Vol. 48 No 3 (New Series) SPRING 2018

THE GALLIPOLI GAZETTE

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB LTD

Lone Pine Night Speech

Historian Dr Rhys Crawley of the Australian War Memorial delivered the 2018 Lone Pine Speech entitled ‘Australia in Afghanistan’ for the Gallipoli Memorial Club of Sydney and opined that Australians have gone too far in focusing overwhelmingly on the First World War at the expense of the present conflict

At 5:30 pm on August 6 1915 – secret tunnels in no-man’s-land The distance between the 103 years ago today - after an that had been prepared in Australian trenches at The Pimple hours’ intensive bombardment, advance by the sappers of 1st and Turkish trenches at Lone Pine the brigade of the 1st Divisional Engineers. The ranged from 60-120 yards; nearly Australian Brigade blasted his remaining companies all of which was swept by machine whistle three times and the first simultaneously left the gun fire and visible to Ottoman companies of the 2nd Battalion Australian front line opposite artillery observers. There was no (on the right), 3rd Battalion (in Lone Pine – a position known as cover whatsoever. It was across the centre), and 4th Battalion (on The Pimple. this bare ground that the 1st the left), jumped from a series of The 1st Battalion, the brigade Brigade charged on the afternoon reserve, manned the of August 6. communication trenches, Their frontage was a meagre ready to be thrown in as 250 yards, with a depth of less necessary – which occurred than half of that. This is less than an hour later. astonishing when you consider Nevill Smyth, VC, that seven infantry battalions whose brigade headquarters – were eventually thrown into that along with divisional area. headquarters - was in Brown’s The first Australians reached Dip, on the seaward side of the their opposing trenches in Plateau, less than 100m from seconds. There they found that Lone Pine, watched the the preliminary artillery opening stages of the battle bombardment had succeeded in from the Australian positions. forcing the enemy to take cover, Binoculars were not required, but that most of the overhead and with armies still yet to cover remained intact. But the master radio, communication Turks were quick to reoccupy their during battle was limited to positions. One anonymous how far the commander could member of 2nd Field Company shout. For this reason, Engineers, described the scene battalion commanders joined thus: Brigadier Nevill Smyth their men in the initial charges.

Immediately the men left the trenches the enemy’s rifle, machinegun, and gun fire opened with a roar like the sudden opening of a terrific hailstorm. The din was terrific, and the ground between the two lines of trenches became a perfect inferno of zipping bullets and crashing shells, the shrapnel hitting the roofs of the tunnels like hail. The enemy’s fire opened so quickly that many men fell back killed or wounded into the trenches they had just left…the landscape was soon dotted with prostrate forms, the white armband and patch on the back showing clearly where our gallant lads had fallen to rise no more.

The frontline trenches had been cleared and captured by 6:00 pm. The scenes were horrific. It had been close-quarter fighting, using rifles, bayonets, bombs, and fists.

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Lieutenant-General William Birdwood Lieutenant- Harold 'Pompey" Elliott Major-General Harold Walker That evening the Australian could be paid them was to avoid battalions received congratulatory throughout the area. The treading on their faces’. The men messages from Lieutenant-General Australians now had the were too busy and too exhausted to William Birdwood, commander of advantage of looking down on the carry bodies through the congested the Australian and New Zealand Turks. If a Turkish counter attack trenches, so bodies were often piled Army Corps (ANZAC), who said was to be successful, the into unused saps and the saps filled

‘Well done 1st Bde. You have done Australians would need to be in. splendidly’, and Major-General driven from these positions. Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Harold ‘Hooky’ Walker, The counter-attacks soon came ‘Pompey’ Elliott, commander of commander of the 1st Australian in the early hours of August 7 and the 7th Battalion, wrote to his wife Division: ‘I congratulate you and lasted until late on August 9. that ‘the poor fellows engaged in your gallant brigade’. But their More Australian battalions this awful work had to be fortified task was far from over, and they were drawn into the fray. with liberal doses of rum to keep were reminded to be vigilant. The dead were so numerous them going. It was splendid how Communication trenches were according to the Australian official they worked too. The sight and barricaded with sandbags historian, C.E.W. Bean, ‘that the smell often made them retch and and individual posts established all only respect which vomit’.

James Griffin, member for Manly representing the NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs, David Elliott, Vice President David Ford, Melih Karala the Turkish Consul General to Sydney, Dr Rhys Crawley and Club Vice President Ted Codd 2

Editorial

This edition features the speech delivered to the Lone Pine commemoration by Dr Rhys Crawley in which he looks at our commemoration of the great battles of World War One but reminds us that we THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB also owe a great debt to the veterans of the LIMITED Afghanistan campaign, which is now Australia’s

longest war. The success of the Lone Pine night, despite the Patron: Club being temporarily homeless, is an exhibition of the solidity of the membership of the Gallipoli Major General Arthur Fittock AO Memorial Club and the leadership given by the Board of Directors: Committee. We also look at the disastrous battle in the Sea President: John Robertson of Marmara of February-March 1915 that preceded the Gallipoli Campaign. Based on a desire for an Senior Vice President: David Ford aggressive naval assault on Turkey through the Junior Vice President: Ted Codd Dardanelles to further destabilise a shaky Ottoman Empire and encourage its withdraw from the Hon. Treasurer: John Brogan German alliance, the toll on allied shipping was Directors: immense. We meet Sydney dentist, Russell Watson, who Stephen Ware, Glenn Tetley, Scott apparently preferred drilling soldiers to teeth and Heathwood, Marc Higgins served with distinction in South Africa and the Pacific before joining the main effort on the Editor: Bob Lawrence western front in World war One. Another little-known military man whose influence on Australia was immense is Secretary Manager: John Robertson Engineer, Sir James Edwards. He ended his career by advising the Australian and New Zealand colonial Club Ph: 02 9235 1533 leadership on improving their defences in the late Email: [email protected] Victorian era. In Australia, his promotion of a www.gallipoli.com.au standard gauge railway system, against the small

minded interest of political leaders who wanted to cut costs or prevent goods leaving from the ports of other colonies by having different gauges in different colonies.

Gallipoli Art Prize

Although the Gallipoli Club Building is temporarily unavailable due to building development works, the Gallipoli Art Prize continues. In the coming months Details of the 2019 Gallipoli Art Prize will appear on the Club website: www.gallipoli.com.au.

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Lone Pine continued from page 2.

The , which and gone on to experience the we commemorate today, was horrors of war on the Western the only Australian tactical Front, were again thrown into success of the Gallipoli battle. This was the Battle of campaign. At an estimated 6,000 Amiens. Like Lone Pine had been, Ottoman and 2,277 Australian Amiens was one part of a broader casualties, one wonders was that offensive. Unlike Gallipoli, this success worth it. Certainly, if offensive – 100 years ago this considered within the broader week – was a tremendous objectives of the offensive – of success. Before the year was out, which Lone Pine was only one the combined forces of France, part, and certainly not the most the United States, and the British important, nor the most costly empire, had defeated Germany one would be hard-pressed to and the war was over. justify it. The August offensive – I want to now fast-forward 90 the largest and last major allied years on from the battle at Lone offensive operation of the Major-General Alexander Godley Pine, to August 2005. We’re still campaign – was a failure. For the in the Middle East, although allies, 21,500 casualties in four soon made to replace the we’ve shifted from the trenches of days, and 45,000 for the month, leadership and evacuate the Gallipoli to the dust of resulted in ‘little more than 500 peninsula, which eventually Afghanistan. acres of bad grazing land’, as the occurred in December 1915 and August 2005 marked Australia’s commander of the New Zealand January 1916. return to the war in Afghanistan. It and Australian Division, Major- Fast forward three years, to also marked our introduction to General Alexander Godley, August 1918, and some of those Uruzgan province: geographically characterised it. The decision was men who had fought at Gallipoli, significant, given its location in the

Map of Afghanistan showing Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar Provinces in the southern part

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Pashtun-dominated southern job was simple on paper: help patrol bases and forward Afghanistan – where the Taliban bring security to Afghanistan by operating bases which would enjoyed its greatest support – and removing the Taliban threat from become the bases from which bordering Helmand and Kandahar their area of operations. They later Australian forces would provinces, the most dangerous would do this by patrolling, getting patrol nearby villages with their places in Afghanistan. a sense of their surroundings, and Afghan counterparts. Although we had sent Special fighting. Within a week they had Over time, Australia’s focus – Forces to Afghanistan following engaged the enemy; it was the like the international community the September 11, 2001 terrorist start of what amounted to 20 more broadly – shifted away from attacks on New York and rotations of Special Forces before reconstruction to mentoring the Washington, DC, we had brought an end was brought to Operation local security forces, eventually them home again in 2002. From Slipper in 2014. with the aim of getting them to a then, until August 2005, Australia If we fast forward another year, standard where the Afghan Army had a maximum of two people in to late August 2006, we return to could take responsibility for the Afghanistan at any one time. the story of the 1st Brigade. Now, country’s security. That changed in August 2005. rather than infantry, responsibility Thus, we went from We went back into a war that with for our task of helping rebuild Reconstruction Task Forces to hindsight would become our Afghanistan, one well, bridge and Mentoring and Reconstruction longest war. We would lose 41 road at a time, fell to Darwin’s 1st Task Forces, to Mentoring Task Australians killed, hundreds Combat Engineer Regiment. Forces. Each iteration brought our wounded, and others came home Known as the Reconstruction Task troops closer to the action. changed forever. Force, they focused on ‘quick Soldiers lived on patrol bases with Our renewed effort was once action’ projects in and around their Afghan colleagues. This again made with Special Forces: a Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan Province. As continued until some Afghan squadron from Perth’s Special Air successive task force’s rotated soldiers started turning their guns Service Regiment (SASR) and a through, their work evolved: from on the Australians in what were platoon from Holsworthy’s 4th small construction projects to termed ‘green on blue’ incidents. Battalion, the Royal Australian major road work, bridge Working and living together Regiment (Commando), later to be construction, mosque repairs and became more restrictive after renamed 2 Commando Regt. Their hospital construction, and building these insider attacks.

Director Marc Higgins catches up with former Director Terry Ryan after Dr Crawley's speech

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So why shift away from Lone Pine sacrifice, in our name, should be things that we can’t even and focus on Afghanistan? Well, remembered – just as we imagine: they’ve been asked to personally – and I say this as an remember anniversaries such as do these things in our name. And historian who started out focusing this one we’re gathered here all, whether those who have on Lone Pine and the Gallipoli tonight to commemorate. engaged in serious contact with campaign – I think we’ve gone too The sense of duty that we can the enemy, or those who sunk far in focusing overwhelmingly on see in those men who ran head wells and repaired schools, have the First World War at the expense first at the Turks at Lone Pine, done their own bit to help of the present. We still have ADF continues today. Unlike the improve the lives of everyday and civilians representing our amateur soldiers of 1915, the Afghans. country in Afghanistan and Iraq, soldiers of today – men and It’s to those veterans that we, and we, as a country, know very women, young and old, as society, and those of us in this little about their actions. That is, engineers or special forces – are room who gather to remember we know almost nothing about our professionals. significant service for our longest wars. These people – at best country, should turn our Our veterans of today aren’t the estimates somewhere in the attention. old men of yesteryear, they are vicinity of up to 30,000 Lest we forget a century of the young men and women of Australians – have served our service, and let us not ignore the today. They are the leaders of country in or in support of history of our most recent wars. tomorrow. And their service, and Afghanistan. Many have done

Vice President David Ford welcomes guests and the Guest Speaker, Dr Rhys Crawley, of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, to the commemoration to mark the 103rd anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine on August 6, 1915

THE GALLIPOLI MEMORIAL CLUB CREED WE BELIEVE…. that within the community there exists an obligation for all to preserve the special qualities of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage and comradeship which were personified by the heroes of the Gallipoli Campaign and bequeathed to all humanity as a foundation for perpetual peace and universal freedom

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British Army Engineer changed Australia

The first Colonial Conference of Crimea, in the Indian mutiny and however, quite impossible the British Empire was convened with General Gordon's army in without a federation of the forces by the Imperial Federation League China. In 1885 he commanded of the different colonies'. in 1887 to coincide with the the in the Suakin Although Edwards left in 1889 attendance in of more operations in the Sudan and then his legacy continued. Radicals than a 100 senior figures from the became commandant of the accused him of being 'a political colonies for Queen Victoria's School of Military Engineering at tout' obsessed with the invasion Golden Jubilee. The League hoped Chatham. Promoted to Major- of Australia, but the timing of his to create closer ties between the General in 1888, he went the practical plans enabled Sir Henry colonies and the United Kingdom. following year to Hong Kong as Parkes to take the strong Among other things discussed, commander of British troops in the colonies in Australia and New China. In July 1889 he arrived in Zealand agreed to pay £126,000 Brisbane to begin his task of per annum towards the Royal inspecting fortifications and Navy to help pay for the United troops in each colony and to Kingdom's naval deployments in report to the colonial the Pacific. In exchange, the governments in October. British government agreed not to Edward’s report was delivered reduce its Pacific Station without in two parts to each State colonial consent. The conference Government; a specific report on also recommended that a senior each colony’s defences and a Army officer should visit Australia general report dealing with the to inspect the forces of the defence of Australia as a whole. Australian colonies and to advise He reported that the colonial forces lacked not only cohesion Sir Henry Parkes but the organization, training and equipment to fit them for initiative which led to the defence of the continent. On National Australasian Convention questions common to the whole of 1891 'empowered to consider of Australia he proposed an and report upon an adequate organization which would enable scheme for a Federal the colonies to combine for Constitution'. mutual defence; he Six months before Edwards recommended uniform arrived Parkes had talked organization and armament, a Federation with Alfred Deakin in common Defence Act, a military Melbourne and in July 1889 had college to train officers and, an abortive exchange of letters probably of the most lasting with the Victorian Premier on the significance to the general public, same theme. Edwards later Sir James Bevan Edwards a uniform gauge for railways. claimed, in an address to the Above all for the Empire, he Royal Colonial Institute on March on their organisation. emphasized ‘the crucial 10 1891, that Parkes 'saw at once Sir James Bevan Edwards importance of his first and main that combined action for (1834-1922) was chosen for this proposal, 'Looking to the state of purposes of defence was task. Edwards, then aged 43, was affairs in Europe, and to the fact impossible without a Federal a graduate of the Royal Military that it is the unforeseen which Government to direct and control Academy, Woolwich, who had happens in war, the defence it. He therefore became the been commissioned in the Royal forces should at once be placed champion of the great question of Engineers in December 1852. He on a proper footing; but this is, Colonial Federation'. served with distinction in the

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The obvious daily legacy to The famous Tenterfield The third Federation meeting colonial people was the move Oration, a key step in the road to in Adelaide in 1897 coincided toward standardisation of rail Federation, was delivered two with a meeting of Railways gauges. He saw, as a straegic weeks after Edward’s’ Report was Commissioners. After the imperative, the building of a publicised while Parkes was Premier’s meeting they took on standardised rail line between returning to Sydney from a notice an unresolved motion to Perth, Darwin and the major cities Brisbane meeting with refer standardisation to their of south-eastern Australia plus Queensland Premier, Sir Samuel individual State Railways gauge unification between Griffith. The Oration relied heavily Commissioners capitals. on the Edwards Report, noting After leaving Australia Edwards that Queensland, New South carried out a similar mission in Wales, Victoria and South New Zealand. He later retired Australia had 2000 miles (3200 from the army and became a kilometres) of railway, “and if the Conservative member of the four colonies could only combine House of Commons (1895-99). An to adopt a uniform gauge it would ardent advocate of imperial be an immense advantage to the federation he was elected a movement of troops.” fellow of the Royal Colonial Following the Oration an informal Institute, joined its council in meeting on Federation was 1893 and served as chairman in convened for February 1890 in 1909-15. Melbourne. Sir James died in London on July 8, 1922. Sir Alfred Deakin

Judy Sherman, Joy Barber and Cathy Leech at the Lone Pine commemoration

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Lack of Local Knowledge Led to Gallipoli’s Failure

Bruce McEwan reports that the Gallipoli Campaign was a land battle with its roots in a failed naval campaign in February-March 1915 to control the straits of the Dardanelles and force a way through to Constantinople (Istanbul), hopefully to force Turkey out of World War I.

The Dardanelles was the only troops could be spared from the able to re-supply the minefield. route between the Black Sea and Western Front. Although he had A path could have been swept the Mediterranean. Tactically, scant intelligence of the land and clear but, unfortunately, the Britain wanted it as a direct link military forces guarding the British minesweeper vessels were to supply munitions to allied straits, Churchill was adamant manned by civilian crews who Russian forces in the east of and urged the naval attack to refused to continue to clear paths Europe and thus reinforce co- start immediately. He got his way through the mines because of operation between Russian and because British Foreign Secretary, Turkish shellfire from shore British forces. Insecurity in the Edward Grey, believed the onset batteries. Balkans from German aggression of a powerful allied fleet towards A third of the allied battleships led Britain to hope that Constantinople (Istanbul) might were sunk or disabled on a single capitulation by Turkey would provoke a military revolt, a coup, day. On March 18, 1915 Turkish persuade Greece, Romania and resulting in Turkey’s Mines caused the sinking of the Bulgaria to join the war as allies. abandonment of its unity with HMS Irresistible, the Bouvet and The Ottoman Empire had Germany and a return to substantial damage to three other suffered successive military neutrality. French ships --Gaulois, Suffren defeats in the lead-up to World All the allies’ modern and Charlemagne. Mines also War I. Its reputation was so bad; battleships were busy fighting disabled the HMS Inflexible, in fact, that the British and their Germany in the North Sea and Agamemnon, Lord Nelson and main allies, the French, thought Atlantic Ocean so the mixed fleet Albion. the government would collapse if of British, French and Australian Eventually, the allied merely threatened by a massed warships was mostly outdated fleet of warships. and ill-prepared for the Winston Churchill, then First substantial Turkish resistance Lord of the Admiralty, was a long between the Aegean Sea and term proponent of an aggressive Sea of Marmara – especially the naval assault against Turkey unexpected barrage from through the Dardanelles, Turkey’s shore batteries and the however, the French military hazard of serried rows of mines command, believed that the navy that had been laid. should not strike until ground No less that ten rows of modern German- designed mines had been strategically placed by a Turkish Admiral Sir Sackville Hamilton Carden minelayer, almost shore to shore, from commander Admiral Carden the entrance to the called off his efforts to breach the Dardanelles to the Straits when he realised that his town of Çanakkale. On ships could not deal with the the shore was a small Turkish shore guns until the but efficient armoury mines were cleared, but this

HMAS Irrestible listing and sinking in the Dardanells, 18 March 1915

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could not be undertaken while the operational, but its shell crane Turkish guns remained. Catch 22! had been damaged. On 18 March 1915 Corporal Seyit is said to have carried three artillery shells each weighing 275 kg one by one from a magazine to the 240/35 mm gun enabled it to continue firing on the Allied Fleet. The three rounds hit the British pre-dreadnought HMS Ocean which was attempting to rescue sailors of HMS Irresistible disabled by a mine. The third shot caused severe damage to HMS Ocean which then struck another of the Turkish mines and capsized shortly after. Seyit Ali Cabuk Admiral John de Robeck Following the repulse of allied naval fleet, Seyit was promoted to Pneumonia in 1939. A statue of Under Carden or his corporal and publicized as a him carrying a shell was erected in replacement, Admiral de Robeck, Turkish hero. After the Battle of 1992 on the Gallipoli battlefield. the Allied fleets never again tried Çanakkale, the Turkish name for The Gallipoli campaign proved to force a way into the Sea of the Gallipoli conflict, he was asked that often a small group, even one person, may make a great Marmara, even when thousands of to have his picture taken with one difference. The mines of a single troops were fighting and dying on of the shells which he had famously carried. When Corporal Turkish mine-layer had a powerful the adjacent Gallipoli Peninsula. Seyit could not lift the shell he told effect on the naval battle, more Unfortunately, Carden was not onlookers: "If war breaks out perhaps than shells from all the aware that Turkish commanders again, I'll lift it again." His photo Turkish guns. reported on March 19 that nearly was then taken with a wooden The land invasion of the all the Turkish artillery ammunition practice shell. Gallipoli Peninsula began on April was expended and that: 'A naval Seyit was discharged in 1918. 25, 1915, involving British and attack executed with rapidity and He became a forester and later a French troops as well as divisions vigour might have been coal-miner and took the surname successful.' of the Australian and New Zealand Çabuk in 1934 with the passing of The substantial stone forts Army Corps (ANZAC). Turkey’s Surname Law. He died of overlooking the straits housed heavy artillery weapons manned by well-trained crews and they achieved many hits on the allied ships. One of the crews included Seyit Ali Çabuk who had enlisted into the army in April 1909. After serving in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, he was transferred to the Medjidieh Coastal Battery defending the Mediterranean entrance to the Dardanelles. Following the heavy allied naval bombardment of the forts, the gun he was servicing remained

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Club building again dominates Loftus Street

Number 10 Loftus Street was the dominant building in its block in the 1870s, and history is now repeating itself.

Our Club building began life as the wool store of F.L. Barker & Co in the 1870s which was the largest building on Loftus Street. Barkers was one of nineteen wool brokers listed in Sydney who exported their wool through Circular Quay. As no railway line could be brought into Circular Quay, the NSW Government decided to build a line to Darling Harbour and encourage the wool firms to relocate there. In 1894 Barkers moved and wool brokers Hill & Co took on the lease. In the 1920s the wool 2018 stores were converted into offices. years before becoming The Gallipoli Legion of In 1916 in Sydney, Gallipoli Veterans formed Anzacs (GLA) in 1934. an association for those who had been discharged In the years between World War I and World from the AIF because of wounds received in the War II, the GLA leased premises in Sydney near Gallipoli campaign. This association together with Circular Quay. Eventually at the end of a number of other groups met for the next 17 World War II the GLA bought 12 and 14 Loftus Street. The GLA connected the buildings to create one floor on each of the first and second floors and opened as the Gallipoli Legion of Anzacs Club. It was opened in 1947 by former Prime Minster, William Morris Hughes and operated until it closed at the end of 2017 for the redevelopment of the city block that included the Club. Under the timetable, the Club building should be ready for occupation in 2020. F.L. Barker & Co in the 1870's

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Sydney dentist helped secure the Pacific in WW1

A mild-mannered Sydney dentist becoming a in For the first time, Britain can be thanked for securing large the 4th Infantry Regiment in called upon Australia to train, sections of the Pacific Ocean 1896. supply and command her own during World War One. In civilian life, he entered the forces in defence of the empire. dental profession. Consequently, the (AN&MEF) was Watson served as a born. lieutenant, New South Wales The AN&MEF comprised one Mounted Rifles, in the South battalion of infantry of 1,000 men African War. As a staff officer in enlisted in Sydney, plus 500 naval the 2nd Imperial Mounted reservists and ex-sailors who Infantry Corps, he was dispatched would serve as infantry. While to demand the surrender of Watson commanded the 1st Pretoria; under heavy fire at Battalion, the naval reservists Dainsfontein, he risked his life to were formed into six companies rescue a wounded man. under Commander Joseph For his service in the Orange Beresford. Also included were Free State, Cape Colony and the two machine gun sections, a Transvaal, he was mentioned in signals section and a medical dispatches and promoted to detachment. Another battalion of captain. In 1902 he commanded militia from the Queensland- the New South Wales based Kennedy Regiment, which William Walker Russell Watson detachment of the Australian had been hurriedly dispatched to Coronation Corps at the crowning garrison Thursday Island, also William Walker Russell of King Edward VII. Watson was contributed 500 volunteers to the Watson (1875-1924), soldier, promoted to Major in 1905 and force. Recruitment began on dentist and company director, Lieutenant-Colonel in 1912. On August 11, with the very few of was born on 19 May 1875 at November 9, 1904, at St Mark's the infantry having had previous Balmain, Sydney, son of a surgeon Church, Darling Point, Sydney, he military experience. William George Watson, and his had married Minnie, daughter of All the troops were under the wife Emily Jane, née Walker. department store owner, Samuel overall command of Colonel (later Russell, as he was known, Hordern. General) William Holmes was educated at Sydney Boys' Watson was appointed High School, where he was a commanding officer of the cadet bugler, and the University infantry battalion of the of Sydney. He joined the New Australian Naval and Military South Wales Scottish Rifles, Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) Australia agreed to a request by the British government to seize German wireless stations in the south-west Pacific, namely German New Guinea so the AN&MEF was raised in August 1914. Australia was also required to occupy the territory under the British flag and establish a General William Holmes HMAS Australia - 1911 military administration.

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The AN&MEF departed Sydney landed small parties of naval on August 19 aboard HMAS reservists at the settlements of Berrima and halted at Palm Island Kabakaul and the German capital off Townsville until the New Herbertshöhe on Neu-Pommern, Zealand force, escorted by the south-east of Rabaul. These battlecruiser HMAS Australia, parties were reinforced firstly by cruiser HMAS Melbourne, and sailors from Warrego and later by the French cruiser Montcalm, infantry from Berrima. A small which had occupied Samoa on 25-man force of naval reservists August 30 and was ready to join was subsequently landed at them. The AN&MEF then moved Kabakaul Bay and proceeded to Port Moresby where it met the inland to capture the radio Queensland contingent aboard station believed to be in the transport TSS Kanowna. The operation at Bita Paka, seven force then sailed for German New kilometres to the south. Embarkation of the AN&MEF in Sydney Guinea on September 7 but the The Australians were Kanowna was left behind when resisted by a mixed force of Williams and Captain Brian her stokers went on strike. German reservists and Pockley became the first The soldiers from the Melanesian native police. By Australian fatalities of the war. Kennedy Regiment were also left nightfall the radio station was At nightfall on September 12, in Port Moresby as Holmes felt reached. It was found Berrima landed the AN&MEF that they were not trained or abandoned. The mast had been infantry battalion at Rabaul. The equipped well enough to be dropped but its instruments and following afternoon, despite the committed to the fighting that machinery were still intact. fact that the German governor was expected. During the fighting at Bita Paka had not surrendered the Off the eastern tip of New seven Australians were killed and territory, a ceremony was carried Guinea, the Berrima five wounded, while the out to signal the British rendezvoused with Australia and defenders lost one German NCO occupation of New Britain. The the light cruiser HMAS Sydney and about 30 Melanesians killed. German administration had plus some destroyers. Melbourne Later it was alleged that the withdrawn inland to Toma, At had been detached to destroy heavy losses among the dawn on September 14 HMAS the wireless station on Nauru. Melanesian troops was the result Encounter bombarded a ridge The task force reached Rabaul on of the Australians bayoneting all near the town, while half a September 11, finding the port those they had captured during battalion advanced towards the free of German forces. Sydney the fighting. As a result of this town, supported by a field gun and the destroyer HMAS Warrego engagement Seaman W.G.V.

HMAS Warrego

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In the following months September 14, with 35 men specially enlisted for service in Australian vessels and troops aboard. the tropics. The size of the were dispatched to search and A military government was garrison at this time was set at a occupy Germany's other subsequently set up by Holmes. total of 600 men. territories including the New On January 9, 1915, Holmes Following the end of Guinea mainland, New Ireland, handed over command of the hostilities in November 1918 the the Admiralty Islands, the AN&MEF to Brigadier General Sir role of the AN&MEF in the former Western Islands, Bougainville, Samuel Pethebridge, the former German colonies in New Guinea and the German Solomons. Secretary of the Department of had become primarily one of civil Although successful the Defence. Some AN&MEF men administration, although it operation was not well managed, stayed to help the government. continued to provide a garrison and the Australians had been Holmes and Watson returned to for the next two and a half years. effectively delayed by a half- Australia in early 1915 and re- The military government trained force. Regardless, the enlisted in the AIF, and gave continued until 1921 when Australians had prevailed not evidence before a court of inquiry Australia received a mandate least of all because of their into looting by the AN&MEF. from the League of Nations to unexpected ability to fight in Many of the AN&MEF troops govern the territory. Although close terrain. The losses of the later served in Egypt, Gallipoli, the AN&MEF had seen no further AN&MEF were light in the Sinai and Palestine and on the action following the initial seizure context of later operations but Western Front. A large number of the colony, in the years that were sufficiently heavy given the became casualties, including followed the climate and a range relatively modest gain. These Holmes, who was killed in action of tropical diseases, such as losses were further compounded in 1917. They were replaced by malaria, had resulted in dozens of by the disappearance of the the 3rd Battalion, AN&MEF, fatalities before the deployment Australian submarine HMAS AE1 which was known as the "Tropical concluded. A total of 3,011 men during a patrol off Rabaul on Force" because it had been served in the AN&MEF.

Robert Day, David Cooper and Matt Potter

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On March 16 Watson took Fleurbaix. Near Albert, on the returning to France, a soldier command of the 24th night of August 7-8 a shell protested that he would not go Battalion, Australian Imperial burst in an old gun-pit unless he were carried. Force, and reached Gallipoli on occupied by battalion Watson had him tied to an 5 September. As his brigade headquarters. Watson was the ambulance and dragged with commander Colonel Richard sole survivor. Admitted to the draft until he begged to be Linton had died at sea after a hospital with shell-shock, he released. In December Watson troopship had been torpedoed, resumed command on October was appointed C.M.G.; in Watson temporarily 12. He took charge of the 2nd January 1919 he became commanded the 6th Brigade Division Training School in commander of the A.I.F. depot for its landing. November. In May 1917 he at Sutton Veny. On the night of September resumed command of the 24th He embarked for Australia 10-11., the 24th took over Battalion, but in July returned in September and was positions at Lone Pine. In to England where he had awarded the Légion d'honneur addition to hardship caused by charge of the 17th Brigade; in in December. the onset of cold weather, September he was appointed Allegedly as the result of a they suffered casualties from commandant of the Overseas chill caught at the funeral of suffocation in the shallow Training Depot near Brigadier General Henry Finn, tunnels and dug-outs when the Warminster. He immediately Watson died in Sydney of Turks bombarded them in convened a court martial to septicaemia on 30 June 1924 November. During the deal with outstanding cases, and was buried in South Head evacuation of Gallipoli, Watson re-wrote standing orders and cemetery. He was survived by successfully commanded the introduced more effective his wife. Typical of the better 6th Brigade rear parties and training programmes. He was A.I.F. commanders, he was again mentioned in dispatches. promoted Colonel on June 1, respected by his troops; he In March 1916 the 24th 1918. Desertion by Australian was intensely loyal to them, Battalion sailed for France and troops on leave in England had but would not tolerate those in April moved into the line at increased. On one occasion, who sought to evade their when a draft paraded before responsibilities.

Jim and Liz Harriott and Michael Pryce

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