on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
Returned to Australia 23/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

Ater the war John returned home to live and work on the farm at Tasman, Ceres where he continued to live until he retired and moved to Belmont. He married Vida Johns in 1928, together they had a daughter. John died at Belmont in 1964.

 

Charles Leslie Wallace ANDERSON

Service No:    2368

Rank:            Private
Unit:             46th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Ceres
Son of William and Christina Anderson from Strathlachlan, Mount Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a student

Charles enlisted 15/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/09/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Served in Western Front
Killed in action 11/4/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

William Allen ANDERSON

Service No:    524
Rank:            Bombardier
Unit:             Siege Artillery Brigade, 2nd Reinforcements

Born 1896, Geelong
Son of John and Annie Anderson from Geelong West
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a tailor

William enlisted 14/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 8/11/1915 from Sydney on HMAT A69 Warilda
Served in France
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Returned to Australia 22/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

John  ARMOUR

Service No:    202
Rank:            Private
Unit:             7th Battalion, A Company

Born 1895, Westminster, London, England
Son of William Armour from Surrey, England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

John enlisted 21/08/1914 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A20 Hororata
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli
Killed in Action 25/4/1915
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

William Douglas Sword BAIRD

Service No:    706
Rank:            Lieutenant
Unit:             4th Light Horse Regiment, 2nd Reinforcement

Born 15/11/1889, Jedburgh, Scotland
Son of George and Jane Baird from Scotland
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a motor mechanic

William enlisted 9/12/1914 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 3/02/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A13 Katuna
Served in Gallipoli, France
Returned to Australia 26/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

Harold George BELL

Service No:    20118
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             11th Field Artillery Brigade

Born 1891, Mt Duneed
Son of John and Ellen Bell from Torquay
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a station overseer

Harold enlisted 24/11/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 20/05/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France, Belgium
Killed in Action 8/10/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Torquay Improvement Association
– Barrabool

Leaving his work as a station overseer Harold enlisted at Melbourne on 24 November 1915. He was initially appointed to the 19th Depot Battalion at Geelong at the rank of Private, transferring to Broadmeadows in January 1916 to complete his basic training. The following month at the rank of Gunner Harold was attached to the Field Artillery Reinforcements, and transferred to the 8th Field Artillery Brigade, 32nd Battery as Driver in April.
Harold (aka Sonny) embarked for Plymouth, England from Melbourne on board HMAT Medic on 20 May 1916. The convoy sailed via the Cape of Good Hope in order to avoid German submarines in the Mediterranean and arrived at Plymouth on the south coast of England on 18 July.
Further training was undertaken while in England, interrupted by a short stay in hospital with influenza and an absence due to Harold being AWL for which he was awarded 7 days forfeiture of pay. The 32nd Field Artillery Battery was reassigned to 23rd Field Artillery Brigade during the year. On 31 December he proceeded overseas to the Western Front with the Third Division, 23rd Field Artillery Brigade, the last division to do so, taking over part of the “nursery” sector near Armentieres.
With the reorganisation of the AIF units, early in 1917 Harold was transferred across different units before finally being attached to the 111th Howitzer Battery, 11th Field Artillery Battalion, a sub unit of the 4th Division Artillery on 11 April. Howitzers are designed to fire shells over high trajectories, providing steep angles of descent and usually operate from fixed positions. Because of their size, they are less mobile than the eighteen-pound field guns that were the mainstay of the Australian artillery. A typical artillery brigade usually contained four eighteen-pounder batteries, each possessing four guns, and one howitzer one. On 11 April 1917 the division assaulted the Hindenburg Line in the First Battle of Bullecourt. The battle was a disaster and 1170 Australian prisoners were taken by the Germans. In June it participated in the Battle of Messines. In September it participated in the Battle of Polygon Wood. After capturing Broodseinde Ridge, the unit moved forward to Zillebeke. In the second week of October the unit experienced heavy rains, forming a ‘sea of mud’, further exhausting already tired men and horses. They continued to repel the German advances. On 8 October with hostile artillery active on all roads and battery positions, Harold was killed in action. He was in a forward gun position along Menin Road taking ammunition up to the guns and while going up was wounded with a piece of shell. He stopped, had his wounds dressed and while doing so a high explosive shell landed into the position killing him instantly. There is no known grave for him. While he was buried at the location all forms of identification on the body had been removed presumably to send back home. A cross was erected at the site which was destroyed during the war. He is remembered at The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium – Panel 7

 

Herbert Victor BENSCH

Service No:    1720
Rank:            Corporal
Unit:             5th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement

Born 5/4/1893, Geelong
Son of George and Emma Bensch from Torquay
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Herbert enlisted 12/02/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 14/04/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A18 Wiltshire
Served in Gallipoli
Returned to Australia 3/3/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Puebla
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Torquay Improvement Association
– Sth Barwon
– Barrabool

Herbert enlisted on 5 January 1915 at Geelong assigned to the 4th Reinforcements to the 5th Battalion. He embarked for combat from Melbourne on board HMAT Wiltshire on 14 April along with 900 others. The following month he embarked for the Dardanelles from Egypt. They landed at Anzac as part of the second wave on 25 April. Shortly after landing Herbert with a strained back from a fall was also diagnosed with Myopia and was transferred to hospital subsequently transferred to Lemnos returning two months later to join his Battalion at Lone Pine. While fighting in this battle Herbert suffered shell shock and was admitted to hospital once again. While there he was diagnosed with Neurasthenia and a stigmatism resulting in him returning home on 2 March 1916.
Two years after returning home Herbert married Elsie Robinson, they had five children. Herbert was working as a linesman at Torquay before moving to Auburn where Herbert worked as an electrical mechanic. They moved around the Melbourne suburbs over the years, Herbert died in 1981 at Clayton.

 

Robert Percy BONE

Service No:    2376
Rank:            Private
Unit:             46th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1886, Highton
Son of David and Louisa Bone from Belmont
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Robert enlisted 1/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/09/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Served in France
Returned to Australia 6/09/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

Alfred Ernest BONE

Service No:    3358
Rank:            Private
Unit:             59th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1882, Chilwell
Son of Leona and Georgina Bone from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Alfred enlisted 31/03/1917 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 16/07/1917 from Sydney on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
Returned to Australia 22/12/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

John Henry BROWN

Service No:    3005
Rank:            Private
Unit:             8th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Camperdown
Son of John and Flora Brown from Weerite
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a station hand

John enlisted 20/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 29/09/1915 from Adelaide on RMS Osterley
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front
Killed in Action 19/7/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Albert  BROWN

Service No:    3114
Rank:            Private
Unit:             58th Battallion, 8th Reinforcements

Born 1890, Geelong
Son of James and Francis Brown from Korrumburra
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Albert enlisted 24/10/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/12/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France
Returned to Australia 21/4/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Torquay Improvement Association
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Sth Barwon
– Barrabool
– Mt Duneed

Albert enlisted on 24 October 1916 while working as a labourer in Jan Juc. He was assigned to the 1st [Depot] Battalion at Royal Park. While training there he was transferred to the 8th Reinforcements, 58th Battalion. Albert embarked from Melbourne aboard the HMAT Medic on 16 December arriving at Plymouth on 18 February 1917. He was stationed at Hurdcott for further training before proceeding overseas to France on 14 May. Once in France he joined the 58th Battalion in the field at Biefvillers Camp. Later in the year the AIF’s focus of operation had switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium. The 58th’s major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September. Albert was wounded during this battle and evacuated to hospital in England with a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and back. He was discharged in November and assigned to Depot’s in Hurdcott, Longbridge and Sutton Veny. The harsh English winter made it difficult to fight off chest infections and Albert was back in hospital during February 1918 eventually returning to Australia a couple of months later.
After the death of his brother John, Albert was living with his sister-in-law Olive at Dandenong with the occupation of foreman. He died in 1955 at Dandenong.

 

Frank  BROWNBILL

Service No:    3115
Rank:            Private
Unit:             58th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1891, Richmond
Son of Joseph and Ema Taylor from Geelong West
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm labourer

Frank enlisted 24/10/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/12/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in England
Returned to Australia 4/5/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

W  BUCKLEY

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Michael Philip CAHIR

Service No:    1634
Rank:            Private
Unit:             7th Battalion

Born 1891, Tungamah
Son of Thomas and Margaret Cahir from Elaine, Via Ballarat
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Michael enlisted 18/01/1916 at Ballarat as a single man
He embarked for overseas 27/05/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A11 Ascanius
Served in France
Killed in Action 16/12/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Puebla
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Torquay Improvement Association
– Sth Barwon
– Barrabool

Michael, a resident of Elaine via Ballarat, had spent about eight months with Mr. J. Charles of Torquay becoming very popular with residents before he enlisted. His brother lived in the area. Michael enlisted on 18 January 1916 at Ballarat attached to the 1st Reinforcements of the 39th Battalion.
Following a brief period of training in Ballarat, the 39th Battalion marched through Melbourne on 15 May as the city farewelled the unit and they subsequently embarked upon HMAT Ascanius on 27 May 1916, bound for the United Kingdom. Sailing via Cape Town, the battalion landed at Plymouth on 18 July 1916, and moved by train to Amesbury, before marching to Larkhill on Salisbury Plain. While undertaking the training the training here Michael was transferred to the 7th Battalion on 9 September proceeding overseas to France a week later. He caught up with his unit in the field on 29 September. The next day, the 7th Battalion, along with its sister battalion, the 8th Battalion, mounted a raid on the German line at Hollebeke with a force roughly equivalent to two platoons. The raid was a great success, with the Australians overwhelming the defenders and capturing a section of the German line and killing up to 13 Germans, before withdrawing.
In October, the battalion returned to the Gueudecourt, Somme where they spent the winter months training and manning trenches. On 16 December, work in the front trenches pushed ahead through mud 4 ft deep in some places. Gueudecourt was heavily shelled at intervals during the day and enemy artillery fire was active. Michael was one of two men from the battalion killed on this day.

 

John Joseph CANTWELL

Service No:    368
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             8th Battalion, C Company

Born 1889, Geelong
Son of John and Alice Cantwell from Freshwater Creek
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a contractor

John enlisted 24/08/1914 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A24 Benalla
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Killed in Action 25/10/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool

At the age of 25 John, a contractor from Freshwater Creek enlisted at Geelong two weeks after recruitment started in Australia. He was assigned as a Private to C Coy of the 8th Infantry Battalion training at Broadmeadows. John set sail for overseas with the first contingent on 25 October 1917 aboard the HMAT A24 Benalla. The first port of call was Albany, WA and by the end of December there were seventeen ships ready to set sail for Colombo before anchoring off Suez. With the Turks attacking ships going through the Canal the 8th Battalion stopped at Ismailia to support the British troops there. The 8th Battalion later took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915 as part of the second wave. Ten days after the landing, the 8th Battalion along with the rest of the 2nd Brigade was transferred from Gallipoli to Cape Helles to help in the attack on the village of Krithia. The attack captured little ground but cost the brigade almost a third of its strength. They returned to Gallipoli to help defend the beachhead, and in August the 2nd Brigade fought at the battle of Lone Pine. They served at Gallipoli until the evacuation in December when the battalion returned to Egypt.
While in Egypt John was promoted to Corporal just before the battalion sailed for France in March 1916. During May and June John was sent to hospital in England with Influenza. He returned to his unit in France where it was heavily involved in operations against the German Army at the Western Front. However, first major action by the battalion was at Pozieres in the Somme Valley in July, then at Ypres, in Flanders, returning to the Somme for winter. By this time John had been promoted to Sergeant.
In May 1917 John fought in the Second Battle of Bullecourt. He was later awarded the Military Medal for his actions on 6 and 9 May. The report of his action states that “while the Battalion was in occupation of the Hindenburg line near Bullecourt, France. Sgt. Cantwell did splendid work in repelling counter-attacks and reorganising the line under continuous and furious bombardment. He worked unceasingly and fearlessly without sleep and set a splendid example to his men. Sergeant Cantwell has been with the battalion since its inception and with the exception of ten days leave, has never been away” Brg General M. Bennett, endorsed by Lt. Gen. Birdwood.
On 4 October 1917, John was part of the division that captured Broodseinde Ridge which was a vital victory for the allies. But then it began to rain and the 2nd Division suffered heavily in a further attack in the mud. On 9 and 12 October the Battle of Passchendaele began with the allied attackers nearing exhaustion as the Germans increased their manpower and aided their defence with the use of mustard gas (as opposed to chlorine gas used previously) which resulted in chemical burns. On 23 October the battalion moved from the barracks at Ypres to Westhoek Ridge to relieve the 15th Battalion. Here they encountered heavy shelling, severe weather conditions with mud knee deep everywhere. The men had practically no cover. During the heavy enemy barrages and persistent shelling with heavy calibre guns John was killed in action on 25 October, he was 28 years old. There is no known grave for him so he is commemorated at The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 7), Belgium.

 

J H CARTER

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Charles Walter COOK

Service No:    1127
Rank:            Private
Unit:             31st Battalion, C Company

Born 1897, London
Son of Sarah Cook from London, England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm labourer

Charles enlisted 27/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 8/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A41 Bakara
Served in France
Returned to Australia 8/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Winchelsea
– Barrabool

 

Ernest Edward CORK

Service No:    1319
Rank:            Private
Unit:             9th Light Horse Regiment, 11th Reinforcement

Born 1885, Geelong
Son of William and Matilda Cork from Fyansford
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Ernest enlisted 26/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT SS Hawkes Bay
Served in Egypt
Returned to Australia 17/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Norman Lindsay CORKE

Service No:    5329
Rank:            Lieutenant
Unit:             23rd Battalion, 14th Reinforcement

Born 1888, Geelong
Son of Cuthbert and Susan Corke from Malvern
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a bank manager

Norman enlisted 21/02/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/08/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A28 Miltiades
Served in France, England
Returned to Australia 28/8/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Leslie Gordon CROOK

Service No:    1170
Rank:            Private
Unit:             23rd Battalion, B Company

Born 1896, West Geelong
Son of John and Jane Crook from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Leslie enlisted 9/03/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 10/05/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in Gallipoli, France
Returned to Australia 10/6/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

William Charles CUTTS

Service No:    13275
Rank:            Private
Unit:             Army Medical Corps, Special Reinforcements

Born 1893, Warracknabeal
Son of William and Sarah Cutts from East Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

William enlisted 29/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A63 Karoola
Served in France
Returned to Australia 25/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Anglesea
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 20

William was allocated initially to ‘D’ Company, Geelong before transferring to the Australian Medical Corps in Geelong, subsequently to the Broadmeadows camp embarking for overseas a few days later. While in Egypt he was temporarily detached from 13th Field Ambulance to Divisional Clearing Station embarking from Alexandria and disembarking in Marseilles on 13th June 1916. He had been ill a couple of times with Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) and transferred to hospital. On 24th November 1916 William was taken on strength to 12th Field Ambulance, still part of the 4th Division. In April-May the following year near the town of Vaulx, thousands of Australian casualties from the two battles of Bullecourt fought on 11–12 April and 3–16 May 1917. A small cemetery, Vaulx Australian Cemetery was started by the 12th Australian Field Ambulance – and the work during the two battles was described as ‘extremely heavy’. According to the official Australian medical history, 234 Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) personnel were either killed or wounded during this period, and a diarist of the 4th Field Ambulance (also part of the 4th Division Medical Services) described the situation on 11 April at the height of the first battle of Bullecourt:
…the doctors with their assistants never stopped … the stretcher bearers had one continuous stream of wounded and barely had time to eat. Every possible man helped to carry the wounded in … The weather kept fine till the afternoon and then the snow came and it was frightfully difficult for the bearers to pick their tracks. The men were drenched and cold, but as nothing as compared to the wounded who lay out in the snow. It was a sight to see the smaller men stick to their job, backwards and forwards … [It] was the most solid days carrying in France.
Unnamed 4th Field Ambulance diarist, quoted in AG Butler, The Western Front, Vol II, Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services, 1914–1918, Canberra, 1940, p. 136
On 13th March, 1919 William marched out to England AAMC Training Depot returning home the following month via “Port Denison” as part of the nursing staff; though he was admitted to the hospital on board ship with influenza during the journey home.
Once home William lived back with his parents for a short time before moving out to farm at Mt. Moriac. In 1921 he married Winnie Brown and they had two children. By 1936 William and Winnie were living at Barrabool, with William continuing to farm. In 1954 he was listed as a grazier and they had moved to Belmont. William died at Geelong in 1971.

 

Cecil Frederick DELAY

Service No:    2174
Rank:            Private
Unit:             46th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Geelong
Son of Edmond and Agnes Delay from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Cecil enlisted 5/04/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/08/1916 from Melbourne on RMS Orontes
Served in France
Returned to Australia 21/7/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Richard  DEPPELER

Service No:    68788
Rank:            Private
Unit:             Depot

Born 16/10/1897, Bannockburn
Son of Andrew and Bertha Deppeler from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Richard enlisted 3/09/1918 at Melbourne as a single man
Served at the Training Depot not embarking overseas because of the demobilization of the AIF.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Jacob  DEPPELER

Service No:    3141
Rank:            Private
Unit:             57th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1895, Lovely Banks
Son of Andrew and Bertha Deppeler
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Jacob enlisted 24/10/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/12/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France
Returned to Australia 8/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 18

On 18th February, 1917, Jacoob disembarked at Plymouth and marched into 15th Training Battalion, at Hurdcott. Six weeks later he was taken on strength of 67th Battalion, Windmill Hill proceeding oversees to France on 25th August 1917. The next day he marched into 3rd Australian Divisional Base Depot (A.D.B.D.), Rouelles then on 1st September 1917 into the 37th Battalion in the field. The 37th fought in its first major battle at Messines, in Belgium, between 7-9 June 1917. The battalion fought in another two major attacks in this sector – the battle of Broodseinde on 4 October, and the battle of Passchendaele on 12 October.
It was during the battle of Broodseinde on 4/10/1917 Jacob was wounded in action with a gun shot wound to his hand and transferred to England admitted to 1st Birmingham War Hospital. Belgium remained the focus of the 37th Battalion’s activities for the next five months, until it was rushed south to France in late March 1918 to meet the German Army’s Spring Offensive.
He proceeded back overseas to France eight weeks after being wounded, re-joining the 37th Battalion in the field on 1st January 1918.
On 2nd March 1918 Jacob was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion to the Somme. Much of their work here was protecting the line and strategic bridges and trench systems built and a series of strong posts dug and subsequently connected. On October 24th Jacob was admitted again to hospital for a couple of days with a septic abrasion to the left heel. He rejoined his unit after some leave in Paris and a furlough in the United Kingdom then marched out from the unit for return to Australia on 15/5/1919.

 

Godfrey DEPPELER

Service No:    3497
Rank:            Private
Unit:             22nd Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1893, Geelong
Son of Andrew and Bertha Deppeler from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Godfrey enlisted 26/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 5/01/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A19 Afric
Served in France
Returned to Australia 8/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 21

As a young 22 year old labourer from Modewarre Godfrey enlisted in Melbourne on 12 July 1915. He entered the Training Camp at Geelong on 26 July. Initially assigned to the 22nd Battalion, 8th Reinforcements which embarked from Melbourne about the HMAT Afric on 5 January 1916. On arrival in Egypt 23 February 1916 he was allotted to join the 57th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. He joined them on 3 March however the next day he was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion which had just been formed. After constructing a rifle range & some preliminary training the battalion moved to Ferry Post on the Eastern side of the Suez Canal where it became a unit of the 5th Australian Division. Here under extreme weather conditions of heat, wind and dust further training, repairing of the Desert Railway and constructing a large portion of the main Canal defences was carried out. Godrey was admitted to the 4th Field Ambulance during April, promoted to Driver in May, then his unit embarked to join the British Expeditionary Force in June. They embarked on the “Canada” from Alexandria arriving at Marseilles on 25 June 1916. The Battalion moved on to Bae St Maur, 3 miles from the front line with the first task of burying telephone cable then the Battalion was ordered to build a mile of railway line while enduring attacks from the air. The line was to bring material up for use during the unsuccessful attack on 19 July. After the attack the Battalion repaired the front line and communication trenches. They also successfully carried out a large drainage scheme requiring careful grading – during the winter of 1916-17 the water did not rise above the duckboard level and there was the task of running a large timber mill operating a plant for making concrete slabs, the control of trench tramways and general cleaning work.
In October the Battalion moved south to the battle for Somme. Their job was to maintain communication trenches however the rain caused the trenches to be filled with mud. While the 5th Division moved out in November the Pioneer Battalion stayed on to maintain the road. Within two weeks the Bernafay – Longueval road was converted from a series of lakes and mud to a properly drained road with a fairly hard surface which traffic could negotiate without risk. Still on the battlefields of Somme they built more trenches to the front line, the sea of mud made the task very arduous and tiring.
On 17 March 1917 the Germans withdrew all along this section of the front meaning no more plugging and repairing there was a need for more duckwalk track and trench tramways which was extended through to Beaulencourt. The Battalion moved to a comfortable camp at Fricourt for a small amount of training but rest and sport were the main attention. The stay was short-lived and on 9 May the men were moved to a camp near Vaulx for support of the battles on the Hindenburg Line. Further building and maintenance of battery positions, communication trenches were carried out.
The Battalion moved away from the front line digging defences for villages as well as further training and respite. Sport and swimming were popular pursuits in some of the towns. While Godfrey was on two weeks leave in UK in September the Battalion was on the move to the Ypres district to take part in the large offensive that was in progress. Building and repairing roads, trenches and duckwalks often under fire from heavy shelling and aircraft fire. During December the 5th Division was moved to near Boulonge for a rest until the end of January 1918 when they returned to the Messines area to repair the roads, build entrenched strong posts and miles of barbed wire to be constructed. Early in March however the enemy shelling became more active and in April the Battalion was moved back to Villers Brettoneux on The Somme once again. Here they endured shelling and gassing. They moved away from the area as the Germans captured Villers Brettoneux (for one day only). At the end of May all forward work was handed over to the 4th Pioneer Battalion – by then in addition to other work such as bridge guards, bomb-proof shelters and roads; some 13 miles of trenches had been dug to a depth of 4’ 6” and effectively wired. The 5th Pioneer Battalion continued to work in preparation for battles along the Somme making roads passable for armoured cars and troops. In September they carried out operations against the Hindenburg Line, through Bellicourt and beyond. Here work was done at night and one occasion a heavy ground mist made it extremely difficult to know what was going on and on approaching Bellicourt the battalion found itself among German infantry and were consequently drawn into the fighting. The Germans surrendered with much effort but in Bellicourt itself stiff opposition was encountered. The Battalion Lewis Gunners successfully out fought the German machine guns and the village was successfully taken. Godfrey returned to the UK for two weeks leave and on his return in October the battalion had moved to Roisel which turned out to be the last battle. The armistice was signed on 11 November and demobilisation began. Godfrey headed to England on 15 March 1919 returning to Australia on 8 May 1919.
He returned to labouring work living at Modewarre, married Doris Batson in 1925 they had four children. By 1931 Godfrey was a farmer, the family was living at Mt Moriac. The mid 1930s a final shift was made to farming at Winchelsea. Godfrey died at Geelong in 1953.

 

 

Ernest Gordon DONOHUE

Service No:    3149
Rank:            Private
Unit:             6th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1893, Modewarre
Son of Patrick and Catherine Donohue from Buckley
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Ernest enlisted 8/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 29/09/1915 from Melbourne on RMS Osterley
Served in France
Returned to Australia 8/4/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Winchelsea

 

George Harold DONOHUE

Service No:    4028
Rank:            Private
Unit:             39th Battalion

Born 1894, Winchelsea
Son of Patrick and Catherine Donohue from Pettavel
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a shunter

George enlisted 14/08/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Returned to Australia 30/1/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Waurn Ponds SS
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Winchelsea

 

E  EVANS

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Alfred John EVANS

Service No:    3139
Rank:            Private
Unit:             58th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1893, Anglesea River
Son of John and Mary Evans from Anglesea
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Alfred enlisted 24/10/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/12/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France
Killed in Action 4/7/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Anglesea
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

Patrick Thomas FEEHAN

Service No:    3536
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1881, Mt Duneed
Son of Michael and Margaret Feehan from Mt. Duneed
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Patrick enlisted 15/03/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/08/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A67 Orsova
Served in France
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Returned to Australia 23/6/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Mt Duneed

 

George  FISHBURN

Service No:    4033
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1894, Numurkah
Son of Stephen and Louisa Fishburn from Port Fairy
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

George enlisted 23/08/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 3

George trained for 4 weeks at the 19th Depot Battalion, Geelong. Embarking from Melbourne per Port Melbourne on 21st October 1916 he arrived in Devonport on 28th December 1916. Inflicted with influenza George was admitted to hospital before proceeding overseas to France on 5th April, 1917. He was transferred to the 29th Battalion, 10th Reinforcements the following week. The only large battle in 1917 in which the 29th Battalion played a major role was Polygon Wood, fought in the Ypres sector in Belgium on 26 September.
Unlike some AIF battalions, the 29th had a relatively quiet time during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 as the 5th Division was in reserve for a lot of the time. When the Allies took to the offensive again, the 29th fought in a minor attack at Morlancourt on 29 July, and then in August and September took part in the great advance that followed the battle of Amiens. The 29th fought its last major action in September when the 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions, and two American divisions attacked the Hindenburg Line across the top of the 6-kilometre-long St Quentin Canal tunnel; the canal was a major obstacle in the German defensive scheme. The offensive of 1918, however, had strained the AIF almost to breaking point. On 12 October the 29th Battalion was disbanded to provide reinforcements for other 8th Brigade units. George was transferred to the 32nd Battalion.
The 32nd was resting and retraining out of the line when the war ended on 11 November 1918. With the gradual repatriation of men to Australia, George was transferred to the 5th Divisional Train on 9th January 1919 before returning to Australia.
On return George settled back in Modewarre as a labourer. He married Sarah (Elizabeth) Parish in 1920 and they had three children. They moved to Mt. Moriac, George continuing to work as a labourer. He died on 25th December 1962 and is buried at the Mt. Moriac cemetery.

 

A J FORSTER

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

John  GIBSON

Service No:    2910
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1880, Inverleigh
Son of unknown from Inverleigh
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a station hand

John enlisted 23/02/1916 at Geelong as a married man
He embarked for overseas 4/04/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in France
Returned to Australia 22/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Cyril Joseph GLEESON

Service No:    3160
Rank:            Private
Unit:             57th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Ceres
Son of Joseph and Margaret Gleeson from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Cyril enlisted 30/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/12/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France
Died as a result of disease 3/5/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

W  GUGGER

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Samuel John GUGGER

Service No:    4052
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Fyansford
Son of Samuel and Annie Gugger from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm labourer

Samuel enlisted 11/09/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

After the war Samuel returned to live as a farmer in Barrabool. He married Sylvia Hunter in 1926 and moved shortly after to Corowa in NSW where they lived for over 20 years. There was then a move to Ballarat, and a final move to Torquay/Bellbrae as a dairy farmer. Samuel died at Geelong in 1983.

 

L  HAM

Details are unknown at this present time.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Walter William HARBIDGE

Service No:    3910
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Birmingham, England
Son of Ada Harbidge from England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Walter enlisted 13/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/09/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A73 Commonwealth
Served in Western Front
Killed in Action 9/8/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

Stanley John HARRISON

Service No:    40
Rank:            Corporal
Unit:             Head Quarters 1st Australian Division

Born 1889, Geelong
Son of John and Harriet Harrison from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Stanley enlisted 20/08/1914 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT Orvieto
Served in Gallipoli, France
Returned to Australia 9/12/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

George Edward HAYGARTH

Service No:    20252
Rank:            Private
Unit:            Field Artillery Brigade 8, Brigade Ammunition Column

Born 1881, Inverleigh
Son of George and Ann Haygarth from Mt Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a blacksmith

George enlisted 10/01/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 20/05/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A7 Medic
Served in France
Returned to Australia 3/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Joseph  HAYGARTH

Service No:    9028
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:            2nd Divisional Ammunition Column

Born 1889, Inverleigh
Son of George and Ann Haygarth from Mt Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farrier

Joseph enlisted 15/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A39 Port Macquarie
Served in France
Returned to Australia 19/4/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

William Charles HAYWARD

Service No:    6529
Rank:            Private
Unit:             8th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement

Born 1893, Oakham, England
Son of Edward and Kate Hayward from Leicestershire, England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm labourer

William enlisted 16/08/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 2/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in Western Front
Returned to Australia 6/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Henry James HELMS

Service No:    4057
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1886, Ceres
Son of James and Elizabeth Helms from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Henry enlisted 21/06/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Upon disembarking overseas Henry became ill in England and returned home.
Returned to Australia 22/7/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

Known as James, after the war he returned to farming in the Barrabool Hills and married Florence Gray in 1920 continuing to farm in the Barrabool Hills until their shift to Leopold in 1937. James died at Geelong in 1963.

 

James Clarence HENDY

Service No:    3
Rank:            Private
Unit:             10th Infantry Brigade Headquarters

Born 1896, Geelong
Son of Ebenezer and Minnie Hendy from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Clarrie enlisted 10/03/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 27/05/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A11 Ascanius
Served in France
Returned to Australia 27/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Edward Percival HENDY

Service No:    541
Rank:            Private
Unit:             8th Light Horse Regiment, C Squadron

Born 2/7/1894, Moorpannyal, Geelong
Son of Ebenezer and Minnie Hendy from Newtown
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Edward enlisted 12/01/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 25/02/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Star of Victoria
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli
Killed in Action 1/8/1915
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 27

Edward had previous 4 years military experience in the Geelong College Cadet Corps as well as serving with the 29th Light Horse, C Squadron. After five weeks of AIF military training he embarked from Melbourne with the 8th Light Horse Regiment, C Coy for Alexandria in Egypt.
On 15 May 1915, the 8th Light Horse received orders to proceed to Gallipoli, and they embarked at Alexandria on 16 May 1915 per H.M.T. Menominee. It was thought the terrain at Gallipoli was unsuitable for mounted troops so the 8th Light Horse Brigade was deployed without their horses. All of their horses were left behind at Heliopolis under the care of one officer and 30 men. The 8th Light Horse landed at Kota Tepe (on Gallipoli) on the night of 21 May 1915, and took up positions at Walker’s Top.
The 8th Light Horse were still at Walker’s Top when Edward was evacuated on 15 July 1915 to No. 1 A. Sty. Hospital at Mudros Island suffering from pleurisy. After treatment, and a week with at the Adm 24CC station he was able to return to his unit at Gallipoli on the 27 July 1915. Not long after his return the regiment was involved in the Charge at The Nek disaster which started with the bombardment of the Turkish positions by a destroyer steaming offshore. The bulk of the shells fell beyond their target and finished seven minutes early. Instead of charging at the end of the shelling the officers of the light horse held their men back until the appointed time for the attack arrived giving the Turks time to man their positions after seeking shelter from the bombardment. As the first wave of attack the 8th Light Horse Regiment were shot down by Turkish rifle and machine-gun fire. The second line, also from the 8th, scrambled over the dead and wounded of the first line to make their attack, and suffered the same fate. During the attack Edward received a gunshot wound to the right thigh which subsequently become quickly infected with gangrene. He was evacuated to the HS Delta where he died from his injury and gangrene. He was buried at sea between Murdos and Alexandria on 9 August 1915 by Rev H.S. Marshall.

 

D Mc HOWELL

Details unknown presently.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

William Stephens HOWELL

Service No:    2521
Rank:            Private
Unit:             13th Light Horse Regiment, 21st Reinforcement

Born 1899, Strathbogie
Son of Richard and Julia Howell from Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a mechanic

William enlisted 3/07/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/11/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in France
Returned to Australia 9/2/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Ivo Henderson HOWELL

Service No:    5575
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade 2, Reinforcement 11

Born 1896, Merton
Son of Richard and Julia Howell from Strathbogie
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a teacher

Ivo enlisted 14/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 11/10/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in Western Front
Returned to Australia 30/6/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Robert Lawrence Clifford HUNT

Service No:    26723
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade 14, Reinforcement 5

Born 1896, Geelong
Son of Robert and Harriet Hunt from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Robert enlisted 8/02/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/09/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/1/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Anglesea Recreation & Sports Club
– Barrabool

 

Richard Frederick HUNT

Service No:    51376
Rank:            Private
Unit:             2nd General (Victorian) Reinforcements

Born 28/10/1897, Waurn Ponds
Son of John and Mary Hunt from Pettavel
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Richard enlisted 1/02/1918 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/05/1918 from Sydney on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in France
Returned to Australia 22/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Waurn Ponds
– Anglesea
– Barrabool
– Modewarre
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 9

Richard was born at Waurn Ponds, one of six children to John Stead Hunt and Mary Ann Hunt (nee Mawson). He attended school at Paraparap State School. He is on many honour boards across the Surf Coast either from his involvement in those communities or because his father was a Shire Councillor. Richard, a Pettavel farmer enlisted in Geelong for what turned out to be the last year of the war at the age of 20 years 3 months. Richard had some prior military training and was ranked Corporal in the Trainees carrying a referral to the training camp as to his ability. He trained at the Broadmeadows Camp with the 2nd General Service Reinforcements before the unit embarked overseas from Sydney via New York, disembarking at Liverpool on 2 July 1918. A transgression of being in the crew’s quarters during the journey was admonished on arrival in New York. Arriving in Liverpool he marched into the 5th Training Battalion, England and the next day was admitted to Hurdcott Hospital with the mumps. The following month he was back in hospital with tonsillitis. On discharge from hospital 21 August he marched back into the 5th Training Battalion, Fovant. In September Richard proceeded overseas to France, transferring in to the Australian Infantry Base Depot (AIBD) on arrival. On 26 September he was taken on strength to the 22nd Battalion which took part in the last action fought by the AIF on the Western Front, the battle of Montbrehain / Beaurevoir Line, in October 1918.
The Beaurevoir Line was the last of a series of German defensive lines known collectively by the Allies as the Hindenburg Line. It was approximately eight kilometres to the rear of the main Hindenburg Line and consisted of thick barbed wire entanglements and well-sited machine and anti-tank gun bunkers. The bulk of the trenches, however, were only partly dug. The original attack on the Hindenburg Line launched on 29 September had been intended to smash right through the Beaurevior Line as well, but had not succeeded in this objective. Along with the 46th British Division, the 2nd Australian Division was ordered to breakthrough the Beaurevoir Line on 3 October 1918. The Australians were to seize the village of Beaurevoir, and the British Montbrehain. The Australian attack was a success, but was stopped short of the village due to insecure flanks. The British captured Montbrehain, but were unable to retain it. After an ill-fated attempt to capture Beaurevoir on 4 October, the 6th Australian Brigade was launched against Montbrehain the next morning. The village was secure by the end of the day, but came at the expense 430 casualties – a cost regarded as excessively high for such a limited objective. At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent.
After three weeks leave in UK, Richard re-joined his unit on 23 March 1919 for a brief time before they marched out to the UK on 30 May disembarking at Southampton the next day. On 22 July 1919 Richard left England for return to Australia per H.T. “Ulysses” arriving in Melbourne on 2 September 1919. He was discharged three weeks later.
Richard proceeded back to farm at Moriac. In 1921 he became seriously ill. Since his return from Active Service he had frequently complained of headache and pains which he had said were the result of gas. The cause of death was found to be malignant growths as a result of gas received in the war. During surgery just prior to his death it was discovered he had several pellets in his stomach. It appears at no time during the war did he seek medical attention for either of these injuries.
He died at ‘Koonwarra’ Private Hospital, Armadale in 1922 then buried at Mt. Moriac cemetery.

 

 

Thomas  HUNTER

Service No:    1012
Rank:            Private
Unit:             13th Light Horse Regiment, 4th Reinforcement

Born 1881, Worde Boluck
Son of George and Margaret Hunter from Torquay
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Thomas enlisted 1/07/1915 at Melbourne as a married man
He embarked for overseas 27/09/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A20 Hororata
Served in Egypt
Returned to Australia 11/5/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Bellbrae
– Puebla
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Sth Barwon

Thomas, from Torquay, a married man and father of five children enlisted on 1 July 1915 at Melbourne and was assigned to the 4th Reinforcements of the 13th Light Horse Regiment at the rank of Private. During training he was promoted to Corporal just prior to embarking overseas at Melbourne on board the HMAT Hororata on 27 September. They sailed for the Middle East arriving at Egypt early November and located to the training camp at Tel el Kebir. On 25 December 1915 Thomas was admitted to hospital with Meningitis, dangerously ill. The ensuing months he displayed symptoms of defective vision and contracted influenza before the meningitis remerged in April 1916. Thomas was invalided home on 11 May 1916 with spinal meningitis.
Thomas returned home to Torquay and once he recovered from his illness he initially took up fishing as his new occupation. By 1924 Edith was living in Port Melbourne. In 1937 Thomas was the caretaker of the Western Baths, Geelong. He died later that year aged 56.

 

 

Louis James IMER

Service No:    3655
Rank:            Private
Unit:             58th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 17/1/1899, Richmond
Son of George and Catherine Imer from Beaconsfield Upper
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a boot machinest

Louis enlisted 1/02/1918 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/03/1918 from Melbourne on RMS Ormonie
Served in France
Returned to Australia 22/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Bellbrae
– Waurn Ponds
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

From ‘The Imer Family’ by C.R. Imer (1971) “The labor situation was quite unsettled immediately following the war and after operating a bootmaker’s shop at Kew for about a year, Louis worked as a hospital attendant at the Repatriation Hospital, Mont Park. Later he joined the firm of J. Mcann and Son Pty. Ltd., Lime and Cement merchants of South Melbourne and he was to remain with that company until his retirement in 1967 – the last 28 years of that period as Manager of the Glenhuntly Branch. His marriage to Violet Adelaid Bailey took place on 24th June, 1922 and for some years they lived in Lynden Street, Camberwell. From 1933 they lived for the remainder of their lives at 249 Station Street, Edithvale.” They had three children. ….”On their 47th wedding anniversary on 24th June, 1969, when picking some flowers from his garden for Violet, Louis collapsed and died, and Violet who had been in poor health died the following year.”

 

John Parker Nicholson JACKSON

Service No:    108
Rank:            Private
Unit:             3rd Pioneer Battalion, Machine Gun Section

Born 1886, Geelong
Son of John and Alice Parker from Anglesea
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a motor mechanic

John enlisted 6/12/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 6/06/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A62 Wandilla
Served in Western Front
He was Mentioned in Dispatches
Returned to Australia 12/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Anglesea
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

Charles Hotham JOHNSON

Service No:    31473
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             Howitzer Brigade 21, Reinforcement 9

Born 1887, Geelong
Son of William and Alice Johnson from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Charles enlisted 6/10/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 23/12/1916 from Melbourne on RMS Orontes
Served in France
Returned to Australia 31/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

John Alexander JOHNSON

Service No:    6040
Rank:            Private
Unit:             14th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement

Born 1897, Geelong
Son of William and Alice Johnson from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

John enlisted 20/03/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/08/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A28 Miltiades
Served in France
Returned to Australia 20/12/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

Charles  KEITH

Service No:    5038
Rank:            Private
Unit:             Aust Veterinary Corps Hospital

Born 1877, Mt Duneed
Son of Andrew and Elizabeth Keith from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Charles enlisted 2/02/1916 at Longwarry as a single man
He embarked for overseas 3/07/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A33 Ayrshire
Served in France
Returned to Australia 9/4/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Mt Duneed

After returning home from the war Charles headed for Berwick where he worked as a farmer. He died there in 1940.

 

William  KELLY

Service No:    3306
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             3rd Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 7

Born 1894, Buckley
Son of William and Norah Kelly from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

William enlisted 28/05/1917 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 4/08/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A32 Themistocles
Served in Western Front
Returned to Australia 9/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 6

William entered the recruitment depot at Broadmeadows on 31 June 1917 training for deployment overseas. With his occupation prior to enlistment as a farmer he was able to provide a range of skills that would support a Pioneer Battalion. He could perform construction tasks in the forward area which not require the special equipment normally needed of engineers. These tasks included constructing trenches and dugouts or on occasion construction of bridges. William was attached to the 3rd Pioneer Battalion, 7th Reinforcements at Seymour on 9 July 1917. They embarked for overseas from Melbourne per HMAT Themistocles on 4 August disembarking at Glasgow on 2 October and transported to England by train. The following month William was transferred to the Artillery Details at Sutton Veny and mustered as Gunner with the Reserve Brigade Australia Artillery, Heytesbury. This brigade proceeded oversees to France on 18 January 1918. He was transferred to the 3rd Army Brigade Australian Field Artillery a few days later and appointed Driver the following month. William was shot in the thigh on 31 May and invalided back to the UK on 6 June. Once recovered he was stationed at Heytesbury, where once again he was absent from Harness Cleaning Parade and awarded the forfeiture of 7 days’ pay! The following month on 14 October 1918 he rejoined his unit in France staying there until 6 May when he marched into England returning to Australia per “Perry Ludwig” 5 September 1919.

 

Rupert William KNIGHT

Service No:    547
Rank:            Private
Unit:             Anzac Cyclist Battalion, Reinforcement 4

Born 1898, St Arnaud
Son of William and Eliza Knight from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Rupert enlisted 3/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/09/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A73 Commonwealth
Served in Western Front
Killed in action 4/10/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

W H LAMB

Details are unknown presently.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

John James LAMB

Service No:    3574
Rank:            Private
Unit:             22nd Battalion, 8th Reinforcement

Born 31/3/1897, Ceres
Son of John and Ada Lamb from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

John enlisted 24/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 5/01/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A19 Afric
Served in Egypt, Western Front
Killed in action 19/7/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

At his enlistment in Geelong John was allotted to the 22nd Battalion, 8th Reinforcement. He trained at Seymour, Bendigo and Geelong. Towards the end of his training he was attached to the 57th Battalion. The battalion sailed in January 1916 aboard the HMAT Afric for Europe. They disembarked at Alexandria in Egypt and went by train to Zeitoun, near Cairo. Upon arrival John was allotted and proceeded to join the 57th Battalion in training at Tel-El-Kabir. Three days after joining the unit he was admitted to hospital for two weeks because of a diphtheria contact. Back with the unit he was transferred to the 58th Battalion a week later. They embarked at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 17 June 1916; disembarking at Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916. They were quickly embroiled in their first major battle on the Western Front at Fromelles on 19 July the day John was posted as missing. The battle was a disaster. The 58th had the dual role of providing carrying parties and a reserve force. The reserve force (approximately half of the battalion) was ordered to attack late in the battle and was virtually annihilated by machine-gun fire; as a whole, the 58th suffered casualties equal to almost a third of its strength. There were 5,500 Australians killed and wounded on this day, making 19 July 1916 the worst day in Australian military history.
A Court of Enquiry held in the field on 1 September 1917 pronounced John’s fate as ‘Killed in Action, 19 July 1916’ based on statements from fellow soldiers. These statements indicated that John was killed by shrapnel through the chest in No Man’s Land during the daytime in the first wave going over at Fromelles. His body was never recovered for burial. He is commemorated at the V.C. Corner (Panel No 14), Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France.

 

John Thomas LARCOMBE

Service No:    32242
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade 2, Reinforcement 24

Born 1884, Geelong
Son of John and Hannah Larcombe from Mt Moriac

His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer
John enlisted 12/09/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 14/02/1917 from Melbourne on RMS Osterley
Served in France
Returned to Australia 6/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Anglesea
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 5

John enlisted in the AIF in September 1916 with the rank of ‘Gunner’ training with the 24th Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Reinforcements at Maribyrnong. He embarked from Melbourne with the rank of ‘Driver’ and disembarked in Plymouth, England on 11 April 1917 attached to the Reserve Brigade Australia Artillery at Larkhill. John was promoted to Bombardier for two months to complete establishment of the unit. He proceeded overseas to France from Southampton on 3 November 1917 marching into Rouelles, France, then the next day to the Australian General Base Depot. On 24 November he was taken on strength to the 1st Division Ammunition Column and posted to No. 1 section.
The First Division rejoined the Australian Corps in the Somme region in 1918 in time to participate in the Battle of Amiens and fought on to the Hindenburg Line. When the enemy launched its second phase of the spring offensive, the Division was rushed from the Somme to help plug the gap and was involved in (April) The Battle of Hazebrouck in which the Division fought the defence of Nieppe Forest; (May/June) Merris – 1st Australian Division, in a series of small operations, recovered ground lost in the German offensive; (August) The Battle of Albert in which the Division captured Chuignes, as part of the Second Battles of the Somme1918, then they went on to capture Lihons. The Division’s last battle was in September – The Battle of Epehy, one of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.
The week before Armistice was declared John went on leave to the UK re-joining the unit at the end of November. He stayed five months for the clean up before returning to England where he attended a school on Stock Breeding. He returned to Australia per “Euripides” disembarking at Melbourne on 20 October 1919.
John returned to farming at Mount Moriac and married his cousin Hannah in 1921. They continued to live and farm at Mount Moriac raising their two sons until 1937 when the family moved to Modewarre and John continued the family farming tradition. Like his father and grandfather John became a Barrabool councillor serving from 1939 until 1952. He died on 4 May 1952 at Mount Moriac.

 

Robert  LEAKE

Service No:    7257
Rank:            Private
Unit:             7th Battalion, 24th Reinforcement

Born 1873, Geelong
Son of Samuel and Elizabeth Leake from Mt Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a gardener

Robert enlisted 16/12/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/02/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat
Served in England
Returned to Australia 27/8/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

John Thomas LEAKE

Service No:    2708
Rank:            Private
Unit:             46th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1895, Mt Moriac
Son of Samuel and Elizabeth Leake from Mt Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

John enlisted 10/05/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 20/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A17 Port Lincoln
Served in France
Returned to Australia 7/2/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Leslie Frederick LEIBHARDT

Service No:    57438
Rank:            Private
Unit:             4th General Service Reinforcements (Egypt) (Victoria)

Born 22/9/1899, Freshwater Creek
Son of Frederick and Henrietta Leibhardt from Belmont
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a horse Driver

Leslie enlisted 27/04/1918 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 17/08/1918 from Sydney on HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Served in Egypt
Returned to Australia 3/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

After the war Frederick married Ruby Bench in 1921. They lived in Newtown with their daughter. Frederick worked as a quarry man initially, in 1931 and later he was working as a labourer, then boiler attendant.  He died at Geelong in 1976.

 

Herbert  LEIGH

Service No:    25873
Rank:            Bombardier
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade 12, Reinforcement 4

Born 1890, Ceres
Son of William and Mary Leigh from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Herbert enlisted 24/02/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/08/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A67 Orsova
Served in France
Returned to Australia 21/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

After the war Herbert returned to farming at Ceres. He married Clarice Hunt in 1930. In his later years he was living in Belmont before he died at Highton in 1968.

 

Cyril Benjamin LEVIEN

Service No:    897
Rank:            Private
Unit:             9th Light Horse Regiment, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1896, Perth
Son of Claude and Evelyn Levien from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm hand

Cyril enlisted 16/12/1914 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 8/05/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A58 Kabinga
Served in Gallipoli
Killed in Action 28/8/1915
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Percy  MALKIN

Service No:    24419
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             3rd Divisional Ammunition Column

Born 1889, Macclesfield, England
Son of George and Harriet Malkin from Jan Juc
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Percy enlisted 10/03/1916 at Geelong as a married man
He embarked for overseas 27/06/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A37 Barambah
Served in France
Returned to Australia 11/12/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Sth Barwon
– Barrabool

 

John Norman MANN

Service No:    2077
Rank:            Lance Corporal
Unit:             29th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement

Born 1896, Ceres
Son of John and Janet Mann from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

John enlisted 17/07/1915 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 18/02/1918 from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat
Served in Western Front
Killed in action 29/8/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Ceres
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

James Henry MANN

Service No:    2076
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 3rd Reinforcement

Born 15/4/1896, Ceres
Son of James and Christina Mann from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

James enlisted 14/07/1915 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 18/02/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat
Served in Western Front
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Returned to Australia 8/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

After returning home from the war James married Marjorie Shegog in 1923. They raised their family on the farm at Freshwater Creek before retiring to Belmont. James died in 1987.

 

Herbert James MARENDAZ

Service No:    158
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             4th Light Horse Regiment, A Squadron

Born 1894, Duneed
Son of Frederic and Jane Marendaz from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Herbert enlisted 20/08/1914 at Broadmeadows as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A18 Wiltshire
Served in Gallipoli, Egypt, France
Returned to Australia 8/10/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

E A MATTHEWS

Details are unknown at present.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Clarence Percy MATTHEWS

Service No:    2702
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1893, Modewarre
Son of Hugh and Sophia Matthews from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Clarence enlisted 5/02/1916 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 14/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 11

Clarence and his brother Thomas both signed up on the 5 February 1916 to join the AIF. They both entered the training depot in Geelong before being assigned to the 29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcements with the rank of Private. Together they embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT Anchises on 14 March 1916 arriving at Suez a month later. Within a few days Clarence had dysentery he recovered quickly and re-joined his unit.
The 29th Battalion disembarked at Marselles on 29 June 1916 in preparation for its first major battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916. The nature of this battle was summed up by one 29th soldier: “the novelty of being a soldier wore off in about five seconds…it was like a bloody butcher’s shop.” Although it still spent periods in the front line, the 29th played no major offensive role for the rest of the year. With an intense winter Clarence was one of many who developed ‘trench feet’ and was transferred to the Anzac CR station in December. Four weeks later he re-joined the 29th Battalion in the field.
In early 1917, the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line, allowing the British front to be advanced. The Germans, however, made selected stands to delay this advance and the 28th Battalion was involved in defeating a counter-attack at Beaumetz on 23 March. The battalion subsequently missed the heavy fighting to breach the Hindenburg Line during the second battle of Bullecourt as the 8th Brigade was deployed to protect the Division’s flank. The only large battle in 1917 in which the 29th Battalion played a major role was Polygon Wood, fought in the Ypres sector in Belgium on 26 September. It was during one of the minor battles that Clarence was wounded in action on 13 October 1917. He suffered a gun shot wound to the right shoulder and was hospitalized for a month. In April 1918 an abscess on his Axillary glands caused him to be transferred to England for treatment. He spent some time at the Training Brigade at Longbridge Deverill before proceeding back to France on 12 September as the battalion was taking part in the great advance that followed the battle of Amiens. The 29th fought its last major action in September when the 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions, and two American divisions attacked the Hindenburg Line across the top of the 6 kilometre-long St Quentin Canal tunnel; the canal was a major obstacle in the German defensive scheme. The offensive of 1918, however, had strained the AIF almost to breaking point. On 12 October the 29th Battalion was disbanded to provide reinforcements for other 8th Brigade units and Clarence was transferred to the 5th Army Medical Corps. On 30 April 1919 he marched out to England for embarkation back to Australia.

 

John William MATTHEWS

Service No:    3325
Rank:            Private
Unit:             3rd Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 7

Born 1888, Geelong
Son of William and Julia Matthews from Fyansford
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a contractor

John enlisted 25/07/1917 at Melbourne as a married man
He embarked for overseas 4/08/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A32 Themistocles
Served in Western Front
Returned to Australia 8/2/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 15

John started training at the Broadmeadows Recruitment Depot before being transferred to the 3rd Pioneer Battalion, 7th Reinforcements at Seymour with William Kelly on 9 July 1917. He embarked from Melbourne for overseas on 4 August 1917 disembarking in Glasgow on 2 October and transported by train to England. On 21 January 1918 while at the Training Unit Sutton Veny, John sought medical treatment for his feet – the arches of both feet were quite gone. He was transferred to the No 2 Com Depot Weymouth in July and returned to Australia per HT Somali on 10 December 1918. Subsequently in February 1919 he was recommended for discharge as permanently unfit – unable to do route marches since the cold weather came on.

 

Stanley Edgar MATTHEWS

Service No:    8234
Rank:            Private
Unit:             19th Army Service Corps, Field Bakery Section

Born 16/6/1894, Modewarre
Son of James and Sarah Matthews from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a baker

Stanley enlisted 8/07/1915 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 30/11/1915 from Sydney on HMAT A23 Suffolk
Served in France
Returned to Australia 3/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 19

Stanley enlisted for service in the AIF on 31 August 1915 at Seymour. He was posted to 19th Army Service Corps as a baker. Prior to enlisting Stanley was employed as a baker. He embarked from Australia on 30 November 1915 in HMAT Suffolk disembarking in Alexandria in February. After a couple of days in hospital because of abdominal pains Stanley embarked from Alexandria on 17 March, arriving in Marseilles on 23 March. Just after arrival in France he was sent to the 30th General Hospital because of postnasal catarrh then invalided back to England. He spent two months at the training depot, Horseferry Road, London before proceeding back overseas to France on 1 September 1916. Once arriving in Etaples he marched out to Rouen to the 5th Field Bakery. Except for another stay in hospital he stayed with the 5th Field Bakery for the rest of the war.
Stanley left France for England on 21 February 1919 where he spent four months, before embarking for Australia aboard the ship Zealandic on 3 July with his wife Kathleen (nee Langran). He disembarked in Sydney on 23 August and was discharged from the AIF on 17 October 1919.

 

Thomas Hamilton MATTHEWS

Service No:    2712
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1884, Modewarre
Son of Hugh and Sophia Matthews from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Thomas enlisted 5/02/1916 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 14/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in France
Returned to Australia 20/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
Modewarre
Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
Barrabool
St Saviour’s Modewarre
Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 2

Thomas and his brother Clarence both signed up on the 5 February 1916 to join the AIF. They both entered the training depot in Geelong before being assigned to the 29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcements with the rank of Private. Together they embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT Anchises on 14 March 1916 arriving at Suez a month later. Thomas embarked from Alexandria on 21 June and disembarked at Marselles on 29 June 1916 just before the first major battle for the 29th Battalion, the battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916. Directed by a strong German position the attack was intended primarily to be a feint hoping to draw German troops away from the Somme offensive being pursued further south. Ill planning and implementation deprived the attack of any surprise on the well-entrenched defenders. When the Australian troops attacked they suffered heavily at the hands of the German machine gunners. While some German trenches were captured, with a lack of flanking support and German counter attacks they were forced to withdraw. The Germans realised it was a feint so it had no impact on the Somme offensive. Thomas’ service record does not state what happened to him subsequently but there is a note that he re-joined the battalion in September. On 11 February 1917 he was attached to the 5th Sanitary Section for duty and promoted to 2/Corporal in March. He stayed with them until 24 April 1919 when he marched to England out of France before returning to Australia per ‘Konig Frederick August’ disembarking Melbourne on 6 August 1919

 

Allan Ernest MATTHEWS

Service No:    3326
Rank:            Private
Unit:             3rd Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 7

Born 1894, Modewarre
Son of William and Julia Matthews from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a contractor

Allan enlisted 28/05/1917 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 4/08/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A32 Themistocles
Served in Western Front
Died as a result of disease 25/10/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 22

After embarking from Melbourne Allan disembarked at Glasgow, Scotland on 2 October 1917 marching into the Pioneer Training Battalion at Sutton Veny on 3 October 1917 where he stayed for four months.
He proceeded overseas to France, 12 February 1918; marched into Australian Intermediate Base Depot, Le Havre, 13 February 1918 joining the 3rd Pioneer Battalion on 19th February 1918.
Allan fought at many of the greater battles, was at Amiens, and at many other important incidents on the Western Front.
On 21 October 1918 he was admitted to No 10 Australian Field Ambulance, subsequently transferred the same day to No 3 Australian General Hospital, Abbeville, with influenza. He died on 25 October 1918 from broncho pneumonia due to exposure.

 

William McADAM

Service No:    20
Rank:            Corporal
Unit:             8th Battalion, Headquarters

Born 1882, Ceres
Son of Walter and Sarah McAdam from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

William enlisted 18/08/1914 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 19/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A24 Benalla
Served in Gallipoli, France
Returned to Australia 8/10/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 29

William a 32 year old farmer from Modewarre joined the AIF in 1914 with 5 years’ experience in the Royal Navy. He joined the 8th Battalion AIF which was among the first infantry units raised for the AIF during the First World War. Like the 5th, 6th and 7th Battalions, it was recruited from Victoria and, together with these battalions, formed the 2nd Brigade.
The battalion was raised from rural Victoria by Lieutenant Colonel William Bolton within a fortnight of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked just two months later. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December. It later took part in the ANZAC landing on 25 April 1915, as part of the second wave. Ten days after the landing, the 2nd Brigade was transferred from Anzac to Cape Helles to help in the attack on the village of Krithia. The attack captured little ground but cost the brigade almost a third of its strength. The Victorian battalions returned to Anzac to help defend the beachhead, and in August the 2nd Brigade fought at the battle of Lone Pine. On 26 November William was promoted to Lance Corporal. The battalion served at Anzac until the evacuation in December.
Following Gallipoli the brigade returned to Egypt where they once again took part in the defence of the Suez Canal before embarking for France in March 1916. On 12 March 1916 William was transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Company (2 MG Coy) and allocated to the 2nd Brigade of the First Division, disembarking in France on 30 March 1916.
They took up positions in the trenches of the Western Front but William was transferred to hospital with illness re-joining his unit on 10 November 1916. Cellulitis of the leg caused him to be admitted to hospital once again then a stay at the D.R.S (Divisional Rest Station). He had recovered from his illness and arrived in Camiers, France re-joining unit in the field on 7 October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele (also the Third Battle of Ypres). An attack of scabies in January 1918 withdrew him from his tasks for a short time. In March he attended Corps Gas School for a week. His unit was involved in the Spring Offensive of 1918 and at the start of the campaign he was promoted to temporary Sergeant. At the end of this offensive in October 1918 Edgar embarked for Australia.
After the war William returned home to live as a labourer in Ceres. He died in 1954 aged 72.

 

John Mauson McCANN

Service No:    16081
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade 4, Reinforcement 6

Born 1897, Geelong
Son of Robert and Emily McCann from Sunshine
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm Hand

John enlisted 31/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 27/05/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A11 Ascanius
Served in France
Returned to Australia 11/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Freshwater Creek
– Sth Barwon

After returning from his service abroad Jack’s whereabouts are more elusive than before the war.

 

Albert Arthur McCANN

Service No:    57445
Rank:            Private
Unit:             4th General Service Reinforcements (Egypt) (Victoria)

Born 2/10/1899, Geelong
Son of Clarence and Grace McCann from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a horse driver

Albert enlisted 27/04/1918 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 17/08/1918 from Sydney on HMAT A15 Port Sydney
Served in Egypt
Returned to Australia 15/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Hugh Kenneth McGREGOR

Service No:    2697
Rank:            Private
Unit:             23rd Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1886, Brunswick
Son of John and Mary McGregor from Yendon
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a station employee

Hugh enlisted 24/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 27/10/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A38 Ulysses
Served in Egypt, France
Killed in Action 23/11/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Ernest  McKIM

Service No:    3300
Rank:            Private
Unit:             21st Battalion, 7th Reinforcement

Born 1873, Ceres
Son of Philip and Elizabeth McKim; husband of Ethel from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Ernest enlisted 22/07/1915 at Geelong as a married man
He embarked for overseas 18/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A18 Wiltshire
Served in France
Returned to Australia 28/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Elsie Millicent MILLER

Service No:    25512
Rank:            Sister
Unit:             A.A.N.S.  (Australian Army Nursing Service)

Born 26/3/1888, Avon Plains, Victoria
Daughter of Alexander and Margaret Millicent from Jan Juc
Her occupation prior to enlistment was as a nurse

Elsie enlisted 13/12/1914 at Freemantle as a Single woman
She embarked for overseas 14/12/1914 from Freemantle on HMAT A55 Kyarra
Served in Egypt, France, England
Returned to Australia 25/9/1917
Her name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– South Barwon

 

C J MITCHELL

Details are not presently known.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

John Thomas MONAHAN

Service No:    735
Rank:            Private
Unit:             31st Battalion, C Company

Born 1889, Mt Moriac
Son of Thomas and Bridget Monahan from Gnawarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

John enlisted 12/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 9/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A62 Wandilla
Served in Egypt, France
Returned to Australia 12/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

A W MOORE

Details are not presently known.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Norman Lyster MOORS

Service No:    2612
Rank:            Private
Unit:             59th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1895, Mornington
Son of Henry and Alice Moors from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a bank clerk

Norman enlisted 14/06/1916 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 2/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

William Roy NOONAN

Service No:    371
Rank:            Driver
Unit:             13th Light Horse Regiment, A Squadron

Born 1893, Terang
Son of John and Esther Noonan from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a mechanic

William enlisted 18/01/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 28/05/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A34 Persic
Served in Gallipoli, France
Returned to Australia 10/2/1920
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Richard Hugh NOONAN

Service No:    5990
Rank:            Private
Unit:             23rd Battalion, 16th Reinforcement

Born 1889, Camperdown
Son of Richard and Anna Noonan from Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a shunter

Richard enlisted 28/01/1916 at Melbourne as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 2/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in France
Returned to Australia 30/1/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

George  O’DONNELL

Service No:    6966
Rank:            Private
Unit:             21st Battalion, 20th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Sebastapool
Son of Henry and Mary O’Donnell; husband of Susan from Mt Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

George enlisted 11/07/1917 at Geelong as a married man
He embarked for overseas 21/11/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in Western Front
Returned to Australia 12/12/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

William Joseph PARK

Service No:    3462
Rank:            Private
Unit:             60th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1898, Geelong
Son of William and Rose Park from Highton
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

William enlisted 18/05/1917 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/07/1917 from Sydney on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in England
Died as a result of disease 23/9/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Albert Alexander POHLNER

Service No:    251
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             24th Battalion, A Company

Born 1893, Dimboola
Son of Alex and Marie Pohlner from Dimboola
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Albert enlisted 12/03/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 10/05/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in France
Returned to Australia 5/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

Henry William PURNELL

Service No:    871
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             13th Light Horse Regiment, 2nd Reinforcement

Born 20/11/1893, Geelong
Son of Robert and Helen Purnell from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Henry enlisted 22/06/1915 at Melbourne as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 10/09/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A57 Malakuta
Served in Egypt, France
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Killed in Action 29/5/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 8

After training at Broadmeadows, Harry, son of Robert, Mayor of Geelong (1923-24); embarked from Melbourne with the 13th Australian Light Horse Regiment, AIF, 2nd Reinforcement. The 13th Light Horse Regiment was formed at Broadmeadows in Victoria in March 1915; it was the third light horse regiment to have been raised in that state. Its regimental number quickly led to it becoming known as the “Devil’s Own” regiment. It left Australia and disembarked in Egypt before heading to Gallipoli. As mounted troops, the Light Horse was considered to be unsuitable for work in Gallipoli so they volunteered to operate as infantry being deployed on primarily defensive activities around the Lone Pine trenches throughout the stay at Gallipoli. The 13th Light Horse Regiment left the peninsula on 20 December 1915.
After the return to Egypt, the 13th Light Horse Regiment moved to the Suez Canal taking part in its defence. The work was hot and monotonous. On 10 March 1916 the 13th Light Horse Regiment was broken up with a squadron allotted per division. Harry was taken on strength from the 13th Light Horse to the 2nd Divisional Ammunition Column who were at the Zeitoun training camp in Cairo.
The division left for France, taking over part of the sector around Armentieres. On 27 July 1916, it relieved the First Division at Pozieres and captured the Pozieres Heights at great cost.
Harry moved to the 5th Field Artillery Battalion on the 16th August 1916 who were in battle at Armentières. He was promoted to bomardier on 17th March 1917 then to corporal the following month. He was re-allotted from 4th Training Battalion to 12th Training Battalion as reinforcements for 47th Battalion. At the end of the year he was appointed temporary sergeant replacing a sergeant who had been KIA subsequently reverting to substantive rank of corporal on evacuating sick in March 1918. Moving back to the 5th Field Artillery Battalion on 2nd April 1918 he asked that he revert to rank of gunner. By mid-April a renewed German push for Amiens was evident and the entire 5th Division was put into the line astride the Somme. During the battle here Harry earned his Military Medal –
‘For gallantry and devotion to duty at RIBEMONT on 16th May, 1918. Gunner PURNELL with two others endeavoured at great personal risk to himself, to put out blazing ammunition exploding charges and primers in a gun pit. The heat and fumes drove him back repeatedly but each time he returned and continued his efforts, at one time rolling clear of the conflagration, shells which had become dangerously hot. Finding that it was impossible to put out the fire, he with two others went into the blaze again and manhandled the gun clear of the fire. This man’s courage undoubtedly was of great assistance in preventing the destruction of the Howitzer.’
Source: ‘Commonwealth Gazette’ No. 23, 12 February 1919
Two weeks later Harry was killed in action on 29th May, 1918. He was buried at the Frenchencourt Communal Cemetery – Frechencourt is a village in the Somme department of France and is approximately 12 kilometres north-east of Amiens. The communal cemetery was used by Commonwealth troops from April to August 1918 and contains 57 burials of the First World War.
On 7th October 1918 Harry was awarded the Military Medal.

 

Francis Greenwood ROBINSON

Service No:    2985
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1896, Yorkshire, England
Son of Elizabeth Robinson from Spring Bank, England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Francis enlisted 31/12/1915 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 4/04/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A14 Euripides
Served in France
Discharged in England 15/04/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 28

Francis was discharged in London following the demobilisation of the AIF. He inteded to live in his hometown at 212 Berverley Road, Hull, Yorkshire. Francis married Leah and they had one child. He died at Lancashire in 1974.

 

Allan Hector ROSS

Service No:    2885
Rank:            Private
Unit:             7th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1887, Geelong
Son of John and Emily Ross from Belmont
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Allan enlisted 1/07/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 10/09/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Star of Victoria
Served in France
Died as a result of wounds 29/6/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

John Charles ROSS

Service No:    2743
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Waurn Ponds
Son of John and Martha Ross from Belmont
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

John enlisted 5/03/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 14/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in France
John was decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal
Returned to Australia 22/5/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Winchelsea
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

 

Joseph Edward RUSSELL

Service No:    1359
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             2nd Australian Flying Squadron, 4th Reinforcement

Born 1894, Donald
Son of Richard and Elizabeth Russell from Moriac
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a telegraphist

Joseph enlisted 23/10/1916 at Melbourne as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 6/12/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A67 Orsova
Served in England
Returned to Australia 2/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

 

 

Robert Grant SCOTT

Service No:    4593
Rank:            Corporal
Unit:             7th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Clunes
Son of Robert and Alice Scott from Essendon
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a State school teacher

Robert enlisted 3/08/1915 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 28/01/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A32 Themestosles
Served in France
Returned to Australia 21/7/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Bellbrae
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

Robert was Head Teacher at Jun Juc State School in 1915 when he enlisted. He was invalided home and lived with his parents and sister at Moonee Ponds. In 1922 he married Amy Barker and they lived where he taught at Moorooduc, Wycheproof, Beaufort, Geelong West and Box Hill where he retired. They had a daughter. Robert died at Box Hill in 1956.

 

 

Edgar Robert SIMPSON

Service No:    2893
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             5th Battalion, 9th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Ocean Grove
Son of Robert and Mary Simpson from Newport
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Edgar enlisted 22/06/1915 at Melbourne as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 10/09/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Star of Victoria
Served in Egypt, France
Returned to Australia 11/1/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 26

In 1915, Edgar married Gladys Arnold between 22nd June (enlisted as a single man) and 10 September 1915 when Edgar embarked for active service abroad.
On 7 January 1916 he was taken on strength to the 5th Battalion, in El-el-Kebir then transferred to 57th Battalion before transferring to the 13th Field Artillery Battery. The unit embarked on the “Tunisian” from Alexandria on 16th June 1916, disembarking at Marseilles a week later. While in the field Edgar was transferred to the 25th Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade on 9th July where the 5th Division was taking over part of the “nursery” sector near Armentieres. There it became involved in the disastrous attack at Fromelles in July. In October the unit joined the First, Second and Fourth Divisions on the Somme around Flers. On 24 January 1917 Edgar was transferred to the 13th Field Artillery Brigade, still part of the 5th Division Artillery.
In March 1917 a flying column of the Fifth Division pursued of the Germans to the Hindenburg Line, capturing Bapaume. In May the Division relieved the First Division in the Second Battle of Bullecourt, holding the breach thus gained against furious counterattacks. In September it managed to turn an allied defeat into a major victory at the Battle of Polygon Wood. At the end of this battle Edgar was admitted to hospital with Gastritis, and transferred to England. He left England on 11 January 1918 for Australia with Tachycardia being discharged medically unfit on 18 April 1918.
He returned home to Gladys living in Preston. Edgar became a wool sorter. In Geelong 1920 their daughter was born. The family had moved to San Remo by 1924 where Edgar was once again a farmer. Edgar continued to farm and live in the Wonthaggi area. A couple more children added to the family. Edgar died there in 1970.

 

 

Percy John SMITH

Service No:    3147
Rank:            Private
Unit:             39th Battalion, 7th Reinforcement

Born 1893, Mt Moriac
Son of John and Mary Ann Smith from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a driver

Percy enlisted 6/01/1917 at Melbourne as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/02/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat
Served in France
Returned to Australia 19/12/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Albert Charles SMITH

Service No:    4127
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 10th Reinforcement

Born 1895, Highton
Son of Charles and Lilian Smith from Grovedale
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Albert enlisted 28/03/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A16 Port Melbourne
Served in France
Returned to Australia 23/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

 

Leonard Samuel Henry SMITH

Service No:    33297
Rank:            Private
Unit:             Field Artillery Brigade, February 1917 Reinforcements

Born 1891, Geelong
Son of George and Catherine Smith from Ocean Grove
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a soldier

Leonard enlisted 11/10/1916 at Queenscliff as a single man
He embarked for overseas 11/05/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A9 Shropshire
Served in England, France

Returned to Australia 22/8/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

H  STANFORD

Details presently unknown.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Thomas Arthur STEPHENSON

Service No:    2757
Rank:            Lance Corporal
Unit:             29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Buckley
Son of Edwin and Elizabeth Stephenson from Buckley
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

Thomas enlisted 20/01/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 14/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in Western Front
Killed in Action 12/10/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Winchelsea
– Barrabool

 

 

Michael  STOKES

Service No:    4899
Rank:            Private
Unit:             8th Battalion, 15th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Waurn Ponds
Son of Patrick and Bridget Stokes from Waurn Ponds
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Michael enlisted 21/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 7/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A18 Wiltshire
Served in France
Returned to Australia 27/8/1917
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– South Barwon
– Barrabool

 

 

Richard  THOMPSON

Service No:    2771
Rank:            Private
Unit:             29th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement

Born 1892, Corrowa, NSW
Son of John and Martha Thompson from Freshwater Creek
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Richard enlisted 25/02/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 14/03/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in France
Returned to Australia 31/1/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barwon
– Mt Duneed
– Barrabool

Five months after marching into France, Richard was wounded accidentally whilst attending Lewis Gun Class. This gun shot wound to the right thigh saw him shipped home and discharged. He returned home to farm at Mt. Duneed, married Nellie Smith in 1919 and by 1924 he had moved to Bruswick working as a labourer. They lived there for many years and had three children. In 1971 Richard died at his home in Monbulk.

 

 

Harold Gordon TOWNSEND

Service No:    6108
Rank:            Private
Unit:             14th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement

Born 1887, Geelong
Son of Edwin and Eliza Townsend from South Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a chemist

Harold enlisted 3/04/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 1/08/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A28 Miltiades
Served in France
Killed in action 7/11/1916
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

James Mitchell TRIGG

Service No:    350
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             66th Battalion

Born 1886, Mt Duneed
Son of John and Elizabeth Trigg from Mt. Duneed
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

James enlisted 18/01/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 10/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A68 Anchises
Served in France
Returned to Australia 15/2/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Freshwater Creek
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– Mt Duneed

After serving three years in the AIF James returned home to Werrap in the Wimmera where he worked as a labourer before enlisting. He married Maud Duffield in 1919. By 1924 they were living at Swan Marsh near Cobden, James was a farmer. Maud died in 1925 and in 1930 James married her sister Lilian Duffield. They lived in Moonee Ponds, James working as a council employee until his death in 1955.

 

 

George Henry TURNER

Service No:    61223
Rank:            Private
Unit:             10th General (Victorian) Reinforcements

Born 1895, Birmingham, England
Son of  from England
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a labourer

George enlisted 10/06/1918 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 31/08/1918 from Melbourne on HMAT A37 Barambah
Served in England
Returned to Australia 20/2/1920
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Neil Donald VALLANCE

Service No:    673
Rank:            2nd Corporal
Unit:             Railway Unit, Section 2

Born 1894, Deans Marsh, Victoria
Son of Alexander and Elizabeth Vallance from Freshwater Creek
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a fireman

Neil enlisted 16/12/1916 at Melbourne as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 19/02/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A70 Ballarat
Served in France, Western Front
Returned to Australia 1/9/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Anglesea
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

 

 

Edward Charles VIENET

Service No:    489
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             6th Battalion, Headquarters

Born 20/7/1894, Mount Moriac
Son of Charles and Elizabeth Vienet from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a blacksmith

Edward enlisted 18/08/1914 at Richmond as a single man
He embarked for overseas 19/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A20 Hororata
Served in France
He was decorated with the Military Medal
Discharged in England to take up employment as Australian Munition worker – as he was determined to be permanently unfit for general service.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

After his discharege in England to take up employment as Australian Munition worker in England. During his stay he married Claire Price in 1917, County Warwickshire and in 1918 they had their first child. The following year, Edward and his family returned to Australia aboard the ‘Kenilworth Castle’ arriving on 14th February 1919 in Albany, WA. They lived in Geelong where Edward worked as an engineer and mechanic. He died at Ormond in 1948.

 

 

Henry Alexander VIENET

Service No:    6075
Rank:            Private
Unit:             2nd Australian General Hospital, Special Reinforcements

Born 18/4/1915, Waurn Ponds
Son of Charles and Elizabeth Vienet from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm hand

Henry enlisted 10/05/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 20/08/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A55 Kyarra
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front
Returned to Australia 31/3/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool

After the war Henry returned home to Geelong. His occupation was as a farmer. In 1924 he married Gertrude McKissock they moved to Merton Grove, Geelong and Henry worked as a bricklayer. Here they raised their daughter. Henry died at Geelong in 1979.

 

 

Gabriel Louis VIENET

Service No:    9096
Rank:            Gunner
Unit:             2nd Divisional Ammunition Column

Born 7/7/1892, Mount Moriac
Son of Charles and Elizabeth Vienet from Ceres
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farmer

Gabriel enlisted 15/07/1915 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 16/11/1915 from Melbourne on HMAT A39 Port Macquarie
While in transit Gabriel died before reaching operations overseas
Died as a result of illness 24/11/1915
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire

Gunner Gabriel Vienet, Divisional Ammuntion Column landed at Albany from the A39 “Port Macquarie” with measles and pneumonia. Cabriel had prevously spent 4 days in hospital at Bendigo with measles eight weeks prior to embarking. He was transferred to the base hospital but died of the disease four days after landing. He was buried at the Albany Cemetery, Western Australia.

 

 

John Hutchison Gordon VOLUM

Service No:    525
Rank:            Private
Unit:             5th Battalion, F Company

Born 1894, Inverleigh
Son of William and Elizabeth Volum from Murgheboluc
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a squatter

John enlisted 17/08/1914 at Prahran as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A3 Orvieto
Served in Gallipoli, France
He was decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal
Returned to Australia 8/10/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

William Ronaldson VOLUM

Service No:    526
Rank:            Lieutenant
Unit:             5th Battalion, F Company

Born 15/12/1890, Geelong
Son of William and Elizabeth Volum from Murgheboluc
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a station assistant

William enlisted 17/08/1914 at Prahran as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/10/1914 from Melbourne on HMAT A3 Orvieto
Served in Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front
He was Mentioned in Despatches for gallantry
Returned to Australia 12/6/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

G R WARD

Details are presently unknown.
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Elijah Daniel WASHINGTON

Service No:    6982
Rank:            Private
Unit:             23rd Battalion, 20th Reinforcement

Born 1898, Geelong
Son of Mona Washington from Prahran
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a machinist

Elijah enlisted 27/08/1917 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 21/11/1917 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in France
Returned to Australia 23/7/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool

 

 

Egbert Leslie WITCOMBE

Service No:    6612
Rank:            Private
Unit:             14th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement

Born 1884, Winchelsea
Son of Joshua and Elizabeth Witcombe from Winchelsea
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a farm labourer

Egbert enlisted 15/04/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 2/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A71 Nestor
Served in Western Front
Died as a result of wounds 31/5/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Winchelsea
– Barrabool

 

Norman Lyle WOODS

Service No:    2885
Rank:            Sergeant
Unit:             21st Battalion, 6th Reinforcement

Born 1896, Modewarre
Son of George and Isabella Woods from Modewarre
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a printer

Norman enlisted 15/07/1915 at Geelong as a Single man
He embarked for overseas 5/10/1915 from Melbourne on RMS Moldavia
Served in France
Returned to Australia 27/10/1919
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Modewarre
– Barrabool & Sth Barwon Shire
– Barrabool
– St Saviour’s Modewarre
– Modewarre Avenue of Honour – Tree No 4

After training Norman was assigned to the 21st Battalion, 6th Reinforcements. The 21st Battalion was raised, as part of the 6th Brigade, at Broadmeadows in February 1915. Its recruits hailed from all over the state. They embarked in October 1915 arriving in France on 7th January 1916. In April, it was the first Australian battalion to commence active operations on the Western Front. During the battle of Pozières it was engaged mainly on carrying duties, but suffered its heaviest casualties of the war during the fighting around Mouquet Farm.
Norman was promoted to Corporal and temporary Sergeant Major in the latter part of the year.
After a brief hospital stay in February 1917 Norman re-joined his unit only to be back in hospital seriously ill with Pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) on 17th April 1917 and was transferred back to England for treatment. He joined a training unit after his discharge from hospital in June until November 22nd when he re-joined his unit in France. The unit was involved in the defensive operations against the German Somme ‘Spring Offensive’ from 21 March to 5 April 1918. An inflammation of connective tissue in his right toe caused him to invalided back to hospital in England for a month. He stayed attached to a Training Brigade in England until his return to Australia in October 1919.
Norman married Emily Saunders in 1920. They initially lived in Geelong where Norman worked as a railway employee before moving to Daylesford where Norman worked for the railways during the 1930’s. They moved to Bentleigh just before Norman enlisted in the Australian Army in 1942. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Captain posted to the 1 Australian Infantry Training Battalion. After WW2 Norman joined the public service and continued to live with Emily in Bentleigh. He died in 1988.

 

 

Claude  ZIMMER

Service No:    2949
Rank:            Private
Unit:             2nd Pioneer Battalion, Reinforcement 6

Born 1894, Geelong
Son of Ernest and Mary Zimmer from Geelong
His occupation prior to enlistment was as a wood cutter

Claude enlisted 29/01/1916 at Geelong as a single man
He embarked for overseas 20/10/1916 from Melbourne on HMAT A17 Port Lincoln
Served in England
Returned to Australia 10/1/1918
His name is listed on the following memorials / honour boards:
– Barrabool