1. society
2. unrest and war

Gallipoli
CHAPTER ONE
Gallipoli, 1915
Anzac Cove, 1915 (AWM A03050)
T
his chapter outlines the involvement of one small district in Southern Tasmania in the Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) at Gallipoli in 1915. Thousands of other towns across
Australia and elsewhere have their own Gallipoli story. Cygnet’s contribution amounted to 35
men who participated in the eight-month campaign. Using letters, postcards, service records, the press,
material available at the Australian War Memorial and the work of military historians, this is their story.
With French aid, the Royal Navy attacked the Dardanelles on 18 March 1915. Losing three battleships,
the Navy failed in the attempt to establish control in the Straits. As a consequence, the British, led by Sir
Ian Hamilton, decided to conduct a combined Army and Navy operation which included troops from
the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Having received general training in Egypt, the Anzac
troops were instructed to participate in a series of landings on the Peninsula with the hope that they
would quickly overcome Turkish opposition and allow the takeover of Constantinople. While the British
landed at Cape Helles and the French at the Mouth of the Dardanelles, the Anzacs were entrusted with
an early morning attack on 25 April 1915 at Anzac Cove. Cygnet inhabitants played varied roles during
the campaign. Participants in the landing included the young men who left Cygnet to join the original
12th Battalion in August 1914 as well as two others who belonged to reinforcements for the 12th. At the
landing were another three Cygnet inhabitants, two belonging to the Field Artillery Brigade and one
who was an ambulance worker. Later arrivals were members of the 15th Battalion, the 26th Battalion and
the Light Horse Regiment. Of the 35 whose lives are described here, three were killed and four forced to
return home. Most fell ill for various periods of time and many were wounded. The vast majority
continued their harrowing experience after Gallipoli. After resting in Lemnos and Egypt, they went on
risk their lives in the battles of the Western Front in 1916.
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Gallipoli
Egypt, January-February 1915
Among the thousands of Australian troops in Egypt, a number were declared medically unfit and,
leaving Mena Camp on 4 February 1915, they returned home. This loss, however, was made up for by
the arrival of reinforcements. These movements are referred to in two letters addressed by Sydney Cross
to his mother while at Mena Camp. Born at Lymington 29 November 1888, Sydney Robert Cross was the
second youngest surviving son of Edward Cross and Elizabeth Williams. Both his parents were English.
On 5 February, Syd wrote to his mother: “Just a few lines to let you know that I am well & working
again. I hope this will find you all the same. I have had no news this week as the Canal is blocked. Some
of our chaps have had bad luck & had to return to Australia. Bob Mason out of our tent amongst them.
He has been in the Hospital ever since we arrived here. He was a fine fellow too. How is Jane getting on?
I had not got her address yet. We were out on outpost all last night. The troops have had a bit of a scrape
down at the Canal. I suppose you have read all about it in the papers. I am sending you a fancy letter
this time for a change. Hands across the sea. I have not heard from Albert yet. I suppose he is too busy
with the girl. I hope you have been getting my letters all right. News is very scarce here so I will close.
Love to all. I remain your most affectionate son, Sid R. Cross.”
L: A postcard sent from Egypt to Lymington by Sydney Cross; R: Letterhead of the letter written 5 Feb. 1915
Three days later, on 8 February, Syd referred to the same subject in another letter in which he revealed
his boredom having to wait in Egypt for months before being called to active service: “In answer to your
welcome letter that I received tonight, I was very glad to see that you were all well at home as it leaves
me at present I started work last Monday week. Thank Mr. Hornby & Laura for their kind
remembrances & remember me to them. I met Ralf Langdon on Sunday. He is in the 2 nd Contingent. He
said he had a good trip over. How are the girls? Has Jane quite recovered from her sickness? I had no
letter last week but I got eight letters, a card and a Tas Mail tonight. It will take me a week to answer
them all. Things are getting very monotonous here but we make the best of it. One of my best mates, Bob
Mason, was invalided home last week. He has been in the Hospital ever since he has been here. I am
sorry for him. He was a fine chap. The reinforcements joined us today. Three of them are going into our
tent so room will be scarce. I must now close. Love to all. I remain your ever loving son Sid R. Cross.”
“Ralf,” mentioned in the letter, is Alfred “Ralph” Langdon. The son of Robert Langdon and Ellen
Campbell, he was born at Port Cygnet 17 January 1891.
The Landing at Gallipoli, 25 April 1915
At the end of February, the 12th Battalion was told to prepare their departure from Egypt before taking
the train to Alexandria where they were to board the Devanha. On 4 March, the battalion arrived at
Mudros Harbour on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean. The men who had left their native land and
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Gallipoli
spent two and a half months in the Egyptian desert had no idea what lay ahead. The 12th Battalion spent
seven weeks on Lemnos before Gallipoli. At first, the men stayed on board the Devanha and were rowed
each day into the port in order to carry out a day’s training and then returned to the ship. A day’s ration
consisted of 1lb of bread and 2oz of jam. Meat was provided once a day. Newton describes the activities
of the battalion on the island: “our training continued – adopting artillery formations, forming a firing
line, calling up reinforcements, assaulting a crest of a hill, consolidating the line, reorganising after the
attack, pursuing a fictitious enemy down the slopes of a hill” (p.49). On 17 March, a holiday was
accorded to any man who claimed Irish blood: “Green ribbons, rosettes, Irish flags, harps of Erin and
green handkerchiefs had appeared from nowhere” (Newton, p.52). Some of the Cygnet men of Irish
background such as Thomas Strong and Richard Williams most probably participated in this celebration.
A full rehearsal of the landing was carried out on the 22nd of April. Then, at 2 p.m. on the 24th, the
battalion proceeded to the island of Imbros.
In the dark of night the destroyer Ribble took the 12th Battalion from Imbros to the Turkish coast. Lieut.
Ivor Margetts, a former school teacher from Hobart, was on board and left this account in his diary of the
moments before landing: “As we neared the peninsula of Gallipoli, the Captain of the Destroyers gave
the order for silence and for the men to stop smoking. And thus in the darkness and in silence we were
carried towards the land which was to either make or mar the name of Australia. On either side we
could dimly see other destroyers bearing the rest of the Third Brigade. I am quite sure that very few of
us realized that at last we were actually bound for our first baptism of fire, for it seemed as though we
were just out on one of our night manoeuvres, but very soon we realized that it was neither a surprise
party nor a moonlight picnic” (AWM 1DRL/0478). At 4.30 a.m., before the sun rose, men disembarked
from the Ribble and proceeded in rowboats toward the shore.
On board these rowboats were the following Cygnet men: Daniel Bacon, Cyril Batchelor, Archie Rogers,
Thomas Strong, Richard Williams, Glenn Woodward, Frank Wilson, Sydney Cross, John Miller and Cyril
Flood. Batchelor and Strong, both aged 19, were the youngest and Williams, aged 34, was the oldest.
Most were in their early or mid-twenties. Five were unskilled labourers, two orchardists (Wilson and
Rogers), while three had some professional experience: Williams was a plasterer, Woodward a butcher
and Flood a draper. All were single except Miller who was married with three children. A fourth child
was born after his departure for the war. Their heights taken upon enlistment reveal that they tended to
be rather short compared to present standards. Woodward and Miller were the shortest at 5’4” and
Batchelor the tallest at 5’9”. Strong had a particularity, reddish hair, which may have been a result of his
Irish ancestry.
John Miller (WC 9 Aug. 1917), Sydney Cross (WC 13 May 1915), Leslie Devlyn (WC 6 May 1915)
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Gallipoli
Members of the Devlyn family moved to Port Cygnet in
1914 following the appointment of Jessie Devlyn as the
town’s postmistress. Leslie Hector Devlyn, the son of
James Powell Devlyn and Jessie Annie Thorne, was
born at Waratah 12 July 1895. A driver in the Field
Artillery Brigade (FAB), Leslie was also present at the
Gallipoli landing. One of his letters, dated 31 May 1915
and written while he was at Alexandria, was published
in the Mercury 14 July 1915. This first-hand account of
the landing would have been of particular interest to
readers in Cygnet as everyone knew Mrs. Devlyn at the
Post Office. Leslie informed his mother: “Of course, you
know we have all been at the Dardanelles for the last
two months and I am quite sorry to have been sent back
out of the scene of action. Anyhow, we can safely say
we have seen war and we have a fair idea of what it is
like. The Sunday we got there I shall never forget. It is
looked upon as the greatest bombardment that has ever
yet taken place. We were wakened early in the morning
Jessie Devlyn
by the bombing of hundreds of big guns all being fired
at once and that night when we went to bed they were
still at it. They were blowing up forts and townships by the dozen. It was a most beautiful morning
without a cloud in the sky, but it was dreadful ashore. The slaughter was terrible and it was not only the
Turks who were being killed either. The losses on our side were severe as well, but not so severe as those
of the Turks. Some poor fellows who had met with disaster while trying to land and who had been
rescued by some Jack-tars [seamen] were being rapidly carried out to sea by the current on two lifeboats
which were tied together. They happened to float close enough to us to catch a rope and get alongside. If
they had missed us they would have drifted right out to sea. There was only one man fit for duty in the
boats. He was a Jack-tar. The rest (about a dozen) were either wounded or exhausted from being so long
in the water. Those who could were feebly trying to pull the boats. One Jack-tar was merrily trying to
steer one of the boats while the fit sailor was bandaging his hand which had the fingers shot off and the
arm broken above the elbow. With his arm shattered that man was as happy as a lark all day. He
smoked cigarettes which we made for him and that night he was sorry to leave us for the hospital ship.
Others that were not wounded were cold and half-drowned. They had been in the water for several
hours. They were almost dead from wounds and two were shot in the legs. Altogether it was a pitiful
sight but it was a grand sample of the British soldier and sailor.”
Leslie foresaw the historic nature of the landing in which he had participated: “Our own soldiers have
also been doing great work. The charge the Tasmanian Infantry made when they landed will last forever
in history. With five cartridges and a bayonet they threw off their packs and charged through the water
at the Turks on the beach and succeeded in driving them back some considerable distance. Then they
had to come back for their packs and ammunition and so they lost a little of the ground they had gained.
There has been one man killed in our battery and four wounded, one of whom is our commander, Major
Burgess, and another is our Sergeant-Major. Major Burgess is well again and has gone back to the firing
line. The Turks have no doubt done some clever work getting ready for this invasion.”
As Driver Devlyn and all the other Australians landed, they were immediately met by a fusillade of
bullets from the Turks. In the carnage described above, John, “Jack” Miller was the first Cygnet casualty.
Although Jack never lived in the district, his fate is referred to since, like some other servicemen whose
lives are described in this book, he was a grandchild of Fanny Cochrane Smith. The bedlam that ensued
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Gallipoli
after the landing is demonstrated by the fact that it took some time before Jack’s body was accounted for.
In May, he was listed as wounded and missing. After Jack left Hobart, his wife Ida, accompanied by her
four children, moved back to her birthplace Kellevie near Marion Bay. This is where on 7 October 1915
Jack’s unknowing widow wrote a letter to the Military Barracks in Melbourne pointing out that the last
letter she had received from her husband was when he was stationed in Egypt seven months ago. A
letter she had written to Egypt went without reply and another sent to her husband was returned by the
Dead Letter Office unopened. Distraught by the lack of news, Ida beseeched the authorities: “I am living
in a lonely place with my 4 little children. Will you kindly make enquiries and let me know the result?”
Faced with no official reaction, in 1916 and 1917 Ida sent off repeated requests to the Mercury for
information from returned men concerning the fate of her husband. It was not until a Board of Enquiry
carried out its work on 5 June 1916 that Jack was officially declared killed in action at Gallipoli, that is,
over a year after the event. In June 1921, Ida was informed that no grave for her husband had been
located. In July 1921, still trying to ascertain the facts about her husband’s death, she wrote: “Dear Sir, In
reply to your letter about my husband the last letter I got from him himself was wrote on the third as
they landed on the 25 of April 1915 he was seen on the boats at the landing but he was never seen after I
got a notice that he was wounded and missing between the 25 and 28 of April and I never got any
different for a long while and then he was declared killed in action at the landing of Gallipoli he was
never seen or heard of after that there was not mutch in the last letter I got from only he said they were
on the move.”
Moved by an inner conviction that the father of her children was dead, Ida sent an In Memoriam notice to
the Mercury that was published 25 April 1919: “We pictured your safe returning, Jack /And longed for a
clasp of your hand; /But God has postponed our meeting. /Till we meet in a better land. /His King and
Country called him, /The call was not in vain; /On Australia’s Roll of Honour /You will find my dear
Jack’s name. /No useless coffin enclosed his heart /No sheets or shrouds around him; /He lay like a
warrior taking a rest, /With his military coat around him.” It was not until October 1922, seven years
after the landing, that Ida was told that her husband was buried at Baby 700 cemetery near where he
gave up his life. By then she was living in North Hobart. Four months previously, she was sent Jack’s
identity disc. Gallipoli caused Ida Miller to be a widow for over fifty years. She died in Hobart in 1969.
The 26-year-old Sydney Cross was the first person from the district to pay the supreme sacrifice. Having
successfully landed on the beach, Syd was hit by machine-gun fire at Walker’s Ridge soon afterward and
transferred to the hospital ship Gascon where he succumbed to his wounds on 27 April. On 9 May,
Sergeant Richard Williams supplied this information to an inquiry into his friend’s death: “Cross and
witness [Williams] were together at Walker’s Ridge when he (Cross) was badly wounded in thigh by
machine gun fire. Word came back later that he had died on a hospital ship. Cross received his wounds
soon after the landing. They both came from Port Cygnet, Tasmania. Witness knew Cross well” (AWM
1DRL/0428). A week earlier, another close friend of Syd’s, Roger Killalea, who died in France three years
later, provided this poignant account: “An orchardist from Port Cygnet was witness’s greatest friend in
Egypt, where they shared the same tent, and they occupied adjacent bunks in the transport. A man who
had seen Cross on the beach on a stretcher told them while they were in the trenches on April 25 that he
had seen him. It was some little time later that witness heard of Cross’s death, but he was unable to give
any particulars. Witness stated that they were together in the boat during landing operations, and also
on the beach, when they were both detailed to carry ammunition. He was then in very good spirits and
had also been so the night before, when he said he thought they would both come through, and they
would one day win a yacht race in Tasmania. Witness was quite affected in talking about his particular
chum” (AWM 1DRL/0428). Killalea was obviously distressed after the sudden loss of his best friend.
Both men had plans for the future. Gallipoli prevented the two mates from ever returning to their
homeland in order to win that yacht race they dreamed about.
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Gallipoli
Families of deceased servicemen were left to wonder how their loved one died and if he had suffered.
Elizabeth Cross wrote a letter 19 July 1915 in which she pleaded for details concerning her son’s death:
“On 3rd May I received a telegram saying officially reported N°1011 Private S.R. Cross, late C Company
12th Battalion, died between 25th April & 1st May from wounds received in action. I wrote asking where I
might get any particulars of his death. How he was wounded & if conscious before death. Also if I might
have any relics of his. I received a reply from Captain Webster as under: ‘In view of the fact that this
information was conveyed by cablegram, it is regretted that no details are yet available. Nor is it
expected that such can reach Australia for at least 5 to 6 weeks. Upon receipt of any particulars the next
of kin will be immediately advised.’ Now it is eleven weeks & I have not heard another word. Can you
give me any particulars of his death? Hoping you will excuse this plea of his sorrowing mother.” This
letter shows the frustration felt by families who were left sometimes for long periods of time without
news of the circumstances surrounding the death of a son and brother. A parcel containing the effects of
Syd was sent to his mother 9 December 1915. It contained the small detail of a man’s life cut short: a disc,
a wrist-watch, braces, a pipe, a shaving brush, a broken glass compass, a fountain pen, two knives, a
comb, a key-chain, scissors, badges, a training-book, a note-book, letters and a purse. Mrs. Cross
received the parcel at Lymington 13 March 1916. In January 1918, a second package of personal effects
arrived in Melbourne containing this time a gift tin, letters, cards, an atlas, seven handkerchiefs, a
testament, a brush and a pipe lighter. These further vestiges of her son’s existence were all that a
grieving mother could cling to in the few years that she had left to live.
In a letter written to the Department of Defence in early 1920, Mrs. Cross alludes to the circumstances
surrounding her son’s death as passed on by Private Winter. The letter reveals that her persistent quest
to find out the truth about how her son died was successful even if the result of her efforts was
unbearable: “I have no particulars of his death except from a mate of his [Private] Winter that went with
Sid. He was cabin & tent mate with him and was with him when he received his death wound. He told
me they were going up Hill N°3 when he saw the blood coming from Sid’s legs & he asked him to take
cover, but he refused to do so. He said if only I had a drink of water, but they shot my water bottle off
me. Winter gave him a drink out of his bottle and had not got 12 yards away before Sid was shot in the
head. He did not know anymore about him after that.”
The Huon Times informed its readers of Cygnet’s first casualty on 5 May 1915, two days after Mrs. Cross
had received her official notification: “The news reached Lovett on Monday afternoon, by means of a
telegram from the authorities, to his parents, of the death in action of Private S. Cross, in the engagement
in the Dardanelles. The news quickly spread through the township and it is doubtful if anything had
previously happened that had brought home to the people of Port Cygnet the reality and nearness of the
great struggle as the melancholy tidings of the death of their young townsman. Sydney Cross [...] was
one of those who, when war broke out, immediately volunteered their services and was enrolled in the
first expeditionary force. He was a quiet, manly young fellow of excellent character and the greatest
regret is felt at his untimely end, whilst the deepest sympathy is expressed for his parents in their
terrible bereavement, more especially as Mrs. Cross has been in failing health for some time. Whilst his
aged parents have to mourn the loss of a good son and the community in general the loss of a bright
young member for whom everyone who knew him had a good word and as such one whom Tasmania
could ill afford to lose, there is at the same time a feeling of pride that in such a desperate engagement as
this one will undoubtedly prove to have been when fuller details are available, a battle which will be
memorable in history, we had our representatives who comported themselves as men, and over those
who fall in such a strife the words of the poet so effectively quoted by England’s Prime Minister seem
naturally to occur to one: ‘How can a man die better!’”
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Gallipoli
Mr. Cross died in September 1918, just three years after his son’s death.
Mrs. Cross died in December 1922, five years after her son’s life
suddenly ended in the slaughter at Gallipoli. A short obituary was
published in the Huon Times 5 December 1922: “It is with regret that we
announce the death, which took place yesterday, of another of the
pioneers of the Port Cygnet district, in the person of Mrs. Cross sen.,
widow of the late E.B. Cross, of Lymington. The deceased lady, who had
reached her 75th year, had not been in good health for some time past, a
heart affection having overtaken her. She leaves a grown up family of six
sons and three daughters to mourn her loss.”
The Victory Medal of S.R. Cross
On 10 May 1915 the Mercury reported on how the Port Cygnet
Municipal Council reacted to the news. The article shows how Syd’s
determination to get away and fight with his fellow townsmen was
partly responsible for his ultimate fate: “the Australians had been under
fire and they had behaved with great bravery, gallantry and dash, but
unfortunately one of the young fellows from Port Cygnet was among the
dead. [The Warden, Arthur Davies] had known the young man all his
life. He was a respectable young fellow and one who had the esteem of
the whole of the district. He went to the front from a sense of duty. After
he had enlisted with him (the Warden), for the second expeditionary
force, he found, when he got to the camp, that there was a vacancy in the
first expeditionary force, and so anxious was he to get straight away to
the front, he volunteered with the first expeditionary force and was
accepted. He moved that a letter of condolence be sent to his aged
parents who had sorrowed over his death very deeply.”
Cygnet resident James Christie wrote a letter to Warden Davies on 4 May recommending that a board of
names be erected in the town to display the names of its fallen servicemen. Edward, James’s father,
enlisted in the British Army at Dublin in 1836. This military background may help explain why James,
like many other people at the time, espoused official propaganda about the need to go to war: “In
today’s press is published an announcement of the death of Private S.R. Cross who died in action in
Gallipoli. He was a native of Port Cygnet and he died in our defence. Remember he died to protect our
women from outrage, our children from murderers, our homes from the torch of the enemy, our land
from ruin, and ourselves from slavery. Tens of thousands have died for the same object and I have no
doubt are honoured in the places they were born in. I would respectfully suggest that your Council pass
a vote of sympathy with his parents and send the same to them and this to be a precedent. I would
further respectfully suggest that a framed board be placed at the front of the Council Chambers on the
right hand side of the door inscribed ‘Roll of Honour.’ On this board could be inscribed the names of our
fallen heroes with date of death and where they fell. The cost would be but trifling and this memorial
and record would be plainly visible to every passerby. I feel sure your Council plainly recognises that
we cannot increase the honour of our heroes but we at least can give some visible and public proof that
we appreciate their sacrifice” (MCC26/1/1/1).
An In Memoriam, published in the Mercury 25 April 1916 to mark the first anniversary of Syd’s death,
was inserted by his sister Elizabeth and her husband Frederick Wass: “In loving memory of our dear
brother, Private S.R. Cross, who fell from shrapnel burst on or about the 25th of April 1915. He felt it was
his duty/ To take a noble part:/ There was no fear of danger/ In his loyal and brave young heart./ Now in
Shrapnel Gully he’s sleeping,/ One of earth’s bravest and best,/ In our hearts we shall miss him forever/
Still we know he is only at rest.”
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Gallipoli
Other members of the 12th Battalion were wounded on or about the day of landing at Gallipoli. Cyril
George Edmund Batchelor, born on the Tasman Peninsula 8 December 1890, was the son of George John
James Batchelor and Annie Alice Woodward. He received several wounds including a gunshot wound
to the left knee on the 25th April. The nature of his incapacity was such that he was forced to leave the
war and return home. After he was attended to in Egypt, Cyril was put on board the Themistocles and
made his way back to Australia. He spent a week at the Hobart General Hospital in September.
L to R: Cyril and May Batchelor in 1916; Archie Rogers in 1912
The account of Cyril’s return to Huonville that was published in the Huon Times 18 September provides
details of how he was wounded at Gallipoli and demonstrates the hearty welcome given to soldiers who
returned home: “Yesterday afternoon information was received from Hobart that Private Cyril Batchelor
would be returning home to Huonville and the residents of the district made preparations for giving the
young soldier a fitting welcome. The business places were quickly decorated with flags. By the time the
evening mail bus was due to arrive from Hobart the road in front of the post office was almost blocked
with pedestrians, motor cars and other vehicles, many of those assembled carrying Union Jacks and the
flags of our allies. As the bus with Private Batchelor on board swung round the Ranelagh turn-off the
Huonville Brass Band struck up ‘Home Sweet Home,’ the strain of which had a noticeable effect upon
the emotions of the large assemblage. They appeared to be waiting for the signal to cheer, but when it
was seen with what difficulty the wounded hero alighted from the bus a feeling of intense sympathy
came over the onlookers and scarcely a word was spoken as he was assisted to a chair placed on the
roadway. Warden Ryan said he was pleased to see so many friends of Private Cyril Batchelor present to
welcome him home, although the notice had been very short. Private Batchelor was an illustration of the
men who were prepared to give up life itself for their country. He was wounded on the day of the
memorable landing of the troops at the Dardanelles – before the boat he was in reached land and again a
few hours afterwards, when he was only about 300 yards from the shore. On the occasion of being
wounded a second time his captain presented him with a sword, but this had been unfortunately stolen
on the journey to Australia. Private Batchelor said he had hoped to again take up arms for his country.
There was a hero! They all felt proud of him as did his parents and relatives. The sad aspect was that
such an incident as this reminded them of those who had been left behind – never to return. The
Warden, on behalf of Private Batchelor, who said his heart was too full of gladness to speak for himself,
said that if he lived to old age he would look upon this day as the proudest in his life. For a considerable
time afterwards Private Batchelor was heartily and sincerely congratulated by numerous friends and
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Gallipoli
admirers and was then driven home with his parents to Woodstock. Private Batchelor’s injuries are two
bullet wounds – one in the left thigh, the other in the left knee. Although unable to walk, yet he hopes to
make a permanent recovery.” After his early return, Cyril married Florence “May” Cherry, the sister of
Percy Cherry, at Hobart on 19 January 1916. He then moved to Cradoc where he had an orchard. In 1927,
he moved to Sandy Bay and worked as a clerk. In the mid-1930s, he lived at Bellerive and was employed
as a night watchman. By 1949, he lived near St. Helens. Cyril Batchelor died at Launceston on 21 April
1976 and May Batchelor died in 1984.
Archibald Joseph, “Archie” Rogers, the son of Frederick Rogers and Margaret Gilligan, was born at
North Hobart 22 October 1895. His parents moved to Cygnet some time before 1914. Well-known as a
member of the local football team, Archie was wounded in action at Gallipoli between the 25th and 28th of
April. He was sent to Cairo on 8 May suffering from a gunshot wound in his left leg and remained there
in convalescence until 28 July. The Huon Times carried a report about the incident on 29 May: “The
gallant lads who went from this district to fight for King and country appear to be in the thick of the fray
at the Dardanelles. News of the wounding of yet another Lovett representative, Archie Rogers, has been
received, his father having received a cable conveying the sad news. Rogers was well known throughout
the district, being a prominent member of the Lovett Football Club. The general wish is that his injury is
slight and that he will speedily recover.”
Frank Wilson, born at Port Cygnet 30 January 1890, was the son of boat-builder John Wilson and Dinah
Goodby. He was promoted sergeant in September 1914. Frank is mentioned in L.M. Newton’s Story of the
Twelfth. When Newton arrived at the Brighton Camp on 24 August, he found that “Sergeant Frank
Wilson was Orderly Sergeant on that particular day and met our party as we neared the Battalion lines
and escorted us to the Orderly Room” (p.2). Newton recounts that the new recruits had no idea about
military etiquette and therefore did not know how to address an officer differently from a noncommissioned officer: “Frank Wilson, however, told us to ‘Cut out the rough, as Sergeant was good
enough for him’” (p.3). Sergeant Wilson received a gunshot wound to his right hand on the day of the
landing. George Leggett wrote a letter on 30 October 1915 asking for any information about the
whereabouts of his brother-in-law who was: “officially reported wounded at the landing on 25th April
and last heard of from hospital Mena House, Cairo, Egypt. A letter written by a friend on May 8 th as
wound had disabled the right hand.” Walter Wilson, frustrated at not receiving news from his brother
for five months, wrote this letter at Cygnet 30 September 1915: “I wish you could find the whereabouts
of Sergeant Frank C. Wilson. He was wounded at Gaba Tepe on 25th April and sent to Mena House
Hospital. From there he wrote me saying he expected to be at the Front in a month’s time and promised
to write twice before leaving for the Front. Nearly 5 months have passed and no letters. It was rumoured
that he went to Cyprus. Could you trace him as I want to find him and correspond with him as relatives
are getting anxious.” On 11 May 1915, a telegram was sent to Walter advising him that Frank had
received a gunshot wound to the hand at Gallipoli on 8 May. News of this was published in the Weekly
Courier 24 June 1915: “The many friends of Sergeant F. Wilson, who was wounded in the recent fighting
at the Dardanelles, will be glad to know that he is well on the road to recovery from his wound.”
Arrival of the 15th Battalion, 26 April 1915
Five Cygnet men enlisted in the 15th Battalion and boarded the Ceramic at Melbourne on 22 December
1914. The Suez was reached on 28 January 1915. The men disembarked at Alexandria on 3 February and
took the train to Zeitoun after which they reached their final destination at nearby Heliopolis. The
Tasmanians from the 15th Battalion were then put into “D” Company. Marches in the desert served as
training until 10 April when the battalion marched to Zeitoun and took the train back to Alexandria. The
Cygnet men then embarked on board the Australind for the Aegean and for an uncertain future.
Passengers on board the Ceramic included Garnet Thorp, Charles Armstrong, William Barnes, Archibald
Stanton and Ralph Langdon.
15
Gallipoli
Born at Port Cygnet 17 January 1887, Garnet Alfred Thorp was
the son of Robert Thorp and Annie Mitson. Aged 27, he had
previously been an orchardist and was made acting sergeant 1
October 1914. A letter survives written by Sergeant Thorp on
11 April 1915 to his future wife, Ida Taylor, as the 15th
Battalion prepared to leave Heliopolis. It clearly shows that
the previous two months spent in the desert were a trial for
one Cygnet man, and most probably for his fellow townsmen
as well: “I am seizing this opportunity of writing a few lines to
you right at the eve of our departure from this country & right
glad I am to get away from it. It is such a dusty, dirty place. I
don’t know where we are going. Nor do I care so long as they
get me out of this stale old hole. There is fighting both sides of
us & here we are kicking our heels in the sand doing nothing
& we are all sick to death of the place.”
Thorp then mentions having seen a familiar face, Cyrus Lade,
who had enlisted in the Light Horse Regiment. Cyrus, born at
St. Mary’s 21 December 1879, was the son of John Lade and
Garnet Thorp (R) in Egypt
Rose Bellinger. Following service in Africa during the Boer
War, he enlisted in the A.I.F. at the age of 34 and was
promoted sergeant in August 1914. After marrying Leah Cave in 1904, he settled at Randall’s Bay.
Speaking of the former orchardist, Thorp wrote: “I had a talk to Mr. Lade from Randall’s Bay tonight. He
is a Sergeant. It is so nice to meet someone you know out here & he was saying what a lucky dog I am to
be getting away. He, poor chap, is in the Light Horse & has to stay behind & he is furious, but I think he
will recover.”
The subject then changes to work: “I have been having an awful time since Good Friday setting up our
Company with a lot of new equipment. I have been working every day from 6 a.m. till 8 p.m. & I am
pretty well worn out. I can tell you that a Quarter Master Sergeant earns every penny he gets out here,
but I am looking forward to a better time when we get away from here. I don’t know if I will get another
rise. I guess it will be a long time without some of our officers get blown out which I sincerely hope will
not occur. But I don’t care. I will serve to my best ability in whatever position they choose to put me in. I
don’t care what it is, but my job has been a mixed one since being in Egypt. I have been soldiers’ draper,
caterer & a good many other things. I have bought about £600 worth of groceries since coming here &
handled about the same amount worth of clothing. Between times I have to go out on 25-mile marches
so you see it is not all fun here. Some kind person in Tasmania has been pleased to call us six-bob-a-day
tourists. I would like to have the cow here for a while marching over this cursed sand.” Conscious that
life was about to change drastically once the destination of the battalion had been reached, Thorp added:
“we shall be in action before the end of this week so by the time this reaches you we shall have a pretty
hot time as I understand we have a pretty tough job to do.” The “tough job” turned out to be months of
trench warfare in Turkey.
At Gallipoli, May was spent by the Anzacs constructing trenches, sometimes called “dug-outs” as well
as firing on and avoiding gunfire from the Turks. Newton describes this period: “The first few weeks
saw the Battalion settle down into what was now a well established line of defence. The firing line was
fully manned day and night. Snipers’ posts were established, ammunition recesses prepared, fresh
communication trenches commenced and existing ones improved. ‘Dig’ was the order of the day”
(pp.101-102). Newton speaks about a Turkish counterattack on the night of the 18th which continued into
the day of the 19th: “Furious and sustained musketry and machine-gun fire broke forth about 9 p.m.”
16
Gallipoli
(p.102). It was during this confrontation that Corporal Richard Williams received an unspecified wound
on 19 May. Born at Port Cygnet 22 July 1880, the injured corporal was the son of Richard Williams and
Margaret Guy. Both his grandfathers were military pensioners who settled in the Port Cygnet district in
the 1850s. Richard was promoted lance corporal in November 1914.
Lieut. T.P. Chataway also refers to the counterattack in May in his history of the 15 th Battalion: “as if
from the ground itself sprang into view line after line of Turks charging down upon the Post. Machineguns playing across the front swept the attackers off their feet, but their numbers were endless” (p.52).
According to Chataway twelve men were killed from the 15th Battalion on the 18th or the 19th May and 43
wounded. The 29-year-old William Barnes was one of those who lost his life on the 18th. He was buried
at Shrapnel Gully two days later. Driver Barnes was the son of Patrick Barnes and Alice Rachel
Andrews. He was born at Woodstock 1 October 1885 and had married Myrtle Teresa Giblin at St. James
church, Port Cygnet, on 2 May 1910. Two years later, on 4 October 1912, he had joined the R.A.N.
working as a stoker until May 1913. In December 1915, a small number of personal effects were sent back
to Tasmania: cards, curios, a horse shoe and an album. In his will, made on 25 April 1915, William
Barnes left money and property to members of the Martyn family in Hobart. His wife was not
mentioned. Patrick Barnes wrote a letter from Pelverata 28 July 1921 in which he claimed the right to
receive some of his brother’s medals. William, he pointed out, had deserted his wife who later remarried. As letters to the widow went unanswered, all the medals were passed on to Patrick, who in
1918 received a tie, a photo and a plume that had belonged to his late brother.
There were so many dead bodies lying around after the general counterattack by the Turks in May (Peter
Hart in Gallipoli speaks of 10,000 casualties on the Turkish side), that an armistice was agreed upon by
both sides for the 24th May in order to bury the dead. A lieutenant from New Zealand later wrote that
“The Turkish dead lay so thick that it was almost impossible to pass without treading on their bodies.
The stench was awful. [...] Everywhere lay the dead – swollen, black and hideous” (Hart, p.194). On the
day before the armistice, Sergeant Thorp wrote another letter. After reading in a Tasmanian newspaper
he had been sent that the Municipal Council was considering putting the names of deceased servicemen
on a board of honour, Thorp, rather than reproduce official propaganda as James Christie had done,
assumed a more jovial stance: “I see by the papers that they are making real heroes of us at Lovett by
having our names put up in the Town Hall or somewhere. It seems quite a joke.” Despite such
reservations, an honour board was in fact commissioned after the war and displayed in the Town Hall in
1919 to honour the names of the fallen. Prevented by the censors from recounting the horrors of warfare,
Sergeant Thorp instead told his intended bride about the weather and the food: “The weather is simply
beautiful here & very like the climate of old Tassy in Spring-time. We get plenty of good wholesome
food up to the present saying nothing about our tot of rum twice a week. The water is good. In fact
everything is quite alright.” In reality thousands of bodies lay on the battlefield as a result of the attack
that had taken place a few days before. Official censorship and propaganda prevented servicemen
informing family and friends of the reality of the horrors they were witnessing daily.
Ironically, on the 24th May, the day of the armistice, Archibald Stanton received a bullet wound to the
chest fracturing two ribs. The 24-year-old carpenter, Archibald Job Stanton, born at Port Cygnet on 3
November 1888, was the son of Cornelius Stanton and Susan Lorkin. Archie had already been wounded
on 9 May. After this second injury, he was removed to a hospital at Heliopolis in order to have the bullet
removed. He left the Suez and arrived back in Australia on 21 August. Rather than return permanently
to civilian life, Archie re-enlisted in August 1916. Another member of the 15th Battalion, Ralph Langdon,
received a gunshot wound to the right thigh on 29 May and was sent to a hospital in Southampton and
later to another hospital in Malta to be treated. He convalesced for over three months and then returned
to Gallipoli on 18 September.
17
Gallipoli
Arrival of the 3rd Light Horse Regiment, 12 May 1915
By May, reinforcements were urgently required at Gallipoli. It was therefore decided to send the 3rd
Light Horse Regiment who had been training in Egypt for two months. Three members of the Regiment
had links to Cygnet: William P. Armstrong, Cyrus Lade and Frederick Ponsonby. Armstrong and
Sergeant Lade left Hobart together on board the Geelong 20 October 1914 alongside the 12th Battalion.
Ponsonby left Newcastle two months later, 21 December 1914, on board the Boonah. These men were all
part of “C” Squadron in the Light Horse Regiment. Born at Cradoc 31 January 1891, the 23-year-old
orchardist William Phillip Armstrong was the son of James Armstrong and Elizabeth Devereux née
Dedman. The 18-year-old postal assistant Frederick Ponsonby was born at Sprent 14 July 1896. He was
the son of George Arthur Ponsonby and Henrietta Warden.
Cyrus Lade; W. P. Armstrong (WC 20 May 1915); F. Ponsonby (TM 4 Jan. 1917)
The fittest men of the 3rd LHR were sent to Gallipoli without their horses. On 9 May, they left Heliopolis
and proceeded to Alexandria where they embarked on board the Grantully Castle. There were 26 officers
and 446 other ranks. The New Zealand Mounted Brigade was also on board thus bringing the total
number of troops to about 2,400. They arrived at Anzac Cove at dusk on 12 May. Once landed, the
Regiment came under intense shrapnel, rifle and machine-gun fire as they made their way through the
terrain. Men from the LHR came under fire in the attack which began on 18 May. Rations, we are told in
Tasmania’s War Record 1914-18, consisted of tinned beef, biscuits, jam, bacon and cheese. The bacon was
fatty and the jam of poor quality. More importantly, water was scarce. All three of the Cygnet men had
health problems at Gallipoli. On 20 May, Frederick Ponsonby suffered from influenza. He had another
attack in mid-July and was shipped to Malta to recover. At the end of July, William Armstrong fell so ill
with diarrhoea that he was sent to hospital at Mudros. After returning to operations on 2 August, he was
again admitted to hospital on 26 December, this time at Malta, for jaundice. Sergeant Lade, following a
bout of influenza and malaria, was sent to hospital in Egypt on 4 August. He recuperated until the end
of September. The LHR remained at Gallipoli until mid-December.
Summer 1915
When the weather on the Peninsula became hotter in June this encouraged flies to plague the soldiers.
Newton describes the pests: “Such pernicious brutes it would be difficult to match. They fought the
soldier and each other for every scrap of food, after having gorged themselves flabby on Turkish blood”
(pp.107-108). Officers may have had sufficient water, but generally there was a shortage. The men spent
their time digging or carrying sandbags and water from the beach. On 8 June, after suffering from
18
Gallipoli
diarrhoea, Charles Armstrong was sent to the 1st General Hospital at Alexandria. A week later, he was
found to be dangerously ill from typhoid. On 7 August the patient left for England and on 10 September
he was admitted to a hospital in London. Born at Bunyip in Victoria, 10 March 1894, Charles, who had
been a miner, was the son of William Armstrong and Emma McNee. His family lived at Dundas near
Zeehan in 1914 and did not move to Cygnet until the end of the war. This Armstrong family was not
related to the Cradoc Armstrongs.
A letter to his mother, written while he was hospitalised in Egypt on 25 July, was published in the
Zeehan and Dundas Herald 9 September 1915. It gives an idea of how well a wounded casualty could be
looked after in hospital: “Just a line to let you know I am getting on well now. I got up for the first time
today, but could not walk. I am too weak in the legs. They are feeding me well. I get roast chicken with
marrow and potatoes for dinner and a bottle of stout every day, eggs or ham and eggs for breakfast and
tea; supper at 9 o’clock, cocoa, bread and butter and jam, and four pints of milk a day, so you see I am
not doing too bad. The nurses are very good to us. The night sister is a New Zealand girl and she is a
‘bonzer’ kid. They tell me I owe my life to her for she watched by my bedside all night and I have not
wanted for anything. She got your address and is going to write to you. I have not drawn any money for
a long time and God knows when we will, but we are allowed five
shillings a week to get what we want. There is a man who comes
round every Monday morning to see if we want anything.”
Charles went on to ask his mother: “What do you think of our boys
at the landing at the Dardanelles? We saw some dreadful fighting
and I would not like to see the same again. I was beside Charlie
Williams and Will Matheson when they were killed. I have not had
any letters from you for a long time. I suppose they are going
through to the Dardanelles and I will get them later on. I believe I
am going to England for three months before I go back to the firing
line again. I will be able to tell you if England is what dad cracks it
up to be. It is on the books that I am coming back to Australia, but I
don’t know about that. I will let you know later on. I was 11 stone
10 lb when I went into hospital. Now I go about 9 stone so you see
I have some weight to pull up. Remember me to all old friends in
Dundas and best love to all at home.”
In July, with even hotter weather, conditions on the battlefield
deteriorated. Newton noted that “by the middle of July, the
weather was extremely hot and unpleasant and life in the trenches
Charles Armstrong (WC 1 July 1915)
became sweltering. Dysentery was very prevalent and the health
of the troops generally was bad” (p.113). On 2 July, Daniel Bacon was admitted to hospital in Malta
suffering from influenza and an injury to his back. It was later found that he showed symptoms of heart
disease and neurasthenia. The son of Joseph Bacon and Susan Morley, Dan was born at Cambridge on
the Eastern Shore of Hobart on 20 June 1894 and moved with his family to Lymington before the age of
three. His father was a blacksmith and iron worker. Dan was sent back to Australia in January 1916.
Neurasthenia is a nervous condition that manifests itself by signs of anxiety, fatigue and depression. It is
a forerunner of what would now be called combat stress reaction or post-traumatic stress disorder. Even
if the diagnosis neurasthenia rarely appears in the records of Cygnet servicemen, it can easily be
imagined that many men returned showing symptoms of this trauma. In the case of Dan, his physical
and psychological stress prompted his removal from Gallipoli. He arrived in Melbourne in March 1916.
Dan married Lucy Collins at St. Mark’s, Cygnet, on 25 November 1916. He remained in Cygnet until the
early 1920s and later moved to Glenorchy. He died in 1975.
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Gallipoli
Tom Strong was likewise sent home after showing signs of illness in July. The son of Peter Strong and
Margaret Stack, he was born at Port Cygnet 23 June 1894. His grandparents on both sides of his family
moved to Glaziers Bay in the 1850s. Despite this early return, Tom was determined not to be
discouraged and re-enlisted in 1917. Dan Bacon and Tom Strong were the first returned servicemen who
had been brought up in the Cygnet district to make it back. They may have provided first-hand accounts
to local inhabitants of their war experiences or else they kept silent like many of their fellow combatants.
L: Daniel Bacon, Thomas Strong, Archie Rogers; R: Cyril Flood (WC 16 Sept. 1915)
At the beginning of September, Cyril Flood from the 12th Battalion wrote a letter from hospital in
England that was published in the Huon Times 27 October 1915. Born at Sheffield 20 December 1892,
Cyril William Thomas Flood was the son of Arthur Flood and Mary Elizabeth Scott. Cyril’s letter,
apparently bypassing the censors, allowed people back home to realise the hellish conditions
encountered on the battlefield during the summer of 1915: “Doubtless you will be surprised to see that I
am in the world metropolis, London, now, and wonder from the address what is the matter with me. I
have not been wounded, but am having a rest after four strenuous months at the Peninsula. As I think I
told you in a previous letter, I was in the memorable, never-to-be-forgotten landing on April 25th and
since then I have been at it all the time digging trenches, saps and fighting. We were always under shell
fire. No matter where we were it was just the same, shells screeching overhead and tearing great holes in
the earth and sometimes in human flesh, although it is marvellous the quality of shells it takes to get a
few of our fellows. I think my worst experience was one day about six weeks ago. Our battalion had
been in reserve and we were sent to a part of the trenches which had been captured from the Turks to
assist in holding them as the enemy were making repeated counter attacks. With others I went into the
trench at 6 a.m. and it was just hell. I stood it for eight hours and then could stand it no more. During
that time I was completely buried three or four times with sandbags knocked off the parapet and when I
came out I was just caked with mud, sand and perspiration. Some of the poor chaps were hardly in the
trench before they ‘got it,’ bombs catching them in all sorts of places. These men were continually
replaced by others and it was just a stream of wounded going out, occasionally a corpse, and others
coming in ever ready to take their places. The way the fellows endure the hardships is something to be
proud of. We were relieved in the afternoon after we had buried all the dead, dead Turks lying about,
and as some of them had been there several days in the hot sun the stench was intolerable. We got back
to our lines again towards evening and the first thing that greeted me was some mail and the spray of
20
Gallipoli
Boronia and I can assure you it was quite a treat after our experiences that day. I broke down in health
and went to the doctor [on 20 August]. My temperature was 103 and he ordered me away with a number
of others from different parts of the line and we were labelled for Mudros, a place about 80 miles from
the Peninsula.” Cyril’s health was so affected by four months spent in the fighting that he was not able to
rejoin his battalion until March 1916.
August 1915
The 12th and 15th battalions participated in the Battle of Lone Pine which took place between the 6th and
the 10th of August. The battle mobilised over 4,500 Australian men, killing or wounding more than 2,200
of them. Just days before this engagement, John Dwyer, a member of the 5th Reinforcements of the 15th
Battalion, arrived at Gallipoli. Born at Port Cygnet 9 March 1890, John James Dwyer was the son of
Charles Dwyer and Mary Ann Scanlon. The family moved to Bruny Island when he was a young boy.
Dwyer was working at Queenstown when he enlisted in early 1915. He reached Gallipoli on 2 August.
On 13 September he was taken to hospital at Mudros to recover from influenza. Speaking of the morale
of the 12th Battalion in August, Newton writes: “The energy, good humour and chaff that marked that
period were now lacking. Their health was so undermined that any prolonged exertion was impossible.
Despite the heat and the poor physical condition of all ranks, work on saps and communication trenches
continued” (pp.123-124).
Chataway, in his history of the 15th Battalion, mentions that “On August 18, owing to the marked
shortage of officers in the unit, a number of men were promoted from the non-commissioned ranks”
(p.92). One of these men, Sergeant Thorp, was promoted 2nd Lieutenant that day. The 15th Battalion left
the Peninsula in order to rest on Lemnos Island on 13 September. Broinowski writes in Tasmania’s War
Record: “The rest at Lemnos was very much appreciated by the men after the strain of being months in a
position, every portion of which was within range of rifle fire” (p.27). Four days after arriving on the
island, Lieut. Thorp was admitted to hospital. At first it was thought he was suffering from influenza,
but by January 1916 it became obvious that his condition was more serious: he had typhoid. While still
on the island, Lieut. Thorp wrote to his future bride at Cygnet on 1 November: “Just a few lines to let
you know that I am not quite alright but just fair. In fact I have worked my way back into Hospital
again. They were afraid I was getting typhoid. I may have been. I know I felt pretty seedy & my
temperature got up to 103 before I left my Camp which was about a week ago. However I am out of bed
again and feeling fairly fit. But what is hurting me most if that my Regt. has gone in the meantime & has
left me marooned on this cursed Island & I am sure I don’t know how long they are likely to keep me
here as I am on a milk diet so far. I would love you to see some of the scenes here. They would make
lovely pictures especially an old monastery that is here with an old windmill beside it with its old stone
keep & garden.” Lieut. Thorp was given three months leave of absence at the beginning of 1916 in order
to recover from typhoid which allowed him to temporarily return to Tasmania.
Arrival of the 26th Battalion, 12 September 1915
The temporary departure of the 15th Battalion from the battlefield in order to rest corresponds to the
arrival of the 26th Battalion which was made up of recruits from Queensland and Tasmania. The
following Cygnet men were part of the battalion: George Burge, Thomas Burnaby, Percy Cherry, John
Devlyn, John Dooling, Thomas Dwyer, Thomas Pregnell, Edward Rogers and Hugh Wallace. Burge
enlisted in Queensland where he had been living and therefore was part of a Queensland Company.
Burnaby was promoted 2nd Lieutenant on 6 September and arrived at the Suez on 12 October. All the
others, following three weeks’ training at Claremont, left Hobart for Brisbane on 22 May where they had
a further five weeks’ training and arrived at Suez on 2 August. Intensive training ensued at Heliopolis
before they left Alexandria on 3 September. Gallipoli was reached on the night of the 12 September.
21
Gallipoli
Percy Cherry (AWM PO2939.011) and Garnet Thorp
Percy Herbert Cherry, born at Drysdale in Victoria 4 June 1895, moved with his family from Victoria to
Cradoc when he was aged 7. He was the son of John Gawley Cherry and Elizabeth Russell. The young
Percy drew attention to himself at the age of 15 for his skill and rapidity in making apple-cases. The
Huon Times reported on 1 March 1911: “An exhibition of apple-case making was given by a youth named
Percy Cherry, of Cradoc, at Mr. W.H. Kennedy’s depot on Monday afternoon. A statement had been
made recently that Cherry could make 35 cases in an hour. This assertion, however, was challenged and
in consequence the lad undertook the task of proving his ability in this regard. There was a large
gathering of interested spectators and Mr. W. Beechey acted as timekeeper and Messrs. W. Wicks and
Welling as judges. Cherry excelled his previous performances and made 36 cases within the specified
time.” Further prowess was exhibited at St. John’s Church Show the following month when Cherry, who
worked for W.H. Kennedy at Franklin, was the fastest competitor at trimming and nailing ten cases. At
an Apple Carnival, held in Launceston in April 1914, Cherry won a heat by putting together five cases in
6 minutes and 49 seconds. He also won a case-making championship at the Franklin Fruit Show the
same month. Rifle shooting was another interest. In December 1910, Cherry marked a bull’s eye winning
the President’s Trophy at the Franklin Rifle Range. The Huon Times covered the event 7 December 1910:
“Cherry was heartily congratulated on his win, owing to it being his first appearance on the rifle range
as a member of the Franklin Rifle Club. The lad was previously successful as a rifle shot when in the
cadet competition at Hobart and this win in experienced company is worthy of great praise considering
that he is only 16 years of age and the youngest member of the club.” In 1912 he participated in the
Franklin Rowing Club Regatta and the following year rowed at the Huonville Regatta. Percy Cherry
reached the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Derwent Battalion before he enlisted at the age of only 19.
Broinowski recounts the work of the 26th Battalion upon arrival at Gallipoli: “For several weeks the work
of the Battalion was of dull utility, with risks from the enemy’s fire, but no chance of a blow in return.
Handling stores on the beach and carrying them, the making of roads, and wharf building were the chief
occupations. For the last six weeks the battalion held an important line at Russell’s Top, where fighting
with the Turks was continuously carried on at some loss” (p.39). During the three months the 26th
Battalion was stationed at Gallipoli, two of the Cygnet men fell ill and another two were wounded. After
suffering from fever on 27 October, Hugh Wallace was found to have appendicitis a few days later. He
22
Gallipoli
was evacuated and sent to hospital at Heliopolis before spending time in convalescence. Edward Rogers
was admitted to the same hospital on 5 December suffering from bronchitis. Percy Cherry and Thomas
Pregnell were both wounded on 1 December. Sergeant-Major Cherry sustained a shrapnel wound to the
face and head; Pregnell a gunshot wound to the head. Two days later, Cherry was admitted to hospital
in Cairo and on 8 December he was promoted 2nd Lieutenant. Pregnell was sent to a hospital at
Alexandria for treatment. The 26th Battalion left the Peninsula on 12 December for Lemnos where three
weeks of rest awaited them. They then returned to Egypt after having tasted the bitter experience of war
and undergone its debilitating effects.
Reinforcements for the 12th and 15th Battalions
Three Cygnet men arrived at Lemnos in late 1915 as part of reinforcement to the 12th Battalion: David
Armstrong aged 24, Charles Grace aged 29 and James Anderson aged 20. By the time they joined their
unit on the island the 12th Battalion had already evacuated from Gallipoli. On the night of the 25
November, the battalion finally withdrew from the Peninsula after occupying it for seven months. The
battalion and the new recruits remained at Sarpi Camp until the end of the year. Born at Cradoc 1 July
1891, the redhead David Peter Armstrong was the son of John Armstrong and his second wife Eliza
Hague. Charles Grace, born at Glaziers Bay 12 June 1885, was the son of William Grace and Annie
Markham. Armstrong and Grace boarded the Makarini at Melbourne and arrived at Mudros on 27
November. Shortly before, Eliza Armstrong, bereft of news about David, wrote the following letter to the
Defence Department on 12 November: “My son, David Armstrong, left Melbourne on 10th September
this year and since then I have not heard of him. If you could let me know the name of his company and
where a letter would be most likely to reach him, I should be very much obliged.” On 22 December,
David was admitted to hospital at Mudros with mumps. Born at Police Point 25 March 1895, James
Anderson was the son of Thomas Anderson and Ellen Rebecca Rowe. His mother married William
Piggott in 1914 and lived at Cygnet. While on the island he was admitted to the hospital at Sarpi Camp
on 4 December suffering from influenza.
James Anderson (AWM DA09783) and Charles Grace
A late Cygnet arrival as part of the reinforcements to the 15th Battalion, Leslie Joseph Coad, enlisted in
Queensland at the age of 29. Born at Brighton 8 March 1879, he was the son of John Coad who was a
constable at Brighton at the time of his son’s birth and Sophia Holland. It was noted on his enlistment
form that most of his teeth were only stumps. As part of the 7th Reinforcement, he set foot on Lemnos
23
Gallipoli
Island on 20 October. Five days later, mumps broke out and the new recruits were all quarantined until
the end of October. They reached Gallipoli in early November. On 28 November, a day set aside for the
whole 15th Battalion to bathe, a snow blizzard struck. The 15th Battalion remained on the Peninsula until
the end of December. T.P. Chataway gives the number of Privates who were killed as 419; 107 died of
wounds and 510 were wounded in action (p.100).
Other Units Participating in the Landing on 25 April
Just over a hundred members of the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade (FAB), which included Driver Leslie
Devlyn aged 19 and Gunner Eric Harris aged 23, left Tasmania on board the Geelong and participated in
the landing. Eric Gordon Harris, the son of James Harris and Eliza Smith, was born at Garden Island
Creek 15 June 1891. A printer, he lived at Kelly St. in Battery Point before enlisting. Devlyn and Harris
did not fall ill or receive wounds during their time at Gallipoli. They remained there until 18 December
when they left for Egypt. The Australian War Memorial holds a photograph, reproduced below,
showing the 9th Battery 3rd FAB in action at Gallipoli on 9 May 1915. The 18-pound field gun,
camouflaged by leaves and netting, is directed towards a Turkish supply train. All the men in the
photograph are from Tasmania. The man with his back to the camera has been identified as Eric Harris.
Eric Harris (with back to camera) from the 3 rd FAB (AWM A00879)
James “Edward” Christie, the son of James Christie and Mary Hogan, was born at Argyle Street, Hobart,
2 June 1894. James Christie wrote a letter at Lovett dated 16 November 1914 granting his 20-year-old son
permission to join the Army Medical Corps. Edward Christie belonged to the 2nd Field Ambulance. At
Gallipoli he was plagued by health problems such as influenza, tonsillitis and pleurisy.
John Andrews and Albert Jolley, both born in Port Cygnet, enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary
Force (NZEF) and were present when their respective battalions took part in the Gallipoli landing. Born
28 October 1892, John Christopher Andrews was the son of William Christopher Andrews and Mary
Teresa Dillon. A sawmill hand, he enlisted in August 1914 in the Canterbury Infantry Battalion. He
24
Gallipoli
arrived at Alexandria on 3 December and spent over four months training in Egypt. At the end of
January 1915 the battalion was sent to the Suez Canal to ward off the Turks. The battalion remained in
the Suez area until the end of February and then returned to Zeitoun. He embarked at Alexandria for the
Dardanelles 12 April 1915. On 2 September he was admitted to hospital at Cairo suffering from a septic
knee and swollen glands. Jack was admitted to a convalescent hospital early October and transferred to
Alexandria 11 November at which time he was made a “servant” to Lieut. Richards by working in
mechanical transport.
John Andrews (WC 30 Dec. 1915) and Alfie Jolley
The birth of “Alfie” at Glaziers Bay 18 October 1893 was officially registered as Albert Kregor. He was
the son of German immigrant Friedrich Krieger (anglicised to Kregor) and Tasmania-born Helena
Zanglein (known as “Ellen Singline”). His father and maternal grandfather Paul Zanglein arrived in
Hobart 23 July 1855 on board the America. After her first husband died in 1898, Ellen Kregor married
Edward Jolley at Port Cygnet 25 July 1906. Alfie Kregor consequently assumed the surname of his
mother’s second husband who died at Port Cygnet 22 January 1912. The name change served to disguise
the fact that the son of a German-born immigrant and the grandson of two other Germans volunteered
to join an expeditionary force sent to fight and kill Germans.
After being a member of the senior cadets at Port Cygnet for four years, Alfie went to Invercargill in
New Zealand and stayed with his sister Elsie Robertson. This is where he lived when he enlisted in the
Auckland Infantry Battalion at Paeroa in August 1914 at the age of 20. He embarked from Auckland 16
October 1914 for the Suez where he arrived on 4 December. After training in Egypt, he reached Lemnos
on 15 April. The Lutzov took him to Gallipoli on 24th April. The battalion was sent to Cape Helles on 5
May. Alfie was seriously wounded there on 16 May and admitted to a military hospital in England on 13
June. He stayed there for nearly two months before returning to his unit at Gallipoli on 16 September.
Not having heard from her son since 2 August 1915, Ellen Jolley wrote to the Minister of Defence in
Melbourne from Thorp St., Cygnet, on 24 February 1916: “I am very sorry to trouble you but I feel I must
know how my son Alfie Jolley N°12/387 Six Kouraki Company, Auckland Infantry, N.Z. Expeditionary
Force is, as I have not heard from him since the 2nd of August and I will ask you if it is not inconvenient
to find out why he has not written to me as a mother. I feel it my duty to find out and as I was informed
that you would find out for me I am writing.” Both New Zealand battalions stayed on the Peninsula
until December.
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Gallipoli
In his study, Gallipoli, Peter Hart puts into perspective the contribution made by the Anzacs to the
engagement at the Dardanelles. He reminds us that the principal site of conflict there was at Cape Helles
where the British and French fought the Turks. Australian and New Zealand troops did, of course, fight
behind Anzac Cove for the duration of the war, but they were outnumbered by British, French and
Indian troops who were stationed elsewhere on the Peninsula. According to Hart, 410,000 troops at the
Dardanelles came from the British Empire (115,000 of these were killed, wounded or declared missing
and 90,000 evacuated sick), 79,000 from France and its North African colonies (27,000 of these were
killed, wounded or missing, and 20,000 evacuated sick). The Turks, however, lost many more men. Their
casualty list numbered more than 250,000. Of these 186,000 were killed, wounded or declared missing
and 64,000 evacuated sick. The Gallipoli campaign cost Australia over 26,000 casualties including more
than 8,000 deaths. Behind these figures are individuals of different nationalities whose lives were altered
or ended by this gruelling and drawn-out military conflict. Jack Miller, Syd Cross and Bill Barnes are
three of those eight thousand men who gave up their lives for King and country at Gallipoli.
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