1. society
2. unrest and war

1
WORLD WAR 1
DOCUMENTS & PHOTOS CONCERNING
ALICK THOMAS ROSE
SA P P E R
5 t h & 8 t h F I E L D C O M PA N Y E N G I N E E R S
2 3 rd B a t t a l i o n | 6 t h B r i g a d e | 2 n d D i v i s i o n
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
E n l i s t e d 2 2 n d Fe b r u a r y 1 9 1 5
|
D i s c h a rg e d 1 3 t h S e p t e m b e r 1 9 1 8
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.
2
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
CONTENTS
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
Advancing to Victory 1918
125
Farewell Alick
137
12.
3
Alick Thomas Rose 1915 aged 18 years
4
5
1914 - 1918
“We must look forward one hundred, two hundred, three hundred years, to the time when the vast continent of Australia will
contain an enormous population; and when that great population will look back through the preceding periods of time to the
world-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 family
will seek to trace some connection with the heroes who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or fought on the Somme, or in the
other 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 Hamilton
June 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 of
war.
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.
6
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
7
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
FORWARD
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!
8
F O R WA R D
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
9
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
In 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.
10
Europe 1914
The British Empire 1914
11
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
INTRODUCTION
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.
12
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 in
Sarajevo, on 28 June 1914
The arrest of Gavrilo Princip (being held on the right)
13
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
14
Royal cousins before the
storm Tsar Nicholas II (left)
and Kaiser Willhelm II (right)
on Willhelm’s yacht
Field Marshal Sir John French
British Prime Minister Herbert
Asquith
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig
15
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
16
Lord Kitchener Secretary of State
of War
David Lloyd George Prime Minister
Winston Churchhill First Lord of the
Admiralty
HMAS Australia 1914
Iconic World War recruitment
poster featuring Lord Kitchener
Joseph Cook Prime Minister 1913-14
HMAS AE1 1914
Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson
Governor General 1914-20
Andrew Fisher Prime Minister
1908-09 1910-13 1914-15
17
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
18
General Sir Ian Hamilton Commander
British Army at Gallipoli
General Sir William Bridges Army
Inspector General Killed Gallipoli
18th May 1915
Lt. General James Gordon legge
Chief of General Staff. Commader
1st Aust. Division
Lt. General Sir Harold Walker
Commander 2nd Aust. Division
Sir William Morris Hughes Aust.
Prime Minister 1915-23
Alick Rose 1912 Schoolboy Military
Cadet
8th Australian Light Horse Regiment parading along Collins Street Melbourne 20th Jan 1915
“Billy” Hughes with troops
First Class of Duntroon Cadets 1916-1919
19
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
20
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 Islands
9th Nov. 1914. Sydney crew in foreground
Last known image of HMAS AE1 on 9th September 1914
with Yarra and Australia in background. Soon after she
disappeared without trace in Cocos Island area.
HMAS AE2, the first allied warship to penetrate the
Dardenelles into the Sea of Marmara where she was
scuttled after capture.
21
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 selfappointed 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.
22
23
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
24
The Ottoman Empire before the end of the 19th Century
The unknown Gallipoli terrain
Mudrus Harbour
Lemnos, Gallipoli & the Dardenelles
General Otto Liman von Sanders
25
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 Wemyss
Governor of Lemnos
General Sir Lan Hamilton
Commander British Army on
Gallipoli
Major General Walter Braithwaite
Hamilton’s Chief of Staff
Vice Admiral Carden Fleet
Commander
Vice Admiral John de Robeck
Deputy Fleet Commander
Lieut. General Sir William Birwood
Commander ANZAC Corps
HMS Queen Elizabeth at the Dardanells 1915
HMS Lord Nelson, HMS Agamemnon in background
HMS Inflexible
HMS Irresisible
27
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 before
sinking after hitting a mine
HMS Ocean sinking after striking a mine
The battle of March 18th
HMS Irresistible beached after striking a mine
From The Age
From L to R: Commodore Roger Keys, Vice-Admiral John de
Robeck, General Sir Ian and Lt. General Sir William Birdwood
29
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
DATES OF SERVICE & WHEREABOUTS
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
Jan – May 1916
Returned to camp at Heliopolous.
Driver/Mechanic for Australian Ambulance Service at Gamrah, Cairo.
10/5/1916
Embarked at Alexandria on HMAT Euripides to Plymouth.
30
D AT E S O F S E R V I C E A N D W H E R E A B O U T S
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
to Jan. 1918
Saw action: Ypres in Belgium: The Somme in France:
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
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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’s
record are included.
32
33
34
35
36
37
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
23rd BATTALION
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.
38
2 3 r d B AT TA L I O N
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
COMMANDING
OFFICERS
DECORATIONS
686 killed
Morton, George Frederick
1 VC
2317 wounded
Knox, George Hodges
1 CBE
(including gassed)
Fethers, Wilfred Kent
4 DSO, 1 bar
Brazenor, William
2 MBE
Bateman, William Joseph
25 MC, 3 bars
21 DCM
147 MM, 11 bars
6 MSM
35 MID
5 foreign awards
For more information please see Roll of Honour, Wounded and Missing, First World War Nominal Roll databases.
Lt. Col. George Morton
Field Marshal Sir John
French
Lt. Col. William Brazenor
Robert MacTier, c. 1918 VC
39
A R M Y F O R M AT I O N S & C A S U A L I T I E S
ARMY FORMATIONS & CASUALTIES
40
41
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
ENLISTMENT & BROADMEADOWS
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.
42
Recruitment Poster
Enthusiastic Volunteers
Signing up
Taking the Oath of Allegiance
Measuring for uniforms
Broadmeadows Army Camp
43
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 preembarkation 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
T.S.S. Euripides
Troops of 23rd Battalion embarking on 8th May 1915
Crowd farewelling troops on the Euripides
Seasickness on the Euripides
45
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Lt. General Sir William Birdwood Meeting Australian
Officers at Suez on 21st December 1914
Entrance to Suez Canal
Sightseeing along the Canal
Guarding the Canal
Port Said
City of Alexandria
47
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
2nd Divisions’ camp at Heliopolis
Church Parade 23rd Battalion
Signallers, 23rd Battalion
Signaller Alick at work
49
Cairo with Citadel on the horizon
Alick on a donkey
Sight-seeing in Cairo
Monument in Cairo to J Braham Pascal
Collecting stones in Cairo Street
Street scene Cairo
50
Relaxing in Cairo
Alick shaving at Heliopolis camp
Visit to the Cairo Zoo
Alick having refreshments at the Zoo
Fishing boats on the Nile
Sailing on the Nile
51
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
Major General John Legge
Trench digging training
Alick in Cairo July 1915
A street in Cairo
52
Alick in motorcycle side-car
Three pals Alick on the left
Rifle butts at Abbassia, near Heliopolis
Luna Park at Heliopolis became a hospital
Stretcher-bearers at work
Wounded from Gallipoli
53
Embarking Alexandria SS Knight Templar
Bath on board
5th Field Engineers on board
Signallers 23rd Battalion
HMT Southland listing to starboard
After being struck by German torpedo
Survivors in lifeboats from the Southland
Mudros Harbour Lemnos
54
Lemnos and the Dardenelles
Pinnances loaded with troops being towed by a small steamer to the shore
The Gallipoli Peninsular
Where are the Turks?
55
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Gallipoli as first seen by Alick on 4th September 1915
The beach at Anzac Cove with cliffs behind and the sphinx above
Anzac Cove in year 2000. Photo taken by Alan Rose
57
Going ashore
“We landed here”
Plugge’s Plateau above dugouts
Landing
Watson’s Pier
Extent of Anzac holding
58
Moving to front line after landing
Shrapnel Gully
Terrain at Lone Pine
Front Line Trench 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
AIF HQ below Plugge’s Plateau
Wire Gully
Dugouts, Monash Valley
Alick ® in dugout, Otago Valley
Victoria Gully
Tug sunk by “Beachv Bill”
French soldiers
Indian soldiers
61
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
62
Digger carrying wounded mate
Reserve trench Quinn’s post
Alick firing from Quinn’s post
Stores, ammunition, on the beach
Hauling water tank uphill
Bengal transport wagon
Field Marshal Lord Kitchener visits Gallipoli 13th
November 1915
North Beach from Shrapnel Gully
Base Hospital, North Beach
63
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Swimming was the only way to have a wash
A cup of water was not enough
Delousing was a daily ritual
Up and down Shrapnel Valley to the beach
Alick mincing Bully beef for rissoles
65
Sick and wounded on the beach awaiting evacuation
Casualties being brought alongside
Hospital ship HMS Soudan
66
F R O M G A L L I P O L I T O M A LTA A N D E GY P T
4. FROM GALLIPOLI TO MALTA AND EGYPT
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.
Imbros Harbour
Australian Army Camp at Tel el Kebir
Proximity to Cairo
67
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
Patients and nurses from Ward G6 St Patrick’s Hospital Malta. Alick in front row on left.
68
The Eastern Mediterranean
Fort St Angelo Grand Harbour
Hospital Ship Panama at Malta
Grant Harbour Valletta capital of Malta
The Islands of Malta
69
Cable to Alick’s father about his whereabouts on 16-10-1915
Alick and Sergeant Hill at St. Patrick’s Hospital
Ray De Garas and Alick
70
Grand Harbour Valletta looking east
Ferry to Sliema
French Battle Cruiser Vergmaud
British warship
Aboard French warship Jean Bart
Alick 2nd on left
71
Postcards sent to family by Alick from Malta
72
Alick writing on back of postcards
73
Sight-seeing in Valletta
The Mosta Dome-“Ir-Rotunda”
Grand Café Malta Alick must have been the photographer
Chapel of bones
Surfing at Malta
Foreshore Malta
74
75
76
Written by Alick in 1982 as an entry to a story telling competition
Second cable to Alick’s father
77
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.
Alexandria harbour
78
Australian Hospital and Medical Stations Egypt in 1915
T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
Third cable to Alick’s father
Nurses on board Essquibo
Hospital Ship Essquibo at Alexandria
79
Hospital Train from
Alexandria
Aust. General Hospital Heliopolis
Pyramids nearby
Ian Brown, Gallipoli cobber
Sick and wounded, Luna Park Hospital
Heliopolis camp
Baksheesh wash
80
Alick in our new car at Ghezirch
The old Bus ready to start
Motor smash note: Roma Queensland
Waiting for the hospital train
Military funeral at Cairo Railway Station
Funeral of Light Horseman
The Last Post
Australian graves in Egypt
81
Geffeian Pyramid from Cheops
With some locals at Fel-el-Keliur
Boot cleaner
Carrying produce
Seller of firewood
Camel driver and his camel
On way to hospital
Camel corps Luna Park Hospital
82
Alick on a donkey again
Alick at Esbekich Gardens Cairo
Hilda Allen Nurse Couch and Alick
French friends at the Gardens
Views of Cairo from my room
Al Hayat Hotel at Helouan
Alick on the top of Cheops Pyramid
Alick looking down on the Dead City
83
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
84
Egyptian mounted policeman
At Gherzirch Races
Barrage Lock
Barrage Bridge
Barrage Gardens
Alick and mates at the gardens
Note Alick’s handwriting
85
Australian Forces Head Quarters Horseferry Road
London
Setting out on the trip
Pier at Brighton
Route of Alick’s trip
Sandown, Isle of Wight
Captured German Mine Laying Submarine UC 5 at Christchurch
86
Priory church Christchurch
Bevy of bathing beauties
Lime Street Liverpool
North Pier Blackpool
Lake Windermere
The Promenade, Bowness
Edinburgh Castle and Ross Fountain
Winnie Danna
87
Our billet-12 Oxberry Avenue, Fulham
The crew at Oxberry Avenue, Alick front R.
Fulham Palace Road
Our hosts, the Pinkhams with Sadie
The Embankment, Putney
Putney Bridge over the Thames
Thames River Fulham
88
Western Front Battlefields 1914-1918
89
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 line
at Broodseinde Ridge 12/10/1916
90
The Marne Valley as it is today, 100 years after World War I
The River Somme
Ailly sur Somme
Alick (L) in the swim
Cooling off after the march
Albert Railway Station, Somme
River Ancre at Albert
91
The Trench Stalemate July 1916
Sites of in Flanders Cemeterys
92
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
Australian Cemetery near Albert
Engineer’s bunker at Buire
Australian boys lying dead in No Man’s Land on
The Somme, Oct 1916
Front lines on The Somme July 1916
Dead German soldier on edge of a shell hole in No
Man’s Land
93
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 to
Flesselles
94
Having a “Smoko” near Mametz
Alick at an Observation Post
We dug this Strong Point on the front line on the
night of 5/11/1916
Shell busting over No Man’s Land
German Observation Blimp
After shelling at Luisenhof Farm
Deville wood Dec. 1916
Deville Wood under snow
95
Shell exploding near reserve position
Resting in shell hole at Lousinhoef farm
Roadside dugouts between Corbie and Albert
Lewis machine gunner in action
Ruins of Fricourt Chateau
Filling the boiler, Vignacourt
Trench foot sufferer
Men with trench foot unable to walk
96
Main Street Flesselles
The couple we were billeted with at Flesselles
Trone’s Wood observation post in tree
Colonel George Brazenor, our CO, on L with
one of the men
Allied heavy artillery in tow, Flers
Main Street Corbie
German prisoners stretcher bearing
Saying Goodbye to a Mate
97
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
98
Villages mentioned in the 23rd Battalion’s story (1917)
Albert was in the centre of the Somme
battlefields
Ruins of Fricourt Chateau
Main Railway Station at Albert (see photo on back of page 12)
Railway embankment at Fricourt
99
Cathedral of Notre Dame at Amiens in 1914
As Alick saw the Cathedral in January 1917
Cathedral at Albert with hanging Virgin and Child
Remains of Flers Cathedral
100
Brig. Gen. Pompey Elliot
Brig. Gen. Joh Gellibrand
Ready to march
Working party of German prisoners
Men of the 23rd moving position
German Officer’s grave behind our lines at Fricourt,
May 1917
Crucifix at Lagnicourt – on reverse Alick wrote “I
think I am about the only chap in the A.I.F. who has
got this photo”
101
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
Sketch map showing the 23rd Battalion’s areas of operations in France, April to October 1918
102
Main Road Albert to Bapaume, covered in slush 6
inches deep
Mayor’s house, Flers 1/4/1917 8th Field Co. camped in
cellar
Remains of village Mealt
Deserted farmhouse Buire
German front line after our bombardment
“We entered Bapaume round this corner on 1/4/1917”
Australian gun pit
Bapaume Cathedral in ruins
103
Australian Artillery moving into position
Bombardment before the attack
Waiting for the whistle
Over the top
Advancing in line
Friend or foe?
The battle wages on
104
Crashed planes were a novelty
This one was shot down
The first tanks had rear steering wheels
German observation blimp
Mobile duckboard carrier, Domart
Duckboards laid over mud and water
Our Company Pontoons (used for bridging)
Caterpillar bogged in mud, Flers
105
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
General John Gough
Examining a dead German soldier
It’s them or us
Broken down British tank
Captured German dugout
Horse drawn ambulance in trouble
Australian First Aid Post
Casualty Clearing Station
Field Dressing Station
107
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
108
Prime Minister Billy Hughes with Australian Officers
Prime Minister Billy Hughes addresses men of the 23rd
Battalion in June 1917
St. Marin’s Cathedral Ypres
Allied troops marching passed the remains of the Cathedral
Deserted German trenches
Trees laid across the road to slow Allied advance
The Amiens Gun German 11 battleship gun, mounted on railway wagon. Range 15 miles
109
At the front line
Battle of Menin Road 20/9/1017
Over the top again
110
The battlefield Ypres
Fighting at close quarters
The result
What for?
Not only men
Bringing in the wounded
The Menin Road
Dead and wounded Australians and Germans at Tyne Cott
11/10/1917
111
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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 London
on 11/10/1917 he wrote on the back “From your loving
son, Alick”
112
25th Sept 1917 Sapper A.C. Walker 5668
1st Oct 1917: Sapper J. Scott
Driver J. Chalkely 4575
Driver J.H. Campbell 15751
Graves we dug for fellow members of the 8th Field Company Engineers, 23rd Battalion, killed in action
German pill box at Sterling Castle on Menin Road Ridge
20/9/1917
Sentry with sleeping soldiers in a captured German trench
Preparing for combined attach on Broonseinde Ridge
4/10/17
Preliminary bombardment
113
Both sides used gas the Germans first
Tank left in mud No Man’s Land
Stopped by the barbed wire
Captured German strong post
Stopped by the mud
Bearers deep in the mud at Ypres
Australians on duckboard track through remains, Chateau
Wood, Hooge, east of Ypres 29/10/1917
Rescue from the quagmire
114
Telephone cable across No Man’s Land
Close combat
Tank in trouble
Alick and tank
Field gun in the mud
As far as we got
German prisoners
Abandoned British tank at Valux
115
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Major Gen. John Legge
German prisoners
After the battle
The Catacombs at Hyde Park Corner in Ploegsteert Wood
117
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
Village church at Quesques near St Omar where a memorial to Pte. James Turner 6899 KIA 5/2/1918 was erected by his
comrades of the 23rd Battalion
23rd Battalion in France 1917. Alick in second row from front first on left
118
Cattured trench for reconstruction
Water made this difficult
German Mortar (“Pineapple Thrower”)
Mortar shell exploding in barbed wire
Devastated villages across the battle fields
Enemies sharing a smoke
Casualties continue
One of the tanks that went into action with us at Flers
in Nov. 1917
119
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Final page of Alick’s Active Service Record
Details of training course for air mechanics at Halton Camp AFC Cadet School
121
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
122
123
124
125
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
Major Gen. Sir John Monash
Churchill as Commander 6th Battalion Royal Scots
Fusiliers, Western Front
Australian field artillery ready to start bombardment prior to an attack
Australian 8 inch howitzer battery
Australian 18 pounder field gun
127
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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
The first tanks had rear wheels for steering
Later model-a Mark IV
Making a gap through barbed wire defences
Crossing a trench, supporting troops
Giving shelter to advancing troops
Preparing for take off
Flying in formation
A Kill
129
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
130
Vickers machine gun
Lewis machine gun
Vickers crew in action
Lewis gunner in action
131
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
132
British Mill’s grenade
French grenade
German stick grenade
How to throw it
German using grenade. Note gas mask
Grenade thrower attached to rifle
Over it goes
British gas grenade
German throwing from trench
133
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
134
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.
135
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
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.
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 and
Passchendaele. The 23rd Battalion lost men in all of these battles.
136
137
A L I C K ROS E ’S W W 1 STO RY
FAREWELL ALICK
Alick Rose’s last Anzac Service Surfers Paradise 25th April 1987
Alick died just six weeks later,on 8th June 1987, aged 90 years
1914-18 Star
British War
Medal 1914-18
Allied Victory
Medal
LEST WE FORGET