world war 1 - anzac centenary victorian government · dec 20 evacuation of gallipo;i - ran bridgimg...

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D O C U M E N TS & P H OTOS CO N C E R N I N G

ALICK THOMAS ROSE

WORLD WAR 1

SAPPER

5th & 8th FIELD COMPANY ENGINEERS

23rd Batta l ion | 6 th Br igade | 2nd D iv i s ion

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE

En l i sted 22nd February 19 15 | D i scharged 13th September 19 18

This compilation of material has been researched, written, edited, printed and collated during 2014 by

Dr Alan Rose of 2/65 Athelstan Road Camberwell, Victoria. Tel. 9889 6496. Email: [email protected].

It is for private use only. It is not for sale. The author has no objection to the copying of any part but requests an

acknowledgement if all of the work is copied and used as a major part of any publication.

A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY

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THE BEGINNING

Title Page 1

Contents 2

Alick Thomas Rose, 1915, aged 18 years 3

Alick’s enlistment form 21/2/1915 4

Anzac Centenary: Key dates 5

Foreword 7

Sources of information 9

Rival Blocs at the outbreak of War 10

Introduction 11

Dates of Service & Whereabouts 29

Alick’s Casualty Forms – Active Service 31

The 23rd Battalion 37

Alick’s Cert. of Med. Exam. & Appt. to 23rd Btn. 29/3/1915 39

Army Formations & Casualities 40

Enlistment & Broadmeadows Army Camp 41

ALICK ROSE’S WWI STORY

1. Enlistment & Voyage to Egypt 43

2. Egypt & Voyage to Lemnos 47

3. Gallipoli 55

4. From Gallipoli to Malta & Egypt 66

5. Malta 67

6. Egypt again 77

7. England 83

8. The Western Front 1916 89

9. The Western Front 1917 97

10. 1918 & The Australian Flying Corps 119

11. Going home 121

Alick’s Discharge Certificate 12 123

12. Advancing to Victory 1918 125

Farewell Alick 137

CONTENTS

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Alick Thomas Rose 1915 aged 18 years

1 9 1 4 - 1 9 1 8

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“We must look forward one hundred, two hundred, three hundred years, to the time when the vast continent of Australia willcontain an enormous population; and when that great population will look back through the preceding periods of time to theworld-shaking episode of the Great War,and when they will seek out with the most intense care every detail of that struggle;when the movements of every battalion, of every company, will be elaborately unfolded to the gaze of all; when every familywill seek to trace some connection with the heroes who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or fought on the Somme, or in theother great battles in France...” - Winston Churchill, London, December 16, 1918.

2014 CENTENARY - keydates*Jan 1 Lloyd George declares that the build up of military capacity in Europe was “organised insanity”.Feb 9 Col John Monash - Lilydale Lake “Camp of Instruction” Military Manoeuvres with Sir Ian Hamilton (Commander in

Chief, Home Forces & Inspector General of Overseas Forces).Feb 12 Mock Battle at Coldstream (near Mount Mary) observed by the Governor General Lord Denman & Sir Ian HamiltonJune 18 William Watt succeeded by return of Sir Alexander Peacock as Premier (to 1/17).June 28 Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria assissinated, Sarajevo.July 23 Austria-Hungary, with the backing of Germany, delivers an ultimatum to Serbia.July 28 Austro-Hungarian Empire declares war on Serbia.July 30 Austrian warships bombard belgrade.Aug 1 Germany declares war on Russia.Aug 3 Germany declares war on France and invades neutral Belgium.Aug 3 Cabinet meeting in Melbourne to consider the situation in Europe; Ministers agree that the Royal AustralianNavey

will be transferred to to the Admiralty and that a force of 20,000 Australian soldiers will be raised in the event ofwar.

Aug 4 Great Britain declares war on German Empire & Allies - 11.00pm GMT (note 5/8/14 AEST 9.00am).Aug 4 Victorian Premier, Sir Alexander Peacock adjourns Parliament for one week.Aug 5 First Empire Shot of the War: Pt Nepean - SS Pfalz - 12.45 pm AEST.Aug 6 Melbourne Town Hall Meeting: Mayor David Hennessy, Premier Sir Alexander Peacock, Opposition Leader George

Elmslie.Aug 7 The first British troops land in France.Aug 10 First Enlistments Melbourne Town Hall.Aug 12 Great Britain and France declare war on Austria-Hungary.Aug 12 Australian Destroyers ‘Warrego’ and ‘Yarra’ enter Rabaul Habour, German New Guinea.Aug 13 Red Cross Founded - Lady Munro Ferguson.Aug 17 Australian Naval and Military Expedition Force depart Willamstown - by rail to Sydney to join HMAT Berrima.Aug 17 1st Australian Flying aircraft (x2) leave Pt Cook.Aug 20 German troops occupy undefended Brussels.Aug 23 Japan declares war on Germany.Sept 5 First Double Dissolution fo Federal Parliament.Sept 11 Seizure of German New Guinea - Bita Paka - includes HMAT Berrima.Sept 11 First Australian Deaths - Able Seaman Billy Williams and capt Brian Pockley.Sept 14 Loss of Submarine AE1, off Cape Gazelle, Papua New Guinea.Sept 17 First ship of First Convoy departs Port Melbourne - HMAT Geelong.Sept 17 Andrew Fisher sworn in as Prime Minister for 3rd time, succeeding Joseph Cook.Sept 19 Col. John Monash enlists - appointed Commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade.Oct 8 Federal Parliaments meets - first time since war declared.Oct 8 83rd anniversary - General Sir John Monash’s death (8 October 1931).Oct 17 HMAT Hymettus departs Victoria Docks, Melbourne.Oct 18 HMATs Pera, Southern, Wiltshire (Lightb horse), Hororata.Oct 19 HMATs Morere, Rangatira, Benalla, Anglo-Egyptian, Omrah dep Port Melbourne.Oct 20 HMATs Armadale, Shropshire, Karroo (Light Horse), Star of England, Militiades.Oct 21 HMAT Orvieto departs Port Melbourne leading first convoy - 6,447 troops (in the first convoy).Nov 1 First AIF convoy departs Albany WA.Nov 5 Great Britain declares war on Turkey.Nov 9 HMAS Sydney sinks the German cruiser Emden, Cocos Islands, Indian Ocean.Dec 22 Monash departs Port Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses.


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2015 CENTENARY - keydates*Feb 19 Dardanelles - Long Range Navel Bombardment begins.Mar 18 Dardanelles - Navel Assult begins.Apr 25 First Landing - Gallipoli.Apr 30 Submarine AE 2 lost (after being shot by Turkish gunboat Sultan Hissar) in Erdek Bay in the Sea of Marmarra. The

AE2’s crew captured and spent the rest of the war in Turkish prisoner-of-war camps.May 5 Turkish assult, Gallipoli - Battle of Krithia, Cape Helles.Jun 27 150th Anniversary of birth of John Monash (1865).Aug 5 August Offensive - Gallipoli, The Nek and Hill 60.Aug 6-9 Battle of Lone Pine - Main Turkish trench taken by Australians in 20 minutes, followed by 4 days fighting resulting

in 2,000 ANZAC casualities. 8th Light Horse all but wiped out.Sept HMAT Southland sunk - Lemnos.Oct 27 Andrew Fisher resigns as Prime Minister; succeeded by Billy Hughes (to 1923).Dec 15 Prime Minister Hughes’ “Call to Arms”.Dec 20 Evacuation of Gallipo;i - RAN Bridgimg Train supported lastb Australian contingent departing at 4.30am.

2016 CENTENARY - keydates*Jan 20 Prime Minister Hughes leaves for Great Britain.Apr 25 Monash distributes red ribbons to soldiers in the first landing at Gallipoli, and blue ribbons to soldiers in subsequent

landings.July 1 Battle of The Somme commences.July 19 Battle of Fromelles.July 23 Battle of Pozieres.Aug 8 Prime Minister Hughes returns from Great Britain.Aug 30 Prime Minister Hughes calls for 32,000 extra men + 16,000 each month thereafter.Oct 28 Conscription Referendum - Defeated - Victoria vated “YES”.

2017 CENTENARY - keydates*Apr 6 President Woodrow Wilson declared war against Germany. The United States joins the Allies in defending Atlantic

shipping and on the frontline in France.Apr 11 First Battle of Bullecourt, France.May 3 Second Battle of Bullecourt, France.May 5 Federal Election - new Hughes Government.June 7 Battle of Messines, Belgium.June 30 Soldiers Settlement Act - Victoria.July 22 First Bravery Awards (Military Medals) given to Australian nurses in action: Australian Army Nursing Services

Sisters Cawood, Deacon and Ross-King and Staff Nurse Derrer - Trois Arbres, France.Aug 1-Nov 14 Battle of Ypres.Sept 20 Battle of Menin Road Brisge.Sept 26 Battle of Polygon Wood (near Ypres) - 14th Battalion, Albert Jacka VC.Oct 7-10 Battle of Passchendaele.Oct 31 Battle of Beersheba - Australian Light Horse charged Turkish positions (Israel).Nov 29 Sir Alexander Peacock succeeded as Victorian Premier by John Bowser.Dec 20 2nd Conscription Referendum - Defeated - Victoria voted “NO”.

2018 CENTENARY - keydates*Jan 8 Prime Minister Hughes resigns.Jan 10 Prime Minister Hughes reinstated.April 25 Battle of Villers Bretonneux.May 26 Prime Minister Hughes leaves Australia (returnes August 1919).July 4 Battle of Hamel.Aug 8 Battle of Amiens.Aug 30 Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin.Oct 1 Battle of Damascus.Oct 30 Armistice signed, Mudros Bay, Lemnos ending WW1 Middle East hostilities.

2019 CENTENARY - keydates*Jun 28 Treaty of Versailles signed by Allied Powers & Germany, Versailles - offically ending World War 1. Prime Minister

Hughes represented Australia.Aug 19 Prime Minister Hughes returns to Australia.Nov 16 Monash Returns - S.S. Ormonde.Dec 23 Last repatriation ship - S.S. Port Napier - leaves England (arrives Port Melbourne, 10 February 1920).

* dates as at place of activity


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The objectives of this collection of material are threefold:

Firstly, to ensure that copies of my father’s photos are kept intact, and remain accessible. Most of them

have been successfully enhanced by the use of a computer programme necessary because of the age and

quality of the originals. They have also been supplemented by maps and copies of photos from other

sources. Those taken with Alick’s camera are identified by a black dot on the left side of the caption.

Secondly, so that all the members of our family can learn about what happened to their

grandfather/great grandfather/great great grandfather, during his period of war service.

Thirdly, that the collection would provide some insight into Australia’s history of that time, give

perspective to the so called glories of war, and reveal some of its awful horrors.

The introduction attempts to give an understanding of why the world was plunged into this “Great War”

early last century, and why the Gallipoli Campaign was undertaken.

I believe that this story of Alick Rose’s experiences is relevant and timely at the time of the National

Commemoration of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli on April 25th 1915 which will soon be exactly 100 years

ago.

I have always been aware that my father Alick was a soldier in the First World War (WWI) and that

he was “on Gallipoli”. I did have a general understanding of what `ANZAC` meant and that a large

number of Australians were killed there, but no other details of what happened at Gallipoli. The only

things Dad ever said about it was that he threw tins of bully beef from their trench across to the

Turkish trenches, and that the flies and lice were terrible. I knew even less about the Western Front,

except that it was in France, because he showed me a red shoe he had souvenired from the Folies

Bergere in Paris. I did know that he had been to Malta and that at some stage he had been ill in

England and had gone to the Lakes District to convalesce. I also knew that he had joined the

Australian Flying Corps (AFC) before the war ended.

I remember looking at photos Dad had taken with a Box Brownie, but this was when I was 5 or 6

before he was moved to Rushworth in 1937 as a branch manager for the State Savings Bank of Victoria.

Dad took photos throughout the war and apparently was able to have them developed wherever he

was, before he sent them to his uncle Charles Moore, who put them in albums. They must have been

put aside when we moved from time to time. They did not surface again until I found them in a battered

old suitcase after Dad died in 1987. I had a cursory look at them and found that they were very small,

their quality was poor and some were damaged. Also without knowing about what happened to Alick

during the war it was difficult to put them in context. There were many spaces in the tattered albums

suggesting that some photos were missing.

Some years later I began reading a number of books about WWI, especially Gallipoli, and thought I

should find the suitcase and have another look at the photos. In amongst some other papers, I found a

letter from the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra acknowledging receipt of photos Dad had

sent after attending the opening of the new Gallipoli Gallery there in August 1984. So that’s where the

missing photos were!

FORWARD

FO RWA R D

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On request the AWM sent me copies, which together with those left in the albums, gave me the

opportunity to document the following account of Alick’s activities during WWI. I have drawn from many

other sources for what is included in this account. It has been an enjoyable and rewarding project. A few

times I have almost felt that I was there too, experiencing the horrors of war with him.

As the project developed I felt that the story needed to be put in context hence the somewhat lengthy

introduction. This led to the understanding of just how significant the Turkish repulse of the combined

British and French fleets at the Dardanelles was for the future demise of the British Empire.

I started with Alick’s official Defence Service Record obtained from the National Archives of Australia.

This contains dates of enlistment and discharge, embarkations and disembarkations, unit transfers and

promotions, and sickness and recreational leave.

There is nothing about when or where he was engaged in fighting or combat duty. However, knowing

that he was a member of the 23rd Battalion of the 2nd Division of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF)

enabled me to ascertain when and where the battalion had been in action from accounts in the books I

had read.

When I matched his photos with this information they corresponded exactly so I believe that what I

have written about Alick during the war is accurate. Of course there are gaps, some probably when

he was ill. By far the most helpful source has been a book entitled Forward Undeterred, The History

Of The 23rd Battalion 1915 – 1918 by Ronald J Austin, published in 1998 by Slouch Hat Publications,

McCrae, Victoria. It is very detailed, focussing on the places where hundreds of the battalion’s

officers and men were killed and where and why members of the battalion were decorated. It

includes photos of many of the men. It also gives insight about the battalion’s commanders and many

of its other officers, and contains quotes from letters written by its members.

Many things in the story were remarkable but two things impressed me most. The first is that

every time the men went to the front lines, they knew that the risk of them being killed or

wounded was very high and beyond their judgement and control. Orders had to be followed

regardless of risk. The second thing was how many times the battalion as a whole moved around

from place to place. This demanded a great deal of marching carrying a full kit, gear and a rifle,

often over a whole day or several days, with the need to set up camp, then soon after pack up, so

often. Permanent transit camps and local billets were used in a few places. This must have been

unsettling for them, often made by worse by lack of drinking water, no bedding, irregular,

unappetising and inadequate meals, little or no personal hygiene, no clothes washing facilities and

extremes of weather. Conditions were often appalling, such as scorching heat in Egypt, bitter cold

in Gallipoli, and during three winters, rain, deep mud and freezing snow in Flanders. Trenches

became knee deep in filthy water.

I have also noted instances in the story where I believe Alick was in luck, improving his chances of

survival. I also have a feeling that, despite his illnesses, he enjoyed his war service, especially during the

times he was not in danger.

Alan Rose - 2/11/2014


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SOURCES OF INFORMATIONIn order of year of publication

Gallipoli Illustrated.

Kit Denton, 1981

Anzac and Empire. The tragedy and glory of Gallipoli.

John Robertson, 1990

The First World War. Vol. 1914–1916, Vol. 1917–1919.

Martin Gilbert, 1994.

Dictionary of World Biography.

Barry Jones, 1994.

Forward Undeterred. The history of the 23rd Battalion 1915–1918.

Ronald J. Austin, 1998.

Lawence. The uncrowned king of Arabia.

Michael Asher, 1998.

Gallipoli.

Les Carlyon, 2001.

Monash. The outsider who won a war.

Roland Perry, 2004.

The Great War.

Les Carlyon, 2006.

To End All Wars. A story of loyalty and rebellion. 1914–1918.

Adam Hochschild, 2011.

Mapping the First World War.

Peter Chasseaud, 2013.

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Europe 1914

The British Empire 1914


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At the end of the 19th Century there were four main powers in Europe, namely the German

Second Reich under Kaiser Wilhelm II, Russia ruled by Tsar Nicholas II, the Austro- Hungarian

Habsburg monarchy whose Emperor and King was Franz Joseph II, and the Ottoman Empire

under Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The latter two were in decline because of disparity within the

member states of each one. Outside these but with supporting alliances were the French Republic

and the monarchical-democratic British Empire. These two traditional enemies had become

aligned at the threat of Germany’s growing military and naval power made possible by her

increasing industrial strength. France had lost the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany in

a disastrous war in 1870-71. Britain felt her dominance of the sea by the Royal Navy, and trade

with her empire, was threatened by Germany’s navy and her colonies around the world.

In 1877 Germany had formed a `Triple Alliance` with Austria-Hungary and Italy. This alliance

had obvious military implications so in 1890 France set up an entente, or defensive military

understanding, with Russia. In 1899 Germany rebuffed a mutual restriction of armaments

proposed by the Tsar. In 1904 Britain set up defensive agreements with France and Russia called

the Entente Cordiale which became known as the Triple Entente. Russia was also dealing with

disturbances in the troublesome Balkan States such as Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Romania,

Bulgaria, who looked to Russia for defence against both the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires.

Belgium’s neutrality was guaranteed by a longstanding treaty with Britain and France. Holland

and the Scandinavian countries were also outside these mutually protective alliances. So a

powder keg was set waiting for an event which could blow up the whole of Europe. The Balkans

was the most likely place where this might happen.

Such an event took place on June 6th 1914. The heir to the Habsburg throne, the Archduke

Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie were visiting the Serbian city of Sarajevo as a

celebration of their 14th wedding anniversary. As they drove past the welcoming crowds their

open touring car had to stop. A 20 year old ethnic Serbian named Gavrilo Princip stepped

forward and shot them both dead at point-blank range. He took a poison pill as he was arrested

but it did not work. He died in prison from tuberculosis 4 years later.

INTRODUCTION

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Kaiser Wilheim ll Tsar Nicholas ll Franz Joseph ll

Sultan Hamid ll Georges Clemençeau King George V

Mehmet Talat Pasha Ismail Pasha Ahmet Cemal Pasha

The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife inSarajevo, on 28 June 1914

The arrest of Gavrilo Princip (being held on the right)


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At the time of the assassination Kaiser Wilhem II was sailing his yacht off Keil during a regatta

held to welcome battleships of the British Royal Navy. After all, the Kaiser’s grandmother was

Queen Victoria, and he held the rank of Admiral (Hon.) in the Royal Navy! He was also a cousin of

Tsar Nicholas. The Kaiser was an ambitious and self-important person. He was a close friend of the

murdered Archduke and had been considering using Germany’s military power to expand her

presence in Europe. This was his opportunity. He told Vienna’s ambassador to Berlin that Germany

would back any Austro- Hungarian move against Serbia. He believed that there would be no risk of

Russian intervention.

Austria issued a warlike ultimatum to Serbia on July 23rd 1914, then declared war on July 28th

attacking Serbia the next day. Serbia appealed to Tsar Nicholas II for help and Russia began

mobilisation immediately. Germany responded by declaring war on Russia on August 1st and on

France two days later because the French under Premier Georges Clemenceau had also begun

mobilising their forces because of France’s treaty with Russia.

The German Minister of War Falkenhayn and the army Chief-of-Staff General Moltke already had

the huge German army ready for battle, having planned their attacks long before. One and a half

million men were to march through Belgium to invade France whilst half a million men attacked

Russia. They believed that Russia’s response, although with larger numbers of men, would be slow

and poorly organised and that a quick victory over France would allow troops there to be brought

back and added to those fighting in the east. This was a miscalculation as the Russian army

mobilised rapidly and fought back fiercely to hold up, then reverse the German advance.

Germany demanded the safe passage of its troops through Belgium to its border with France,

which was refused. On August 3rd German troops crossed the Belgium Frontier, meeting

courageous but ineffective resistance. The British cabinet had been watching these developments

closely and on next day the British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith declared war on Germany, so

honouring its guarantee of neutrality to Belgium. This meant that Australia was legally at war too.

A British Expeditionary Force (BEF) of 75000 men was hastily gathered and sent across the

English Channel under the command of Field Marshall Sir John French with General Sir Douglas

Haig as commander of the 1st British Corps.

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Royal cousins before thestorm Tsar Nicholas II (left)and Kaiser Willhelm II (right)on Willhelm’s yacht

Field Marshal Sir John French British Prime Minister HerbertAsquith

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig


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Lord Kitchener of Khartoum was made Secretary of State for War until this position was

assumed for a short time by Earl David Lloyd George in June 1916 after Kitchener’s death. He died

at sea in June 1916 on an urgent visit to Russia, when the Royal Navy ship on which he was

travelling struck a mine off the Orkney Islands. Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty

when the war began. He was responsible for the actions of the navy. Lloyd George became Prime

Minister after defeating Asquith in the election of December 1916.

When Australia became an independent nation after federation of its 6 British colonies in 1901, it

remained part of the British Empire, owing allegiance to the throne. King George V, who was king

at this time, delegated his authority by convention to the Governor General of Australia who was

selected by the Australian Government. Further, the majority of Australian people were direct

descendants of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish emigrants who had come here since 1788 for

different reasons, especially the gold rush (1851- 1860). So it is not surprising that people were

fully behind Australia’s declaration of war on Germany on August 4th 1914 by Prime Minister Sir

Joseph Cook, in support of the “Mother Country”. Few of them understood or cared what had led

to the conflict in Europe, except they knew that Germany had invaded Belgium.

Joseph Cook was an English coal miner who had come to Australia in 1885. He was leader of the

conservative National Party. Before the end of 1914 he was defeated by Andrew Fisher, a Scottish

coal miner who also emigrated in 1885. He was leader of the Labour Party. The governor general

throughout the war period was Sir Ronald Craufurd Munro Ferguson. He was a Scottish born

aristocrat with a military background who had been a British parliamentarian. He came to

Australia in May 1914 after being appointed by Prime Minister Cook.

Cook had promised Britain that Australia would provide 20000 Australian troops and place the

Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under British command. The navy, under Admiral Sir George Patey,

had just acquired its first battleship, HMAS Australia, three light cruisers, three destroyers and two

submarines. It was ready for action. Although 16000 Australians had served in the Boer War in

South Africa in 1899-1902 with 606 men killed, the fledging federation’s army was small and not

prepared for another war so soon. In 1905 a Defence Council had been set up. It was made up of

the Naval Board and the Military Board.

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Joseph Cook Prime Minister 1913-14 Sir Ronald Munro FergusonGovernor General 1914-20

Andrew Fisher Prime Minister1908-09 1910-13 1914-15

Lord Kitchener Secretary of Stateof War

Iconic World War recruitmentposter featuring Lord Kitchener

David Lloyd George Prime Minister

HMAS Australia 1914

HMAS AE1 1914

Winston Churchhill First Lord of theAdmiralty


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In 1909 Lord Kitchener had visited Australia for two months to advise on defence plans. As a

result the Royal Military Academy at Duntroon opened in 1911 and compulsory military cadet

training for schoolboys began the same year. Neither produced trainees old enough to go to war in

1914. In 1913 another senior British general named Sir Ian Hamilton visited both Australia and New

Zealand to give further advice. Decisions were made about where and how Australian troops were

to be deployed in the event of a war and that chains of command should remain in British hands. It

was thought that our men would be best suited to garrison duties rather than front line action!

Hamilton was destined to become commander of the British army in the Gallipoli campaign.

Recruitment of men from 18 to 45 years of age began on August 10th 1914, setting off a

remarkably enthusiastic response. Written parental consent was required for those under 21 years

of age. Brigadier-General William Bridges was appointed as Inspector-General, the army’s most

senior post, with Colonel J. Gordon Legge as Chief of the General Staff. Both were born in Britain

but had lived in Australia for many years. The Governor-General’s major residence was in

Melbourne and Federal Parliament met there as did the Army and Naval Boards. The Foundation

Stone for Canberra had only been laid in March 1913, so Melbourne became the nation’s de facto

capital during the whole war.

Prime Minister Andrew Fisher was a strong advocate of Australia’s involvement in the war.

However within a year he became ill and in October 1915 was succeeded by Sir William Morris

Hughes, better known as “Billy” Hughes because of his down to earth and rather confrontational

style. Conscription was a major issue put forward by Hughes as a means to replace the heavy

losses being sustained in the war, but in the First Conscription Referendum it was soundly rejected

by Australian voters. The issue was responsible for the defeat of the Hughes Labour Party

government in November 1916. In 1917 Hughes was able to form a Nationalist Coalition with

Joseph Cook, former prime minister. Hughes remained as prime minister until 1923, despite the

defeat of a second referendum later in 1917. During the war he spent more time in Europe than in

Australia. He toured the battlefields where Australians were fighting, insisting on independent

control of Australian forces. Hughes was very popular with the Australian troops and was known

as “The Little Digger” as he was of short stature.

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General Sir Ian Hamilton CommanderBritish Army at Gallipoli

General Sir William Bridges ArmyInspector General Killed Gallipoli18th May 1915

Lt. General James Gordon leggeChief of General Staff. Commader1st Aust. Division

Lt. General Sir Harold WalkerCommander 2nd Aust. Division

8th Australian Light Horse Regiment parading along Collins Street Melbourne 20th Jan 1915

“Billy” Hughes with troops First Class of Duntroon Cadets 1916-1919

Sir William Morris Hughes Aust.Prime Minister 1915-23

Alick Rose 1912 Schoolboy MilitaryCadet


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He was responsible for banning all NCO’s and men from wearing the British style peak cap

instead of the Australian slouched hat which was adopted as the hallmark of the Australian Army.

The very first shot of the war from the British Empire was fired at 12.45 pm on August 5th 1914

from Fort Nepean at Portsea, Victoria. A 6 inch shell was fired across the bows of the German

freighter the S.S. Pfalz as she was attempting to leave the bay through Port Phillip Heads. She

returned to Melbourne and her crew were interned for the duration of the war. Britain asked that

an Australian Force be sent north to occupy German held territories in the Pacific south of the

Equator. The first Australian casualty of the war occurred in this combined naval and military

operation when Able Seaman W.G.V. Williams was the first of 6 Australians killed from 1764 men of

the Australian Expeditionary Force during the capture of German radio stations in New Guinea in

September. The navy was also asked to find and engage the German Pacific Squadron in the

Pacific. As a result the German light cruiser Emden was destroyed by H.M.A.S. Sydney in the Cocos

Islands on November 9th. However one of the two new submarines, the A.E.1 disappeared without

trace in the same area. The A.E.2. was instructed to go to the Dardenelles where she penetrated

the minefields but was sunk in the Sea of Marama on April 30th.

Meanwhile the German Army’s invasion of Belgium met much more resistance than expected,

causing a regime of terror to be imposed by the Germans. The capital Brussels was not occupied

until August 20th, but the French army proved incapable of containing the Germans flooding

across the Belgian frontier. 300000 French troops were killed or wounded in less than a month.

The British force of 75000 men had landed at Le Havre and Boulogne on August 9th. They joined

the French at the Battle of Mons on August 23rd where the Germans inflicted a massive defeat on

the Allies. The Allied Generals, French and Joffre, were outmatched by the German Generals

Moltke and Kluck. Casualties were enormous on both sides. The B.E.F. lost 58000 men whilst by

then the Germans had lost 130000 since invading Belgium. French losses were in the hundreds of

thousands. Neither side’s generals anticipated the deadliness of the mass use of modern

weaponry such as machine guns, mortars, rapid fire rifles, heavy artillery & shrapnel from high

explosive shells.

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Port Phillip Heads, Fort Nepean centre Fired in anger only once

HMAS Sydney steaming for Rabaul The Australian squadron entering Simpson Harbour,Rabaul in September 1914

SMS Emden Emden after engagment with HMAS Sydney Cocos Islands9th Nov. 1914. Sydney crew in foreground

Last known image of HMAS AE1 on 9th September 1914with Yarra and Australia in background. Soon after shedisappeared without trace in Cocos Island area.

HMAS AE2, the first allied warship to penetrate theDardenelles into the Sea of Marmara where she wasscuttled after capture.


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The Germans pushed on towards Paris but the tables were turned at the River Marne only

30 miles from Paris. The enemy was driven back some 40 miles to the River Aisne. They began

to entrench there and on the heights above the valleys of the River Somme and its tributary

the Ancre. The line between the opposing armies was being established and fought over – to

be known as the Western Front. It extended further north around Arras and Armentieres, then

to Messines in Belgium and Ypres where in the first of three major battles there, frightful losses

were suffered on both sides. 8 German Divisions (100000 men) of poorly trained volunteers,

mainly students, were cut to pieces in what the Germans called the Massacre of the Innocents.

Adolph Hitler was in that battle which took place in October 1914.

The Western Front met the English Channel at Nieuport in Belgium. It stretched 475 miles

south to the Swiss border. Both sides had dug miles and miles of trenches for protection from

ground fire and shrapnel from constant shelling. Breaking out from the trenches was

impossible without sustaining unacceptable losses. Despite this and usually bunkered down

well behind the front lines, orders were given for such suicidal attacks by generals of both

sides, who believed that only the weight of numbers would bring victory. The situation was

expected to worsen with the onset of winter when rain, snow and mud became the worst

enemies. By early 1915 six million empty sandbags were being sent across the channel each

month. So a stalemate had been reached.

Turkey entered the war on November 5th on Germany’s side because of the Ottoman

Empire’s friendship with Germany and long standing fear of her traditional enemy Russia. The

Tsar desired to annex part of Turkey’s European territory. France also had designs on Arabia.

Turkey’s ruler since 1876, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, had been deposed in 1909 by the self-

appointed leaders of a group known as the “Young Turks”. Three of this group held power -

Mehmed Talaat Pasha, Enver Pasha, and Ahmed Djemal Pasha, respectively Ministers for War,

the Interior, and Foreign Affairs. Ahmed Pasha was the Grand Vizier (Head of State). Enver

Pasha Commanded the army (see page 12) . A German general had already been put in

charge of reorganising the Turkish army and in 1913, General Liman von Sanders was invited

to become its Commander in Chief.


23

He brought 70 German officers with him. Von Sanders was to be the commander of Turkish

forces at Gallipoli. Turkish support for Germany was assured when in August 1914 London

seized two battleships just built in Glasgow at Turkey’s expense. Their crews had arrived from

Turkey for training and were waiting to sail them to Turkey. They were sent home and the ships

joined the fleet of the Royal Navy.

Towards the end of 1914 the British Council of War was considering how the military

stalemate on the Western Front could be dealt with. The council consisted of Prime Minister

Asquith, Service Ministers, Lord Chancellor Haldane, Field Marshall Lord Kitchener now

Secretary of State for War, and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.

Churchill advocated the creation of a new front against Turkey to capture Constantinople (now

Istanbul). This would reduce pressure on Russia fighting Turkey at the Balkan Front as well as

Germany on the Eastern Front, defeat Turkey, and force Germany to divert troops from the

Western Front. He also believed that this could be done by a strong joint British and French

naval force with military support on land. His plan was for a land force to disable the heavy

guns in the forts which lined the Straits of the Dardanelles. This would allow an armada of

battleships with heavy guns to sail up the Straits of the Dardanelles from the Aegean Sea to

the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus from where the battleships would stand off

Constantinople, threatening to bombard, until Turkey surrendered.

This proposal met with great opposition, even division, within and outside the Council. The

General Staff actively opposed it. Nevertheless Churchill’s persuasive powers, with the

prospect of other desired benefits, including an early end to the war, won the day. Also,

because of the pressing need to replace so many men killed or wounded on the Western Front

it was agreed that the attack would not involve land forces, certainly in the beginning. This

proved to be a major flaw in the plan. The unusual and inhospitable nature of the Gallipoli

terrain was not known and not even considered. There was one contingency. That the first

convoy of Australian and New Zealand troops would be landed in Egypt instead of them going

to England on their way to the Western Front.

The Ottoman Empire before the end of the 19th Century

Lemnos, Gallipoli & the Dardenelles

Mudrus Harbour

The unknown Gallipoli terrain General Otto Liman von Sanders

24


25

These troops would train in Egypt before going to Lemnos as reserves for the British 29th

division, with some French troops, to go to Constantinople after the naval attack was

successful. This would be about 70000 troops in all, under the direction of Rear Admiral

Rosslyn Wemyss who, with Greek consent, was appointed Governor of Lemnos but without any

specific instructions about his role. He set about turning Lemnos and its harbour at Mudros

into a naval and military base although the resources at his disposal were quite inadequate.

Kitchener appointed General Sir Ian Hamilton as Commander of this group. He was 62 and

was responsible for the land defence of England. He had visited Australia in 1913. He had a long

and distinguished record of war service. He was charming, multilingual, well-educated and not

class conscious. But he was deferential, not ruthless, and not a good judge of men. He was also

a friend of Winston Churchill. Kitchener appointed Major General Walter Braithwaite as

Hamilton’s Chief of Staff. The two generals left England on March 13th accompanied by newly

recruited staff officers whom they had never met. The only help they had was a textbook on

the Turkish army and two small tourist guide books. On arrival at Marseilles they boarded the

cruiser Phaeton and sailed to join the Eastern Mediterranean battle fleet off Gallipoli.

Kitchener also decided that the Australian and New Zealand troops in Egypt were to be formed

into a corps under Lieutenant-General Sir William Riddell Birdwood. He was a favourite of

Kitchener’s amongst the British army’s senior officers, and was then serving in the Indian

Army. He first met Australian troops in South Africa during the Boer War. He met them again at

Suez on December 21st 1914. From then on these troops were known as the A.N.Z.A.C.S.

(Australian New Zealand Army Corps).He was one of the few English generals to be liked and

admired by the men of the A.I.F.

The joint fleet of British and French warships included one Russian ship. It was the largest

fleet of warships ever gathered together in modern times. It consisted of 17 battleships

including the most powerful ship afloat, the great new battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, the

battleships HMS Lord Nelson and Agamemnon and the battle cruisers HMS Inflexible and HMS

Irresistible supported by numerous cruisers, destroyers, minesweepers and the Australian

submarine AE2. The commander of the fleet was Vice Admiral Sackville Carden.

26

Rear Admiral Rosslyn WemyssGovernor of Lemnos

HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Dardanells 1915 HMS Lord Nelson, HMS Agamemnon in background

HMS Inflexible HMS Irresisible

General Sir Lan HamiltonCommander British Army onGallipoli

Major General Walter BraithwaiteHamilton’s Chief of Staff

Vice Admiral Carden FleetCommander

Vice Admiral John de RobeckDeputy Fleet Commander

Lieut. General Sir William BirwoodCommander ANZAC Corps


27

Bombardment of forts at the mouth of the Dardanelles began on February 19th. The attack

was no surprise to the Turks. Carden’s initial attacks included landing parties of marines who

destroyed a few gun emplacements with little resistance. Trawlers crewed by fishermen tried

to clear mines but were driven off by Turkish gunfire even when escorted by British cruisers.

Bad weather caused delays. The most menacing of the defences were heavy artillery guns

further up the straits, well hidden and out of range because of their elevation. The War Council

felt that Carden’s plan was too piecemeal and taking too long. He became ill probably from

nervous strain and was replaced by Vice Admiral de Robeck, He believed that the mine fields

were further north in the strait where It narrowed. He was unaware that additional mines had

been laid at night closer to the entrance of the Dardanelles.

On March 18th the fleet steamed towards Cape Helles in three lines and silenced most of the

batteries at the entrance. Disaster followed. The French battleship Bouvet was the first to strike

a mine. She sank within three minutes with the loss of 600 men. The British battleships

Inflexible and Ocean were sunk. The Irresistible and two French cruisers were also mined and

completely disabled, having to be scuttled or beached but without many casualties. The

damaged ships in the fleet made easy targets but fortunately the Turks ran out of shells. This

was not realised so an opportunity for an allied victory was lost.

De Robeck considered launching another attack if the mines could be cleared, but on March

23rd he cabled the Admiralty that the navy would need the army to occupy the peninsula and

disarm the forts before this could be undertaken. Hamilton had witnessed the naval debacle

from close quarters. He went to a conference aboard the Queen Elizabeth with Wemyss, de

Robeck, Braithwaite, as well as Birdwood, who had come to have a look at the Gallipoli area. It

was this group which decided that a land attack should now be mounted. There was no plan

that the military landing should be co-ordinated with a second naval attack at the same time.

The British Cabinet had not ordered a land attack, nor had the War Council, the Admiralty, or

the Imperial General Staff. It was as if the Gallipoli Campaign had become autonomous, without

a supreme commander, with its components working separately. This is the situation the Anzacs

encountered, understanding only that they should do their duty for the Empire and the King.

28

Mediterranean Squadron steaming to the Darenelles

French battleship Bouviet hit by shellfire beforesinking after hitting a mine

HMS Ocean sinking after striking a mine

HMS Irresistible beached after striking a mine

The battle of March 18th

From L to R: Commodore Roger Keys, Vice-Admiral John deRobeck, General Sir Ian and Lt. General Sir William Birdwood

From The Age


29

22/2/1915 Enlisted as Alex Thomas Rose aged 21 yrs. (was 18 yrs.).

Service No. 647 (later changed to 4559). Rank: Private,

23rd Battalion, 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division, A.I.F.

13/8/1915 Transferred to 5th Field Company Engineers. Rank: Sapper.

1/4/1917 Promoted to Lance Corporal.

27/2/1918 Joined Australian Flying Corps, Rank: 2nd Air Mechanic.

13/9/1918 Honourably discharged as medically unfit for active service.

WHEREABOUTS DURING THE WAR

8/5/1915 Embarked at Melbourne on HMAT “Euripides” to Egypt.

6/6/1915 Disembarked Alexandria.

June – Sept. Training at Heliopolous near Cairo,

30/8/1915 Embarked on HMAT Knight Templar for Lemnos.

3/9/1915 Transferred to HMS Partridge in Mudros Harbour.

4/9/1915 Landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli.

Saw action at Lone Pine and Quinn’s Post.

Contracted dysentery and tonsillitis.

8/10/15 Evacuated to hospital ship Soudan with British

wounded by mistake, for transport to Malta.

13/10/15 Disembarked Valetta Harbour, Malta.

Admitted to Saint Patrick’s Hospital, Valetta, with enteric fever

and septic poisoning.

7/1/1916 Embarked on hospital ship Essequibo to Egypt.

11/1/1916 Disembarked Alexandria.

Admitted to Australian 1st Aux. hospital at Holuman.

25/1/1916 Returned to camp at Heliopolous.

Jan – May 1916 Driver/Mechanic for Australian Ambulance Service at Gamrah, Cairo.

10/5/1916 Embarked at Alexandria on HMAT Euripides to Plymouth.

DATES OF SERVICE & WHEREABOUTS

DAT ES O F S E RV I C E A N D W H E R E A B O U TS

30

17/5/1916 Given 3 weeks sick leave. Hired car touring through the South,

West and North of England, to Scotland.

7/6/1916 Billeted at Fulham, London with Pinkham family.

Trained at Australian Engineers Depot at Bournemouth.

18/8/1916 Re-joined AIF at Parkhouse, for field exercises.

Australian army was reviewed by King George V at Salisbury Plain.

8/10/1916 Embarked at Christchurch near Bournemouth for France.

Landed near Etaples south of Boulogne.

Rejoined 23rd Battalion.

Oct. 1916 Saw action: Ypres in Belgium: The Somme in France:

to Jan. 1918 Broodseine Ridge Luisenhoef Farm

Wilhem Line Flers

Rhine House Trones Wood

Bapaume Scott’s Redoubt

Noreuil

Bullecourt

14-21/8/1917 Leave to Paris.

16/10/1917 Leave to London.

27/1/1918 Returned to England after being selected to join the

Royal Australian Flying Corps (AFC).

1/2/1918 Entered No 1 Royal Flying School of Military Aeronautics at Wendover near

Oxford. Later sent to an Operational Depot in the south of England.

Became ill at some stage (no details).

1/6/1918 Declared unfit for duty with “pleurisy & septic pericarditis”.

6/6/1918 Embarked HT “Barambah” from England.

31/7/1918 Disembarked Melbourne

13/9/1918 Honourably discharged as medically unfit.


31

Alick’s Casuality Forms - Active Service

Note the original records wer hand written then later transscribed by type writer. Both copies of each page of Alick’srecord are included.


37

The 23rd Battalion was raised in Victoria in March 1915 as the third battalion of the 6th

Bridage. After initial training, it left Australia in March and arrived in Egypt, where it would

complete its advanced training, in June.

As part of the 2nd Australian Division, the 6th Brigade landed at ANZAC Cove in early

September. The 23rd Battalion was soon manning one of the most trying parts of the Anzac

front line – Lone Pine. The fighting here was so dangerous and exhausting that battalions were

relieved every day. The 23rd manned Lone Pine, alternating with the 24th Battalion, until they

left Gallipoli in December 1915.

The battalion was next “in the line” on 10 April 1916, when it occupied forward trenches of the

Armentieres sector in northern France. This relatively gentle introduction to the Western Front

was followed in July by the horrific battles of Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, after which it was

estimated that the Battalion lost almost 90 per cent of its original members.

After manning the front line throughout the bleak winter of 1916-17, the battalion’s next trial

came at the second battle of Bullecourt in May. After the failure of the first attempt to capture

this town, by troops of the 4th Australian Division, this new attack was heavily rehearsed. The

23rd Battalion succeeded in capturing all of its objectives, and holding them until relieved, but

subjected to heavy counter-attacks, the first day of this battle was the battalion’s single most

costly of the war. Later in 1917 the battalion moved with the rest of the AIF to the Ypres sector in

Belgium, and in October participated in the battle to secure Broodseinde Ridge.

In April 1918 the 23rd helped to turn back the German spring offensive, and then took part in

the battles that would mark the beginning of Germany’s defeats at Hamel, Amiens and Mont St

Quentin. The fighting for Mont St Quentin resulted in the battalion’s only Victoria Cross,

awarded to Private Robert Mactier.

The battalion fought its last battle around the town of Beaurevoir between 3rd and 4th October.

It left the front for the last time on the night of 5th October, and was resting when the armistice

was declared on 11th November. The 23rd Battalion disbanded in Belgium on 30th April 1919.

23rd BATTALION

23 rd BAT TA L I O N

38

1st Australian Imperial Force, Battle of Amiens; Battle of Broodseinde Ridge; Battle of Hamel;

Battle of Lone Pine; Beaurevoir Line; Capture of Pozieres; German Spring Offensive; Mont St

Quentin; Mouguet Farm; Ypres.

BATTLE HONOURS

Somme 1916

Pozieres

Bapaume 1917

Bullecourt

Ypres 1917

Menin Road

Polygon Wood

Broodseinde

Poelcappelle

Passchendaele

Hamel

Amiens

Albert 1918

Mont St Quentin

Hindenburg Line

Beaurevoir

France and Flanders 1916-1918

Suvla

Gallipoli 1915-1916

Egypt 1915-1917

CASUALTIES

686 killed

2317 wounded

(including gassed)

For more information please see Roll of Honour, Wounded and Missing, First World War Nominal Roll databases.

COMMANDINGOFFICERS

Morton, George Frederick

Knox, George Hodges

Fethers, Wilfred Kent

Brazenor, William

Bateman, William Joseph

DECORATIONS

1 VC

1 CBE

4 DSO, 1 bar

2 MBE

25 MC, 3 bars

21 DCM

147 MM, 11 bars

6 MSM

35 MID

5 foreign awards

Field Marshal Sir JohnFrench

Lt. Col. William BrazenorLt. Col. George Morton Robert MacTier, c. 1918 VC

A R M Y FO R M AT I O N S & CAS UA L I T I ES

39

ARMY FORMATIONS & CASUALTIES


41

Broadmeadows, a rural settlement to the west of Melbourne, was the site of the main camp for

the reception and trainIng of recruits for the AIF from Victoria early in the First World War.

Broadmeadows had been identified as a possible site for military training in 1913, but no facilities

had been established. The camp was established in August 1914 at “Mornington Park”, a property

loaned to the government by Mr R. G. Wilson. Early on, Broadmeadows was predominantly a

tented camp and conditions were quite spartan. These facilities, combined with wet weather and

poor drainage resulted in a rapid increase in sickness among recruits in autumn 1915. Public

concern, fuelled by sensationalist press coverage, resulted in a decision in May 1915 to re-establish

the main Victorian training camp at Seymour, approximately 100 kilometres north of Melbourne.

Broadmeadows Camp remained in use throughtout the war, however, with facilities being

progressively improved.

ENLISTMENT & BROADMEADOWS

42

Recruitment Poster Enthusiastic Volunteers

Signing up Taking the Oath of Allegiance

Measuring for uniforms Broadmeadows Army Camp


43

1. ENLISTMENT AND VOYAGE TO EGYPT

At the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 Alick was working as a clerk at the St Kilda

branch of the State Savings Bank of Victoria. He was 17 years old. After leaving school in

Warburton he did a business course before joining the bank where his uncle Charles Moore was a

senior executive. He had been a cadet in the 1911 compulsory schoolboy military training system.

Alick enlisted at the Army Enlistment Office at the Melbourne Town Hall on 22nd February 1915

where he was medically examined and declared fit for service. He gave his age as 21 years and 6

months although he was only 18 years and 3 months. This may have been because his father

Thomas Rose did not approve of him joining up, so by giving his age as 21 Alick did not need to

have his father’s permission. His enlistment papers show his first name as “Alex”. Variations are

found in other records (Alic, Alec, Aleck, Alech). Whilst in the forces he always signed his name as

“Alex” and he was known by that name throughout his service. Alick was very short sighted and

he was able to get another recruit to do the eyesight test for him which may explain his use of a

different first name. His mother’s first name was Alexandra.

He was allocated to the 23rd Infantry Battalion of the Australian Military Force, commanded by

Lt. Colonel George Morton who was a Municipal Officer in Ballarat. The battalion consisted of 1000

men, half of them from Ballarat. It was made up of 4 companies: A, B, C and D, each of 250 men.

Alick found himself in C Company. In the first week of March the battalion was transported to the

army camp at Broadmeadows where uniforms, rifles and other equipment was issued. The men

were drilled and trained in the use of firearms for 7 weeks during which time the camp became a

muddy quagmire due to heavy rains. At the end of April the battalion was moved by train to the

rifle range at Williamstown for practice, using live ammunition, for 2 weeks. The men returned to

Broadmeadows where they were vaccinated. On 24th April they were given 4 days pre-

embarkation leave. On 8th May special troop trains took them to Station Pier at Port Melbourne

where they boarded the Euripides, a 15000 ton Aberdeen Line troopship. A very large crowd came

to farewell them and another troopship the Berrima, carrying the 24th Battalion. The two ships

sailed down Port Phillip Bay and anchored off the Quarantine Station at Portsea to take on

medical and nursing staff.

44

Crowd farewelling troops on the Euripides Seasickness on the Euripides

T.S.S. Euripides

Troops of 23rd Battalion embarking on 8th May 1915


45

It was very crowded on board for the 5 weeks voyage but the meals were much better than at

Broadmeadows. Time was spent having drill, lectures, PT and rifle training. The men played cards,

wrote letters, sang songs and gambled. At first most suffered from seasickness. The Euripides

called into Albany WA on 13th May then crossed the Indian Ocean in convoy to Colombo, the

capital of Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. Shore leave was denied the men, leading to some

angry scenes. One soldier tried to swim ashore but was brought back. When the ship weighed

anchor 4 men were missing. Port Said was the next call where 20 men who had been rowed

ashore in native boats had to be brought back to the ship at gunpoint.

At Suez on 21st December 1914 the first convoy carrying the 1st Division had been met by Lt.

General Sir William Birdwood who had just been appointed by the British War Council as

Commander in Chief of the combined Australian and New Zealand Divisions, from then on known

as the ANZAC Corps. A Turkish attempt to capture the Suez Canal on 14th February 1914 had been

easily defeated, mainly by Indian troops. Men of the 3rd Field Company of Australian Engineers

from the 1st Division had been involved.

The convoy passed up the Canal to the port of Alexandria in Egypt where they disembarked on

6th June. It was extremely hot and humid. Four of the troops died during the voyage and were

buried at sea. One died from meningitis, one from a heart attack and two from unspecified illnesses.

Cairo & the port of Alexandria

46

Port Said City of Alexandria

Sightseeing along the Canal Guarding the Canal

Lt. General Sir William Birdwood Meeting AustralianOfficers at Suez on 21st December 1914

Entrance to Suez Canal


47

2. EGYPT AND VOYAGE TO LEMNOS

The battalion travelled by train from Alexandria to Cairo from where they marched 4 miles to

the Aerodrome Camp at Heliopolis carrying their rifles, equipment and kitbags. They arrived

exhausted. The 21st and 22nd Battalions were already there whilst the 24th Battalion arrived the

following day. These 4 battalions made up the 6th Brigade of approximately 4000 men. Also

encamped at the same site were the 5th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Light Horse Brigade. The

commanding officer (CO) of the 23rd Battalion Lt. Col. Morton had become ill during the trip. Major

George Knox, an orchardist from country Victoria, who was second in command, took over as CO

in June 1915. Both these officers made it known that the attitude of their troops to saluting was

unacceptable and must improve. This apparent lack of discipline became a hallmark of how the

British military command viewed all Australian troops over whom they held command above the

troop’s own Australian appointed officers.(In 1927 George Knox became the member for the seat

of Upper Yarra and Scoresby in the Victorian Parliament. Later he was knighted and the city of

Knox was named in his honour)

After encampment at Heliopolis training resumed daily from 6 am till noon and from 4.30 pm to

7.30 pm except on Sundays when compulsory church parades were held. The heat at midday was

unbearable being 120 degrees F. in the little shade available. A number of men were hospitalised

suffering from sunstroke after prolonged parades in the midday sun.

The Australians were not impressed with the local Egyptian people describing them as “filthy and

immoral”. Those employed in meal preparation were sacked and replaced by men from the

battalion. Nevertheless, as can be seen from the photos, the troops found time to visit local sights

such as the Zoo, Pyramids and the Sphinx, and to relax in Cairo. However the Battalion’s own

image was not enhanced by the troop’s use of “filthy and blasphemous language” which also

concerned Major Knox.

23rd Battalion Marching across the desert Zeitoun

48

Signallers, 23rd Battalion Signaller Alick at work

Church Parade 23rd Battalion

2nd Divisions’ camp at Heliopolis

49

Collecting stones in Cairo Street Street scene Cairo

Sight-seeing in Cairo Monument in Cairo to J Braham Pascal

Cairo with Citadel on the horizon Alick on a donkey

50

Fishing boats on the Nile Sailing on the Nile

Visit to the Cairo Zoo Alick having refreshments at the Zoo

Relaxing in Cairo Alick shaving at Heliopolis camp


51

Major General John Legge Alick in Cairo July 1915

Trench digging training A street in Cairo

By this time the bad news about the 1st Australian Division’s difficulties at Gallipoli had become

known and was reinforced by the large number of casualties and seriously ill men arriving back in

Egypt. By early July 1915 the 5th, 6th and 7th Brigades had assembled in Egypt, comprising 12

battalions of 12000 men. The Australian Government declared this force to be the 2nd Australian

Division which was to go to Gallipoli as reinforcements. Major General John Gordon Legge was

appointed as its CO. He had migrated with his family from England at the age of 15 and became a

solicitor. He served in the Boer War and India in Australia’s permanent army.

Musketry practice at the Heliopolis rifle range and overnight bivouacs in the desert were

features of further training. However the troop’s behaviour whilst on leave had not improved and

at one stage Cairo leave was cancelled for the whole 2nd Division. On 12th August 41 men from the

battalion were transferred to the 5th Field Company of Engineers. This included Alick and could

possibly have saved his life because the engineer’s work was mainly building defensive positions

and tunnelling underground. So they were not directly in the firing line although in the trenches

they were just as much at risk of being hit by shrapnel from high explosive artillery shells as

anyone in the front line. On 25th August the whole battalion was at the field firing range at

Abbassia for machine gun, mortar and bomb throwing practice, using live ammunition.

52

Stretcher-bearers at work Wounded from Gallipoli

Rifle butts at Abbassia, near Heliopolis Luna Park at Heliopolis became a hospital

Alick in motorcycle side-car Three pals Alick on the left

53

HMT Southland listing to starboard After being struck by German torpedo

Survivors in lifeboats from the Southland

Mudros Harbour Lemnos

5th Field Engineers on board Signallers 23rd Battalion

Embarking Alexandria SS Knight Templar Bath on board

54

The Gallipoli Peninsular Where are the Turks?

Pinnances loaded with troops being towed by a small steamer to the shore

Lemnos and the Dardenelles


55

3. GALLIPOLI

After a train journey to Alexandria on 30th August, the battalion embarked on the troopships

Haverford and Knight Templar except for the members of B Company and also the brigade HQ

staff who boarded the troopship Southland with the 21st Battalion. The next day they set sail for

the island of Lemnos.

On the morning of 2nd September the Southland was struck by a torpedo from a German

submarine. The ship started listing so “abandon ship” was ordered. The ship’s crew, made sure

they were first away. Most of the troops were able to get into the remaining lifeboats or onto rafts,

but many were in the very cold water for over an hour, including Major General Legge and his

staff. They were picked up by the hospital ship Neuralia but 32 of the other men were drowned.

Colonel Richard Linton, who had been the initial commander of the 6th Brigade, died from

exposure 2 hours after being rescued. So Alick had been lucky again! The Southland did not sink

and was reboarded by a British officer and 17 Australian volunteers who replaced the crew. They

were able to take her to Mudros harbour at Lemnos where the other ships had already arrived.

The 23rd Battalion, except for B company whose men had to be completely rekitted, did not go

ashore at Mudros, spending the next two nights on board. On 4th September the men were

transferred to HMS Partridge, a small steamer which would take them the short distance to Anzac

Cove at Gallipoli. They arrived offshore at 9.30 pm. An hour later they went ashore in lighters to

Watson’ Pier, a rather flimsy wooden structure which had been built for landing men, supplies and

light equipment. On mustering after landing safely, the 23rd Battalion’s strength was 33 officers

and 963 other ranks – 996 men in all.

They were immediately led up to a bivouac site at Rest Gully. Many shots were heard during the

night. The next day was spent in familiarisation and at 9 am on 6th September 5 platoons, each of

10 – 12 men led by a corporal, climbed up to the 400 Plateau area where the trenches at Lone Pine

were situated. Over the next 2 days the rest of the battalion, including the battalion CO Lt. Col.

Knox, just promoted from Major, moved into the trenches. The 24th Battalion joined the 23rd at

Lone Pine on and on 12th September they officially replaced the 3rd and 4th battalions who were

evacuated to Lemnos 5 months after they had first landed at Anzac Cove. Their strength had been

decimated by the hundreds who were killed, wounded or succumbed to life threatening illness.

56

Anzac Cove in year 2000. Photo taken by Alan Rose

The beach at Anzac Cove with cliffs behind and the sphinx above

Gallipoli as first seen by Alick on 4th September 1915

57

Going ashore Landing

“We landed here” Watson’s Pier

Plugge’s Plateau above dugouts Extent of Anzac holding

58

Moving to front line after landing Shrapnel Gully

Front Line Trench Lone Pine

Terrain at Lone Pine

Burstingh shells over Lone Pine

Shrapnel above Lone Pine Shrapnel Gully

59

3rd Btn leaving Lone Pine 11/9/1915 23rd Btn. In Lone Pine Trench 12/9/1915

Rest area White’s Valley Food storage area

Unloading artillery at Hell Spit Waiting for mail at the post office

60

Wire Gully

Alick ® in dugout, Otago Valley

Tug sunk by “Beachv Bill”

Indian soldiers

AIF HQ below Plugge’s Plateau

Dugouts, Monash Valley

Victoria Gully

French soldiers


61

In the trenches the men rotated between 2 hours on guard in the front line trench, then 4 hours

in the reserve trench ready to come forward if the Turks attacked. There were 4 rotations each

day. After 2 days of this they had a 2 day respite at Brown’s Dip, a safer position further back from

the front. The opposing forward trenches were only 30 to 150 yards apart. The reserve trenches

had been dug 150 yards behind the forward trenches but they were not beyond the range of

Turkish shelling. The trenches were not dug in a straight line but in zig-zag lines to avoid enfilading

fire along their whole length. Small nooks were made in the trench walls to provide some shelter

from shells bursting overhead. The men could hear the shells approaching before they exploded,

sending shrapnel in all directions. The Lone Pine position was particularly vulnerable to snipers

and bomb throwers. 3 men were killed on the battalion’s first day in the front line and 2 days later

there were 7 casualties from bursting shells.

As part of an allied offensive over 6 days beginning on August 6th, the Australians had driven

the Turks out of their well-fortified position at Lone Pine in a horrific battle. Most of the combat

was close and hand to hand in a very small area with the Australian troops using their bayonets to

great effect. Sadly more than 7000 Turkish soldiers were killed, with the tragic loss of over 2000

Australian lives. The Battle of Lone Pine was one of the few allied victories of the Gallipoli

Campaign, so the members of the 23rd Battalion were determined to hold the position at all costs.

The task of Alick and his engineer comrades was to expand and maintain the extensive

network of tunnels and saps that were excavated beneath the trenches and under no man’s land.

Branches off main tunnels were called “saps” hence the rank of “sapper” which is equivalent to

“private”. Saps were dug in order to detonate mines under enemy positions and to make

connections between trenches. Some tunnels towards enemy lines were dug just below the

surface so that troops could break out through the top cover, so reducing the distance over

which those attacking were exposed to enemy fire. The earth was of unconsolidated sediment

without topsoil and studded with rocks. It was easy to dig but heavy to carry because of the clay

content. Diggings were used to build parapets above the trenches. Sappers underground often

heard the Turks using picks a few feet away so they knew they had to plant and detonate their

mines before the enemy did.

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Hauling water tank uphill

Field Marshal Lord Kitchener visits Gallipoli 13thNovember 1915

Base Hospital, North Beach

Stores, ammunition, on the beach

Bengal transport wagon

North Beach from Shrapnel Gully

Digger carrying wounded mate Reserve trench Quinn’s post Alick firing from Quinn’s post


63

In some areas, beneath sites of previous battles, the bodies of buried soldiers or just their body

parts were exposed and had to be avoided or removed and reburied. Alick was always reticent

about the details of his front line experiences except when telling how they used to throw tins of

bully beef across to the Turkish trenches when they were only a few yards apart. He also

described their constant battle with flies and infestation with lice and fleas. Consuming food

amongst the hordes of flies was a challenge. The only way to get rid of the lice was to go down to

the beach at Anzac Cove and have a swim. This was possible only when sent in a detail to collect

water, supplies and ammunition. Swimming was not without risk and a number of men were killed

from shrapnel and sniper fire whilst in the water.

Water was in very scarce supply as it all had to be brought ashore in lighters and carted up the

cliffs behind the beach. There was very little for washing bodies or clothes so hygiene was very

poor. The food was unappetising and meagre. It consisted of tinned salty bully beef and tooth

breaking biscuits with a little jam, cheese and treacle. Condensed milk was used in tea. All the men

lost weight. A tot of rum was issued weekly and also when an attack was known to be imminent.

The latrines were in the open where, sitting on a pole above a deep hole, the men were exposed to

shells and shrapnel. The weather was hot in April but by October it had become very cold and wet,

and freezing at night. Snow up to 2 feet deep fell in November and December. The troops became

debilitated so it is not surprising that almost as many men were evacuated because of sickness as

those who had been wounded.

Illness also overtook Alick. He was at Quinn’s Post when he was sent to the 5th Field Ambulance

hospital (tents at the rear of the fighting) on 8th October with dysentery and tonsillitis, then taken

down to the beach and mistakenly left amongst wounded English soldiers waiting to be evacuated.

He was taken off the beach with them to the Hospital Ship Soudan which was going to Malta. From

his own account he was in a semi-conscious state requiring constant nursing. He was lucky

because of the original strength of 996 officers and men who had landed in September plus 240

reinforcements who had joined since, only 540 were still there by the time Gallipoli was evacuated.

This was a loss of 44%. More than half of those were killed.

64

A cup of water was not enoughSwimming was the only way to have a wash

Delousing was a daily ritual

Alick mincing Bully beef for rissolesUp and down Shrapnel Valley to the beach

65

Casualties being brought alongside

Sick and wounded on the beach awaiting evacuation

Hospital ship HMS Soudan

F RO M GA L L I P O L I TO M A LTA A N D EGY P T

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Imbros Harbour

Australian Army Camp at Tel el Kebir Proximity to Cairo

The 23rd Battalion left Gallipoli on 18th December being transported to Imbros, a small island not

far from Anzac Cove. On 23rd December, acting as an advance guard, A Company headed for

Lemnos in the Ermine but found the harbour at Mudros so crowded with over 100 ships that A

Company had to transfer to another ship, the Winefredian and sail on to Alexandria, having

Christmas dinner on board. B, C and D companies were able to go ashore at Lemnos until 6th

January when they boarded the Minnewaska, arriving in Egypt on 10th January. After a long train

journey they caught up with A Company at Tel el Kebir, a major army camp between Cairo and

Ismalia. The battalion trained there until they left for France and the Western Front on 20th March

arriving at Marseille on 26th of March in 3 troopships, the Caledonia, the Lake Michigan and the

Osmanick.

Alick’s records do not contain anything about Malta or why he was not sent to re-join his unit

during the 6 weeks it was in Egypt. Perhaps it was believed that he had gone missing, presumingly

KIA (killed in action) or more likely that he was medically unfit for active service.

4. FROM GALLIPOLI TO MALTA AND EGYPT


67

Patients and nurses from Ward G6 St Patrick’s Hospital Malta. Alick in front row on left.

5. MALTA

The Soudan had arrived in Malta on 13th October. Alick was admitted to Saint Patrick’s hospital

in Valetta, the capital. He was diagnosed as suffering from septic poisoning and enteric fever and

kept in bed for 4 weeks. On recovering he was given leave for Valetta. There were very few

Australians in Malta and no A.I.F. authority there. Alick had been issued with a British uniform in

hospital but had no money. No one would recognise him as far as pay was concerned. However a

friendly British sergeant named Hill lent him a pound so that he could cable Uncle Charlie who

sent him 5 pounds. He had a good look around the city with its beautiful Grand Harbour full of

battleships.He was taken aboard a French warship the Jean Bart by some French sailors he met.

He visited the Mosta Dome, the Niddia Chapel of bones and went surfing at the beach. He sent

presents of Maltese lace home to his elder sister Kath. There is no information on whether or how

he celebrated his 20th birthday, Christmas or New Year.

68

Grant Harbour Valletta capital of Malta

Hospital Ship Panama at Malta

Fort St Angelo Grand Harbour

The Islands of MaltaThe Eastern Mediterranean

Cable to Alick’s father about his whereabouts on 16-10-1915

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Alick and Sergeant Hill at St. Patrick’s Hospital Ray De Garas and Alick

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British warship

Ferry to Sliema

Grand Harbour Valletta looking east

Aboard French warship Jean BartAlick 2nd on left

French Battle Cruiser Vergmaud

71

Postcards sent to family by Alick from Malta

72

Alick writing on back of postcards

73

Surfing at Malta Foreshore Malta

Chapel of bonesGrand Café Malta Alick must have been the photographer

The Mosta Dome-“Ir-Rotunda”Sight-seeing in Valletta

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Second cable to Alick’s father

Written by Alick in 1982 as an entry to a story telling competition

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Alexandria harbour

6. EGYPT AGAIN

On 7th January Alick embarked at Malta on the Hospital Ship Essquibo bound for Egypt,

arriving at Alexandria on 11th January. On 17th January his father received notice that Alick would

be repatriated back to Australia as soon as a transport ship was available. Instead he was admitted

to the Australian 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Holuman for 2 weeks, then discharged to the Australian

training camp at Heliopolous on 25th January 1916.

It is not known why Alick was not returned to his unit, the 5th Field Company Engineers to rejoin

what was left of his cobbers in the 23rd Battalion. One photo suggests that he did have contact

with at least one of them. Instead, he was attached to the Australian Ambulance Service as a

driver/mechanic, working at a garage at Gamrah, an outer suburb of Cairo. He was billeted there in

an upstairs flat from which he could see the run-down buildings and littered streets of Cairo. The

Ambulance Service was very busy transporting sick and wounded men from Lemnos and

elsewhere, to and from hospital and taking invalided men to board ship at Alexandria to return

home to Australia. The ambulances were sometimes used as hearses for the funerals of soldiers

who died after returning to Egypt and were buried there. As usual, Alick made good use of any

time off. He toured the Cairo streets on donkey, went to the races at Ghezirch, visited the Barrage

Lock and Garden, spent time in the Esbekich Gardens and climbed to the top of Cheops Pyramid.

He even went sailing on the Nile! One of Alick’s photos is of the Grand Continental Hotel, then a

famous luxury hotel in Cairo opposite the Esbekich Gardens. T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)

was staying there at the same time as Alick was at Gamrah. Lawrence was stationed at the British

Arab Bureau in Cairo, becoming a key figure in the success of the Arab Revolt under King Hussein

and his son Prince Feisal.

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T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)Australian Hospital and Medical Stations Egypt in 1915

Third cable to Alick’s father

Nurses on board Essquibo Hospital Ship Essquibo at Alexandria

79

Ian Brown, Gallipoli cobber Baksheesh wash

Aust. General Hospital Heliopolis Sick and wounded, Luna Park Hospital

Heliopolis campPyramids nearby

Hospital Train fromAlexandria

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The Last Post Australian graves in Egypt

Military funeral at Cairo Railway Station Funeral of Light Horseman

Motor smash note: Roma Queensland Waiting for the hospital train

Alick in our new car at Ghezirch The old Bus ready to start

81

Geffeian Pyramid from Cheops With some locals at Fel-el-Keliur

Camel driver and his camel On way to hospital Camel corps Luna Park Hospital

Boot cleaner Carrying produce Seller of firewood

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Alick on the top of Cheops Pyramid Alick looking down on the Dead City

Views of Cairo from my room Al Hayat Hotel at Helouan

Hilda Allen Nurse Couch and Alick French friends at the Gardens

Alick on a donkey again Alick at Esbekich Gardens Cairo


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7. ENGLAND

After 4 months in Egypt, on 10th May Alick went aboard HMAT Euripides (the ship on which he

had come to Egypt from Australia) bound for Plymouth, England, arriving on 17th May 1916. He

immediately went before an Army Medical Board at Australian Administrative Headquarters

(AAHQ) in Horseferry Road in London and was given 3 weeks sick leave. With one or more others,

Alick obtained a car which must have been borrowed or rented. The party drove through Sussex,

Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Wales, Cheshire, Cumbria, the Lakes District and the South of

Scotland. The car broke down twice. They stayed at Brighton, the Isle of Wight, Christchurch,

Bournemouth, Weymouth, Ilfracombe, Liverpool, Blackpool, Grassmere, Windemere, and

Edinburgh.

Alick said that he was treated like royalty at Grassmere because he was the first Australian

soldier who had been there. The hotel owner had a yacht which he gave free use of to Alick. He

also refused to accept any payment for his stay. They must have then driven back to London

arriving on 7th June. Alick was billeted with 4 other AIF members at 12 Oxberry Avenue Fulham

for several weeks. Their hosts were a Mr and Mrs Pinkham who had a 7 year old daughter named

Sadie. Alick had a look around London during this time, before reporting to the Australian

Engineers Depot at Bournemouth on the south coast of Devon for further training.

Two months later on 18th August 1916, he was sent to Parkhouse to join other Australians for

field exercises on Salisbury Plain. Whilst there the AIF was reviewed by King George V

accompanied by Major General (later Sir) John Monash. At that time the 6th Brigade was in

France on the Somme, recovering from the Battle of Pozieres which was an allied victory despite

appalling loss of life. In that engagement the 23rd Battalion suffered 476 casualties including 123

killed or died of wounds. Only 5 officers and about 10% of other ranks were left. Alick in luck again!

King George had been to Pozieres on 10th August to recognise these losses and congratulate the

troops on their achievements. Two weeks later the battalion, with 121 reinforcements, took part in

the unsuccessful assault on Moquet Farm losing 9 more men Killed.

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Note Alick’s handwriting

Barrage Gardens Alick and mates at the gardens

Barrage Lock Barrage Bridge

Egyptian mounted policeman At Gherzirch Races

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Captured German Mine Laying Submarine UC 5 at Christchurch

Route of Alick’s trip Sandown, Isle of Wight

Pier at Brighton

Australian Forces Head Quarters Horseferry RoadLondon

Setting out on the trip

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Edinburgh Castle and Ross Fountain Winnie Danna

Lake Windermere The Promenade, Bowness

Lime Street Liverpool North Pier Blackpool

Priory church Christchurch Bevy of bathing beauties

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Putney Bridge over the Thames Thames River Fulham

Our hosts, the Pinkhams with Sadie The Embankment, Putney

Fulham Palace Road

Our billet-12 Oxberry Avenue, Fulham The crew at Oxberry Avenue, Alick front R.

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Western Front Battlefields 1914-1918


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8. THE WESTERN FRONT 1916

On 8th October 1916 Alick left from Christchurch near Bournemouth to cross The English

Channel to France in a lighter which landed on the beach near Etaples, just south of Boulogne. He

re-joined his unit the next day with 115 other men who were brought to reinforce the Battalion at

Ypres in Belgium where It was stationed after its time further south on the Somme. With the

additional reinforcements it’s strength was brought up to 33 officers and 838 men.

On 11th October the battalion moved back to the front line at Broodseinde Ridge where it had

been part of a successful major attack over the previous week during the Battle of Passchendaele

despite the loss of 20 men killed and 79 wounded. They worked there to improve the trench line. So

Alick only had one day before he was in action, digging trenches and constructing fortifications

within range of artillery fire. Despite this the men voted in the First Conscription Referendum on

13th October. Most of them hoped it would be carried.

The 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions were now to be returned to the Somme because the

Commander in Chief, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig had decided to launch a major attack at

Bapaume. On 17th October the battalion marched back to Scottish Camp for 2 day’s rest, before

setting out for the Somme. On the first day they marched a long distance to Winnezeele, several

miles North West of Steenvoorde. After resting for 1 day, they marched over 54 miles in 3 days to St

Omer. Then by train overnight to Longpre from where they marched 5 miles to the village of Ailly

sur Somme, where most of the men were able to refresh with a swim in the nearby Somme River.

The next day they marched 3 miles, then boarded buses to drive through Amiens to the village of

Buire on the river Ancre near Albert, where they spent 8 days mainly repairing roads. One wonders

how Alick was standing up to all the marching and heavy work after his prolonged and debilitating

illness. On 24th October 1916 he was transferred from the 5th to the 8th Field Company Engineers

as one of a replacement of men for casualties.

Area where Alick rejoined the 23rd Battalion 5th Field Company Engineers working on the trench lineat Broodseinde Ridge 12/10/1916

Albert Railway Station, Somme River Ancre at Albert

Alick (L) in the swim Cooling off after the march

The River Somme Ailly sur Somme

The Marne Valley as it is today, 100 years after World War I

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Sites of in Flanders Cemeterys

The Trench Stalemate July 1916

91

92

Front lines on The Somme July 1916

The First Battle of the Somme began July 1st 1916. Alick sent to front line at Albert in October 1916 as a member of the 8th Field Company Engineers 23rd Battalion

Dead German soldier on edge of a shell hole in NoMan’s Land

Australian boys lying dead in No Man’s Land onThe Somme, Oct 1916

Australian Cemetery near Albert Engineer’s bunker at Buire


93

On 3rd November the battalion marched east to Mametz and the next day moved up to the

support line at Luisenhoef Farm losing 4 men killed and 6 wounded from shelling on the way. On

5th November 1916 (3 days after Alick’s 20th birthday) they moved to the front line where C

Company dug 300 yards of trench line, losing 10 more men killed and dozens wounded. On the

night of 11th November the battalion moved back to the reserve trench at Flers after another 14

had been killed and 27 wounded by the continued heavy bombardment.

The booming noises of gunfire and of shells exploding continuously was intense, and dulling to

the senses. After returning to the front line this was the pattern for the next 2 weeks with more

men being killed or wounded every day. Heavy snow fell during this time and the men were issued

with thigh high gum boots as the mud in the trenches was up to their knees. Many had frostbite

and developed trench foot. The only reliable means of transport for ammunition and supplies

through the deep mud was by pack mule. Another 51 men lost their lives during this time.

On 1st December a train took the battalion to Vignacourt from where they marched to

Flesselles. After 2 weeks training there they marched to Fricourt via Ribemont which was between

Corbie and Albert, on the River Ancre, then to Trones Wood where they carried supplies to the

front line at Needle Trench for 3 days. It was bitterly cold and wet and the battalion commander

Colonel Brazenor developed pneumonia and was hospitalised. There were no traditional

Christmas or New Year celebrations reflecting the heavy losses during the second half of 1916. By

29th December the entire battalion had moved into the front line trenches where they remained

for 3 days during which time 3 men were killed and one wounded.

Stretcher-bearers in knee-deep mud at Flers Men of the 23rd Battalion marching from Vignacourt toFlesselles

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Deville wood Dec. 1916 Deville Wood under snow

German Observation Blimp After shelling at Luisenhof Farm

We dug this Strong Point on the front line on thenight of 5/11/1916

Shell busting over No Man’s Land

Having a “Smoko” near Mametz Alick at an Observation Post

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Trench foot sufferer Men with trench foot unable to walk

Ruins of Fricourt Chateau Filling the boiler, Vignacourt

Roadside dugouts between Corbie and Albert Lewis machine gunner in action

Shell exploding near reserve position Resting in shell hole at Lousinhoef farm

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German prisoners stretcher bearing Saying Goodbye to a Mate

Allied heavy artillery in tow, Flers Main Street Corbie

Trone’s Wood observation post in tree Colonel George Brazenor, our CO, on L withone of the men

Main Street Flesselles The couple we were billeted with at Flesselles


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9. THE WESTERN FRONT 1917

The first week of 1917 was spent building light railway lines at Fricourt before returning to the

support line, then the front line trenches in the usual 2 to 3 day cycle. 2 men were killed. The next

2 weeks were spent back at Ribemont between Corbie and Albert, training and taking a half day’s

leave in Amiens. On 29th January the battalion marched 5 hours through Buire, Dernancourt and

Mealt to the village of Becourt from where they moved to Scott’s Redoubt on 1st February. The

temperature was 19 degrees below freezing point so they had to shave with melted ice! The map

opposite shows most of the many small villages mentioned in the 23rd Battalion’s story. It

confirms that the fighting in which the battalion was involved took place with in a relatively small

area.

They returned to the front line on rotation until 21st February. Only 3 casualties were suffered by

the 23rd but the relieving 22nd lost 12 men killed when a shell made a direct hit on a shed at

Scott’s Redoubt. On the next day the 23nd was urgently recalled to the front line at Gun Pit Lane

but the enemy withdrew as they arrived. In fact all the German forces were leaving the Somme

salient to take up positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.

On 4th March they moved up to Malt Trench, recently captured by the 22nd. Two men were

killed before moving to a reserve position at Sussex Camp on 7th March. After 10 days there the

battalion advanced on Avesnes, a suburb of Bapaume, which was clear of enemy soldiers although

the town was in flames. The nearby villages of Favreuil and Beugnatre were also taken but with

the loss of 6 men killed.

The Australian advance toward Cambrai was being undertaken jointly by the 6th and 15th

Brigades (8000 men)f under Brigadier Generals John Gellibrand and Pompey Elliot respectively.

The Brigades were augmented by the 13th Light Horse as well as artillery, engineers, machine

gunners and a field ambulance unit. This was the first time in the war that an all Australian force

had undertaken an all arms advance in pursuit of a withdrawing enemy. The 23rd battalion was in

the vanguard and next occupied the villages of Vraucourt and Vaulx-Vraucourt on 19th March.

Villages mentioned in the 23rd Battalion’s story (1917)

98

Ruins of Fricourt Chateau Railway embankment at Fricourt

Albert was in the centre of the Sommebattlefields

Main Railway Station at Albert (see photo on back of page 12)

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Cathedral at Albert with hanging Virgin and Child Remains of Flers Cathedral

As Alick saw the Cathedral in January 1917

Cathedral of Notre Dame at Amiens in 1914

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German Officer’s grave behind our lines at Fricourt,May 1917

Crucifix at Lagnicourt – on reverse Alick wrote “Ithink I am about the only chap in the A.I.F. who hasgot this photo”

Working party of German prisoners Men of the 23rd moving position

Brig. Gen. Pompey Elliot Brig. Gen. Joh Gellibrand Ready to march


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Sketch map showing the 23rd Battalion’s areas of operations in France, April to October 1918

Gellibrand decided to attack Noreuil, between the villages of Ecoust and Lagnicourt with the

21st and 23rd Battalions and part of the 13th Light Horse Regiment, on the next day. His plan was

hastily drawn up without both adequate reconnaissance and a request for artillery support. The

men were tired, had settled down for the night and lacked training for combat in open country.

Also Gellibrand had not told Divisional HQ of his intentions.

The attack began at 5 am at dawn and in heavy rain. The men came under ferocious enemy

machine gun fire and the attack became disorganised. The Light Horse did not arrive. Confusion

arose amongst company and platoon commanders and a haphazard withdrawal began at 8.20 am

after artillery support had been summoned. The losses in the 2 battalions were of 13 officers and

318 other ranks killed or wounded, and 50 missing. The 23rd suffered 24 killed, 49 wounded and

30 captured by the enemy. The attack was a debacle and the 23rd moved back to a reserve

position at Warlencourt to lick it’s wounds, where they remained for 5 days. Gellibrand had blotted

his copy book.

On 26th March the battalion moved to Mametz then back to Becourt Camp for special training.

General Birdwood again presented medals. Alick was promoted to Lance Corporal on 1st April 1917.

On13th April they marched to a reserve position at Beugnatre for 2 weeks until moving to the

village of Favreuil where they joined the 5th Brigade in attack exercises. The men realised that

they were being prepared for a major offensive. During this time the troop carrier HMAT Ballarat

was torpedoed in the English Channel on Anzac Day. She was bringing reinforcements from

Australia, including some for the 23rd Battalion, who were all rescued because the ship did not

founder until the next day.

The men were correct. Earlier that year, in April, the Australian 4th Division had been used in

the first attack on Bullecourt, when tanks were used for the first time. Most of them broke down or

failed to reach the battlefield so the barbed wire defences, which the tanks were supposed to

destroy, remained intact.

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Australian gun pit Bapaume Cathedral in ruins

German front line after our bombardment “We entered Bapaume round this corner on 1/4/1917”

Remains of village Mealt Deserted farmhouse Buire

Main Road Albert to Bapaume, covered in slush 6inches deep

Mayor’s house, Flers 1/4/1917 8th Field Co. camped incellar

103

The battle wages on

Advancing in line Friend or foe?

Waiting for the whistle Over the top

Australian Artillery moving into position Bombardment before the attack

104

Our Company Pontoons (used for bridging) Caterpillar bogged in mud, Flers

Mobile duckboard carrier, Domart Duckboards laid over mud and water

The first tanks had rear steering wheels German observation blimp

Crashed planes were a novelty This one was shot down


105

Although the attack failed the British 5th Army Commander General Gough decided to make

another attempt to breach the Hindenburg Line around Bullecourt. Gough was one of a number of

senior British commanders who had failed to appreciate how much warfare had changed since the

days of cavalry charges. However the Australian commanders had become more influential and

planned the attack on a much greater scale and with scrupulous attention to detail. There was to

be a creeping artillery barrage which constantly moved forward ahead of the advancing infantry

brigades who were to be supported by 96 Vickers machine guns and 12 Stokes mortars. Every

man carried 6 hand grenades. Tanks were not to be used in this attack.

The two brigades marched up to the front line trenches on 1st May. The attack was launched on

3rd May. The men moved forward with fixed bayonets, in waves 10 paces apart. They met stiff

enemy resistance and some of their lines were broken up and separated. The 5th Brigade fell

behind leaving small groups of men sheltering in shell holes. The 6th Brigade had penetrated

about half a mile into the enemy lines across a front of 500 yards. After the German artillery had

been brought into range, two enemy counter attacks were made but these were checked.

However shells falling from their own guns forced the 6th Brigade back to an earlier position.

The Australian field guns fired over 70000 shells during the desperate battle, which raged back

and forth with many casualties on both sides. By mid-afternoon the strength of the 23rd Battalion

had been reduced to only 8 officers and 90 men who were still holding on to the ground gained.

Their supply of grenades and bombs for the Stokes mortars had run out but the men maintained

their position until relieved by the 3rd Battalion in the early hours of the next morning.

The second Battle of Bullecourt had been an epic but very costly affair.

12 officers and 264 men had been killed or wounded and 84 were missing. Later it was

ascertained that 100 men from the 23rd Battalion died that day, the most for any single day of the

entire war. 160 men remained in the front line support area for another day, then joined the

remnants at the rear where 52 reinforcements arrived the next day. Whilst constructing a strong

point behind the front line, 23 more casualties were suffered in the next two days.

106

Casualty Clearing Station Field Dressing Station

Horse drawn ambulance in trouble Australian First Aid Post

Broken down British tank Captured German dugout

General John Gough Examining a dead German soldier It’s them or us


107

On 9th May they returned to Mametz for 9 days before moving to Warloy where they regrouped

and resumed training. The battalion band reformed and the battalion sports meeting was held on

6th of June. Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, the Supreme British Commander, recognised the part

the battalion had played at Bullecourt by calling it a “most gallant feat of arms”. General Birdwood

and the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes and past prime minister Andrew Fisher, visited

them at Mametz.

On 6th June, after an overnight march to Aveluy, the battalion went by train to Bapaume then

marched to Beaulencourt where they were encamped in tents for 6 weeks whilst carrying out

attack exercises. More marching and a train took them to the village of Bandringhem were they

were billeted in farm houses for a further 6 weeks. Reviews of the 6th Brigade by General

Birdwood and of the whole 1st Australian Corps by Field Marshall Haig were held.

Alick had one week of leave from 14th to 21st August 1917 in Paris where he must have had a great

time. He souvenired a red shoe from a dancer at the Folies Bergere. It was in the old suitcase case

referred to in the preface to this account but there was nothing else to suggest about what else he

got up to!

On 12th September the 2nd Division began their move back up to Belgium to be part of the

major allied offensive at Ypres which had begun on 31st July 1917.The battalion was billeted at

Belgian Chateau from where they went to the front line on 18th September as ammunition

carriers for the 7th Brigade. The carrying parties were under constant enemy shellfire, with

several wounded.

After 3 days they moved to a reserve position, supporting successful attacks on the Wilhelm

Line north of Nonne Boschen by the 5th and 7th Brigades on 20th September. Next day the 23rd

Battalion went to the front line but suffered 13 men wounded as they went through Chateau

Wood. They dug trenches and dealt with enemy pill boxes some of which were still occupied. They

were relieved on 23rd September but had lost 20 killed and 79 wounded. After a week at

Dominion Camp where General Birdwood again presented medals, they went to advanced posts at

the Yser Canal for two days, then moved into support trenches at Anzac Ridge. 3 officers had

been killed and 36 men wounded.

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The Amiens Gun German 11 battleship gun, mounted on railway wagon. Range 15 miles

Deserted German trenches Trees laid across the road to slow Allied advance

St. Marin’s Cathedral Ypres Allied troops marching passed the remains of the Cathedral

Prime Minister Billy Hughes with Australian Officers Prime Minister Billy Hughes addresses men of the 23rdBattalion in June 1917

109

Battle of Menin Road 20/9/1017 Over the top again

At the front line

110

The Menin Road Dead and wounded Australians and Germans at Tyne Cott 11/10/1917

Not only men Bringing in the wounded

The result What for?

The battlefield Ypres Fighting at close quarters


111

Field Marshall Haig chose the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Divisions and the New Zealand Division

(about 45000 men in total) to make his next attempt to pierce the German defence line at

Broonseinde Ridge in Flanders (the Dutch speaking northern part of Belgium). This was the first

time that 4 Anzac divisions had attacked together. The force was waiting at the start line at 5 am

on 4th October when a heavy German barrage started, causing casualties to about a seventh of

the combined force. This was because the Germans were about to launch their own attack at the

same time! Neither side’s plans were known to each other. The German bombardment ceased as

soon as ours started. The Anzacs were incredulous to see the enemy’s 4th German Guard Division

advancing on them. Nevertheless after inflicting enormous losses on the Germans, Broonseinde

Ridge was captured later that day. Fighting continued beyond the Ridge for 3 more days.

Historians have called it Germany’s “black day” whilst also regarding the battle as the most

completely successful engagement by the British Army in France.

Remarkably, and once again luckily, Alick was on leave in England from 1st to 16th October 1917.

Perhaps leave was rostered in advance and then taken despite the timing of future periods in

actions. He did go to London and may have celebrated his forthcoming 21st birthday there but

whether he was in the company of friends or where else he went, is not known.

A further attack on 9th of October aimed to

capture a fortified ruined farm called Rhine House

but the depleted numbers, thick mud and constant

enemy artillery fire made this “another of the

battalion’s worst experiences”. The 23rd withdrew

to have a break in billets at Steenvoorde until

moving to Halfway House on 3rd November. During

October the battalion had lost 109 men killed or

died from wounds. 7th November saw a move back

to the front line where heavy shelling took the lives

of 10 men and wounded 8. The battalion was

relieved on 11th November and spent the next

month in Wakefield huts at Locre.

Photograph sent by Alick to his mother from Londonon 11/10/1917 he wrote on the back “From your lovingson, Alick”

112

Preparing for combined attach on Broonseinde Ridge4/10/17

Preliminary bombardment

German pill box at Sterling Castle on Menin Road Ridge20/9/1917

Sentry with sleeping soldiers in a captured German trench

Graves we dug for fellow members of the 8th Field Company Engineers, 23rd Battalion, killed in action

1st Oct 1917: Sapper J. Scott25th Sept 1917 Sapper A.C. Walker 5668Driver J. Chalkely 4575Driver J.H. Campbell 15751

113

Australians on duckboard track through remains, ChateauWood, Hooge, east of Ypres 29/10/1917

Rescue from the quagmire

Stopped by the mud Bearers deep in the mud at Ypres

Stopped by the barbed wire Captured German strong post

Both sides used gas the Germans first Tank left in mud No Man’s Land

114

Alick and tank Abandoned British tank at Valux

Tank in trouble German prisoners

Close combat As far as we got

Telephone cable across No Man’s Land Field gun in the mud


115

The 6th Brigade was visited at Wippenhoek on 23rd November by Lieutenant General William

Birdwood, Commander of the Australian Army Corps. He awarded decorations to many of the

men. The 2nd Division Commander Major General John Legge inspected the Battalion on 27th

November. On 11th December the entire battalion mustered to vote on the Second Conscription

Referendum. The feeling among the troops generally was that it should be carried, but that was

not to be. At every such camp, sports competitions were organised and held after training, often

with cash prizes and trophies. These events were very popular with the troops. They included

boxing, athletics, tug-of-war, grenade throwing, wheelbarrow races, hockey, cricket, football and

mule racing, with keen rivalry between battalions or between companies.

The Russian army on the Eastern Front surrendered in December 1917 following the Bolshevik

Revolution This enabled the Germans to bring 61 divisions (over 700000 men) and 1000 heavy

guns, across Germany to the Western Front in France. The victories in Flanders in late 1917 had

also been very costly to the allied forces and there had been mutinies in the French Army. So the

German Generals, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, decided to launch a major offensive before troops

from America, who had just entered the war, arrived in January 1918. The German’s first attack

was to start on 21st March at Arras, in the north of France, near Ypres, followed by the main

offensive on the Somme in the south.

The 23rd battalion marched out from Locre on 15th December to Canteen Corner where the

men went out in working parties south of Ploegsteert Wood, celebrating Christmas Day 5 days

early because of the urgent need to improve the defences behind the front line. However there

was not much Christmas cheer with so many comrades missing. The battalion moved forward to

the Catacombs which was a system of underground sleeping quarters at Hyde Park Corner, in

Ploegsteert Wood, beneath Hill 63. It had been dug by the Australians and could accommodate 2

battalions (2000 men) in safety.

116

The Catacombs at Hyde Park Corner in Ploegsteert Wood

After the battle

Major Gen. John Legge German prisoners


117

23rd Battalion in France 1917. Alick in second row from front first on left

Village church at Quesques near St Omar where a memorial to Pte. James Turner 6899 KIA 5/2/1918 was erected by hiscomrades of the 23rd Battalion

Trenches had to be cleaned out and duckboards laid at nearby Park Lane. A metre of snow

covered the ground and heavy rain often stopped the work. Casualties were low due to the

absence of snipers but a minenwerfer bombardment wounded 2 officers one of whom was the

Regimental Medical Officer (the minenwerfer also called “pineapple thrower”, was a short range

trench mortar used by the Germans to destroy barbed wire and trench defences). After 2 weeks

the battalion went by overnight train to Lottinghen, from where they marched to a camp at

Quesques, a small village between St Omer and Boulogne. Conditions there were good and the

men were rejuvenated. They helped local farmers in their work and the battalion band played for

the patients at the No.2 and No. 25 army hospitals in Boulogne. The troops were very well

regarded by the villagers who treated them hostpitably.

118

Casualties continue One of the tanks that went into action with us at Flersin Nov. 1917

Devastated villages across the battle fields Enemies sharing a smoke

German Mortar (“Pineapple Thrower”) Mortar shell exploding in barbed wire

Cattured trench for reconstruction Water made this difficult


119

10. 1918 AND THE AUSTRALIAN FLYING CORPS

During this time Alick was selected to transfer to the Australian Flying Corps. The AFC was

established in 1912 and began flight training in 1914 as part of the Australian Army, until 1921 when

it became an independent body known as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC flew

missions in Palestine and Syria giving support to the Arab Revolt. Lawrence of Arabia was flown

between places where fighting was taking place. The main roles of the AFC were enacted over the

Western Front where its pilots undertook reconnaissance, directed artillery, harassed enemy

infantry and fought against German pilots in the air. The AFC shot down 384 German aircraft

during it’s time over the Western Front and a total of 527 during the whole war. AFC casualties

were 175 killed, 111 wounded, 6 gassed and 40 taken prisoners.

Alick left France on 27th January 1918 and reported to Administrative Headquarters in London.

He was sent to the AFC Halton Camp Cadet School at Wendover, between London and Oxford. On

1st February he was enrolled in No.1 Royal Flying School of Military Aeronautics, for training as an

observer. He joined the AFC with the rank of 2nd Air Mechanic on 27th February 1918 and was sent

to an Operational Depot somewhere in the South of England. From this point on, his war records

say nothing more until 1st June 1918 when it is noted that he returned from leave on that date and

reported to Australian H. Q. in London where he was “taken on strength” and sent to No.1 Camp at

Salisbury. The next and final entry on 6th June is that he was being returned to Australia for

discharge, being unfit for service because of “Pleurisy and Septic Pericarditis”

Even today, septic pericarditis is a life threatening condition, and in 1918 it should have been

fatal if the diagnosis was correct. Although more easily diagnosed, there was also no effective

treatment for pleurisy which often leads on to pneumonia, again usually fatal in those days. Was

Alick in luck again? So he must have spent some or most of the time between early March and

late May in hospital or on sick leave. If so he probably could not have had much time serving

actively in the AFC. After another medical board review he was sent to Weymouth to wait for a

ship which would take him home to Australia.

120

Details of training course for air mechanics at Halton Camp AFC Cadet School

Final page of Alick’s Active Service Record


121

11. GOING HOME

On 6th June Alick embarked on HMT Barambah, one of 20 enemy owned vessels detained in

Australian waters at the outbreak of war. Her crew were interned until the end of the war and the

ship was converted to a troop and horse transport crewed by Australian seamen. The troops had a

relaxed time during the voyage although many were seasick. Deck sports were the main activity.

The ship berthed at Melbourne on 31st July. It is not known where Alick spent the next 6 weeks

because it was not until 13th September that he was “honourably discharged as medically unfit”. He

went to live with his parents who had moved from Warburton to 11 Twickenham Crescent, Burnley.

In the Preface I noted that Alick had said a little about his experiences whilst on Gallipoli, but

nothing about his much longer time on the Western Front. Having worked through the writings

and published photographs which covered his period of active service, I have concluded that what

he experienced and saw in Belgium and France was even more shocking than at Gallipoli. This is

not only a function of time and terrain, but was also much worse because of the closeness of

death, the numbers slaughtered, the armaments used and the terrible weather suffered during

two terrible winters. So it is not surprising that he kept silent about it.

This also explains why in Australia there have recently been attempts to “deglorify” Gallipoli and

1915, in favour of the Western Front and 1917-18. Certainly the latter is regarded as a victory and

the former as a defeat. But it was Australian’s spirit, role, achievements and sacrifices at Gallipoli

which brought our infant federation into adulthood amongst the nations of the world, particularly

Great Britain. Australia “left home” from the old British Empire, to become an independent

partner in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

So although the Western Front provided a second opportunity for Australia to show she was equal

to or even better than both her enemies and allies, Gallipoli was the birth of our nation as we know

it today.

Although Alick had left the 23rd Battalion in France at the end of January 1918, it is of interest to

follow the Battalion’s further whereabouts and its feats of arms until the end of the war, as

described in the remaining pages.


125

12. ADVANCING TO VICTORY 1918

Major General John Monash was now in overall command of the 5 Australian Divisions (60000

men), as Corps Commander. After his experience of the defeat at Gallipoli and the stalemate of

trench warfare on the Western Front, he had devised different methods of attack in order to

reduce the appalling loss of life which many of the Generals had regarded as inevitable. These

were his meticulous and detailed plans which consisted of massive and more accurate artillery

bombardment for only a short time before the attack, tanks attacking in front of the infantry

formations to destroy defensive structures such as strong points and machine gun posts, with

many more aircraft flying overhead to observe and report what was happening on the ground and

also strafe the enemy behind the front line.

Perhaps Monash’s background as an engineer was also of significance because he seems to

have thought differently to the bulk of the English commanders who were professional career

officers. They regarded him as an ‘amateur ̀and also looked down on him as a volunteer! He

insisted on the troops being better equipped with the choice of weapons and gear based on their

specific tasks and the anticipated conditions. Every second man carried a pick or a shovel for

digging shelter holes. More grenades (small hand thrown bombs) were issued. These were

particularly useful when infantrymen were clearing trenches at close quarters. Smoke shells were

used to hide the men as they advanced across no-man’s-land.

Tanks were first used at Flers in September 1916. But not successfully because of their slow

speed, poor manoeuvrability and frequent mechanical breakdown. Their design and reliability had

been improved and 60 were to be deployed in the coming battle at Hamel with great

effectiveness. By 1918 Britain and France had produced 6506 tanks with only 8 left at the end of

the war. The Germans produced just 20 but used their artillery against tanks very effectively.

With regard to aircraft, their design was also much better but it was mainly their use in larger

numbers which would tell. Britain’s capacity to produce machines such as these in large numbers,

as well as all the shells, artillery pieces, grenades, Vickers and Lewis machine guns and small arms,

became a major factor in winning the war.

Winston Churchill had by now been reinstated to the British cabinet after the failure at Gallipoli

which he had planned as First Lord of the Admiralty 3 years earlier. Prime Minister Lloyd George

made him Minister for Munitions. Churchill was largely responsible for this increase in the

production and supply of weapons whilst the German Army’s resources declined because of

effective blockades. Food was also in short supply for both the army and German civilians.

126

Australian 8 inch howitzer battery

Australian field artillery ready to start bombardment prior to an attack

Australian 18 pounder field gun

Major Gen. Sir John Monash Churchill as Commander 6th Battalion Royal ScotsFusiliers, Western Front


127

On 6th March 1918 the 23rd Battalion returned to the Catacombs at Ypres, with C Company

taking up a relatively safe reserve position at Prowse Point. However the company sergeant major

was killed there in a bombardment. The company moved to the front line on 16th March, where it

was exposed to gas shelling. 7 more men were killed before the company went back to the

Catacombs on 24th March. Taking 4 days and 3 nights, the battalion marched, or went by train

and bus, from Neuve Eglise, through the villages and towns of Locre, Metern, Pradelles, Strazeele,

Etaples, Vaux en Amienois, Bertangles, along the Somme River to Point Noyelles, La Houssoye

and Lavielle, from where they took up positions around Pioneer Trench.

The trench was in very poor condition without any shelter from the constant heavy rain and had

to be repaired. The men were drenched to the skin and knee deep in the mud which impeded their

supply of food and ammunition. A daily issue of rum helped the men to ignore the constant

artillery fire. Their RMO, who had re-joined the unit after being wounded re at Ploegsteert Wood 2

months before, was kept busy attending to men with ̀ trench foot .̀ There was a heavy gas

bombardment at 4 am on 9th April with one death and several casualties. The German attack

which followed was repulsed with one man wounded. The 23rd Battalion was relieved by the 24th

on 11th April and moved to Millencourt, returning to the front line to relieve the 24th 3 days later.

These rotations continued until 8th May which was the third anniversary of their departure from

Melbourne. A small number of men were killed or wounded during each turn in the front line

trenches. An American officer from one of the recently arrived US divisions was attached to the

battalion to gain experience in trench fighting.

On 9th May the battalion moved into a reserve position in an abandoned chateau on the

southern bank of the River Ancre at Mericourt where they were subjected to 2 days of heavy

shelling with gas and high explosives but there were no casualties. A week later the engineers

stealthily erected four footbridges across the Ancre River opposite the village of Ville sur Ancre

which was occupied by the enemy. A combined attack by the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Battalions had

been planned. On 19th May, after a prearranged artillery bombardment followed by a short

barrage with Newton and Stokes mortars supported by the fire of 33 Vickers machine guns, the

attack was launched at 4.15 am.

128

Flying in formation A Kill

Giving shelter to advancing troops Preparing for take off

Making a gap through barbed wire defences Crossing a trench, supporting troops

The first tanks had rear wheels for steering Later model-a Mark IV


129

The Germans were taken by surprise but fought back suffering heavy casualties in house to

house fighting – 50 were killed and 30 wounded as well as taking 47 unwounded prisoners. The

whole village was secured by 6.40 am. Only one Australian was killed and one wounded. Later

three men received the Military Cross, one the Distinguished Conduct Medal and one the

Distinguished Service Order for their gallantry. The 6th Brigade received commendations from

the Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig. All members of the three battalions were extremely

proud and regarded the operation as one of their best.

The ground as far north as Dernancourt, well past Ville sur Ancre, had now been occupied but

that night the enemy shelled the area heavily causing several casualties. The next day the force

was relieved and marched back to Bonnay where a sports meeting was held on 30th May. A day

later the battalion returned to the firing line which now straddled the Amiens/Albert railway line.

They found the dismembered bodies of a recent Tommy retreat which “made the area smell like a

charnel house”. Although the German offensive had failed, bombardments with gas and high

explosive shells continued, resulting in regular casualty lists. A raid by 44 men on nearby

Ribemont on 10th June failed because the enemy were ready and waiting. 4 of the party were

killed and 15 wounded.

On 15th June the men marched back to dugouts at Bonnay, then to Bussy les Daours where

they renovated dugouts in old railway embankments and had a cricket match. The day after a

large sports meeting on 27th June, the battalion moved up to trenches at Tronville Wood, and with

the rest of the 6th Brigade and the 11th Brigade, prepared for the attack on Hamel. 60 tanks were

waiting as well as 4 American companies of untried men.

The artillery barrage on Hamel began at 3.02 am. It was spectacular and deafening lasting only

8 minutes. Over 200000 shells were fired during the attack. Infantry and tanks moved in

formation with each other for the first time. The tanks took out enemy machine gun posts which

in the past had held up infantry advances and caused heavy losses. The enemy was overwhelmed

within one and a half hours as predicted by Monash. One officer and 16 men were killed and one

officer and 61 men were wounded. Many officers and men won distinctions. The tank crews were

regarded as being responsible for reducing the number of casualties expected during such a large

operation. The American troops also performed well.

Vickers crew in action Lewis gunner in action

Vickers machine gun Lewis machine gun

130


131

On 19th July the battalion moved to the front line south east of Villers Bretonneux where a new

strategy of aggressive patrolling and raiding was implemented, because the existing trenches

were so badly damaged by shellfire that they provided very little cover. This enabled

encroachment on more and more enemy territory and gave the Australians a moral ascendency.

It also led to more engagements between smaller numbers of combatants. This suited the

Australian’s style of combat using their bayonets to great effect.

The troops had also become skilled in the use of hand grenades, known as ̀ bombs ,̀ to clear

enemy trenches. The standard issue was the British made Mill’s grenade which had a killing range

of about 25 yards radius but it’s range depended on how far it could be hurled by the thrower. The

Germans used a stick bomb which had a greater throwing range because of it’s long wooden

handle but was less damaging than the Mill’s grenade.

“Bombers” worked in small attacking parties of 3 or 4 men but their success depended on them

being supplied with enough replacement grenades to keep the attack going until the trench was

cleared. Many of the German soldiers surrendered or fled from their trenches before the bombers

got up to them. Each of the attackers could not carry more than 6 grenades so supply parties,

who were also exposed to enemy fire, worked behind them along the length of the trench,

bringing up more grenades.

The 6th Brigade was to take part in two more major offensives which would prove to be very

successful, namely at Mont St Quentin in August and September and at the Beaurevoir Line later

in September. In the first of these the mud in many of the trenches was knee deep and at one

stage the men were unable to wash for 13 days! General Sir John Monash wrote:

September 1st was a day full of great happenings and bloody hand to hand fighting. The assault

by the 6th Brigade, passing over the line won the day before by the 5th Brigade, carried it well

over the crest of Mont St Quentin, and confirmed for good and all our hold on that imperious

fortress. Few prisoners were taken, for it was bayonet work over every inch of the advance, and

the field was strewn with enemy dead. The impetus of the 6th Brigade assault carried our line

600 yards to the east of the summit of the knoll.

Grenade thrower attached to rifle Over it goes

How to throw it German using grenade. Note gas mask

British Mill’s grenade French grenade German stick grenade

132

British gas grenade German throwing from trench


133

The Germans lost over 100 dead. At least 150 prisoners were taken. The 23rd Battalion lost 39

men killed or died from wounds. Amongst those was Private Robert Mactier who posthumously

received the battalion’s only Victoria Cross awarded during the whole war. He was a 28 year

farmer from Tatura who enlisted in March 1917. Single handed and armed with a revolver and

grenades, he clambered over barbed wire, then stormed a barricade to destroy 3 enemy machine

gun posts, killing their entire gun crews of 18 men. Before he could reach a fourth post he was shot

dead.

As a result of the fighting at Mont St Quentin the battalion’s strength was reduced to only 200

men, which included 37 reinforcements. This was supplemented by men from the 21st Battalion

which was disbanded due to having even less men left. These men were split between the other 3

battalions in the brigade. The 23rd was reduced to 3 companies with Alick’s old C Company split

between A, B and D Companies. It was later reinstated with new recruits.After this regrouping and

resting at a former prisoner of war (POW) compound at Cappy, the battalion returned to the front

beyond Peronne on 27th September.

The advance had continued after the retreating Germans who were expected to take a stand first

at the Beaurevoir Line, or else at the Hindenburg Line which was a massive defence line built to

protect the German frontier with France. It was supposed to be impregnable. The Beaurevoir Line

was also a formidable defence system made up of well-planned field defences, heavily wired with

mutually supporting machine gun posts. However Monash believed that the Australian 2nd

Division with support from the British 46th Division would quickly overcome the Germans

because of the enemy’s rapidly declining morale. He ordered the attack to begin on 2nd October.

Following the artillery barrage at 6.30 pm the 3 battalions of the 6th Brigade advanced against

little enemy resistance and quickly captured their objectives with only 7 men wounded. The next

stage was much more difficult with 4 men killed and 14 wounded. On 5th October the brigade

moved forward again and captured Montbrehain a town behind the Hindenburg Line. Charles

Bean, the official Australian war correspondent, described this as “one of the most brilliant actions

of Australian infantry in the war”. That night the 23rd Battalion was relieved by two American

battalions. Breaching the Hindenburg Line was the last front line action of the brigade in the war.

German soldiers surrendering to Australian troops behind the Hindenburg Line in October 1918

French Cemetery at Verdun The French lost more men killed in WW1 than any other nation.

134


135

Buttes British WW1 Cemetery at Polygon Wood on Ypres battlefield.It contains 2066 graves, 564 of which are Australians.407 are not named. These men were killed during the battles of the Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broonseinde Ridge andPasschendaele. The 23rd Battalion lost men in all of these battles.

This was followed by two weeks rest at St Vast near Amiens. Training and sporting activities

continued at Flesselles and Vaux. The German Army surrendered at 11am on 11th November 1918,

which became known as ̀ Armistice Day .̀ The news of the armistice on 11th November was

received with a strange and subdued reserve by most of the men.

Two weeks later at the town of Bohain the battalion received its own flag. It consisted of a red and

brown diamond with a yellow rising sun in the centre. On 28th November they marched to

Boulogne sur Helpe, a small village near Avesnes with the new flag at the head beside the

Australian flag. On 1st December the battalion was inspected by King George V. The battalion

stayed in Belgium until May 1919, when its members were sent home to Australia. .

The influenza pandemic had begun earlier in the year starting at Etaples where Alick had

landed in 1916. It claimed the lives of 5 of the men. A total of 866 officers and men had been killed

or died from wounds or other causes.

The battalion was disbanded in 1919 then reformed in 1921 as the 23rd Battalion, City of Geelong

Regiment, Citizen Forces. During the Second World War the 2/23rd Battalion A.I.F. adopted the flag

and colours of the original 23rd Battalion.

137


Alick Rose’s last Anzac Service Surfers Paradise 25th April 1987Alick died just six weeks later,on 8th June 1987, aged 90 years

1914-18 Star British War Allied Victory Medal 1914-18 Medal

FAREWELL ALICK

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