John Mathieson William EDMONDS [1894 - 1919]

John Mathieson William Edmonds was born at home at 25 Bendigo Street in Prahran in September 1894.  His parents were John Henry Edmonds and Isabella Craig.

By the time he was 20 years of age he had enlisted in the AIF at Cottesloe in West Australia.  This was 21st June 1915.  He joined the 12th Battalion - 4th Motor Transport Section. His parents wrote a letter giving him permission to enlist.

In September of that same year he embarked Fremantle per the H.M.A.T. Anchises A68 bound for Egypt.

His Battalion disembarked on 6th January 1916 and by the 1st marsh John was transferred to the 52nd Battalion.

As a "driver' he was transferred many time to various Battalions and it is difficult to keep up with where he was at various stages in his Military Career. By August 1916 he was in Marseille, France where he seemed to be for quite a few months.

In February 1919 he is at Wimereux in Northern France being admitted to 7th G.H. with acute bronchitis and influenza. He died on 12th February 1919 at Terlincthun, Pas-de-Calais, France where he is buried

Roll of Honour name projection

John Edmonds' name will be projected onto the exterior
of the Hall of Memory on:

• Wed 4 February, 2015 at 4:50 am
• Wed 1 April, 2015 at 10:05 pm
• Mon 18 May, 2015 at 7:12 pm
• Mon 29 June, 2015 at 7:18 pm
• Wed 12 August, 2015 at 12:57 am
• Wed 30 September, 2015 at 11:03 pm
• Thu 28 January, 2016 at 2:07 am

These dates and times are estimates. Please note that previous advised times on this site have recently been changed to ensure that early evening projections are clearly visible and not affected by twilight. The actual time of projection could also change as a result of weather and other factors, so it is advisable to check closer to the date. In the rare event of a temporary loss of electrical power, the names scheduled for display in that period will not appear until the next time listed.




once again, I would like to extend my grateful thanks to the
AWM, CWGC and the NAA
and other sites
for allowing us access to their amazing collections!

• Australian War Memorial
• National Archives of Australia
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission

William Stanley ORMANDY [1883 - 1917]

William Ormandy was born in Macarthur in June 1883, Macarthur is 66 klms NE of Portland, in the south west area of Victoria, Australia.

His parents were George Samuel ORMANDY and Grace LINDSAY who were married at Branxholme in December 1865. George was born in Lancashire, England and Grace was born in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

I know little of William Stanley Ormandy, certainly no one in the family has passed on any information that I know of, so have taken most of the information of his life whilst in the AIF from his attestation papers and from the 4th MGC diaries available through the NAA (National Archives of Australia) and the AWM (Australian War Memorial) websites.

Description Circular colour patch for 4 Division Machine Gun Company and 24 Australian Machine Gun Company, AIF, showing a central white circle on a black background, below which are two crossed guns in yellow. Summary Worn as a distinguishing unit indication at the head of each sleeve from 1917. The two crossed guns were the patch of the Machine Gun Corps, although they was not worn by machine gun squadrons allotted to the Light Horse brigades.

On the 29th September 1916 William enlisted in the AIF with the 4th Machine Gun Company with service number 560.  He embarked Melbourne on board the HMAT ORSOVA on 6th December 1916 bound for Plymouth, England where he arrived in February 1917

HMAT ORSOVA

After some months of training in England he proceeded to France on board the PRINCESS VICTORIA, but just four days after his arrival at Boulogne he was admitted to hospital with German Measles and did not rejoin his unit again until 22nd May 1917.

30 May 1917

The 4th MGC proceeded to the reinforcement camp at Morbecque in the north of France.

7 June 1917

The Battle of Messines Ridge.

and from the AWM (Australian War Memorial) site:

Successful British assault on the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge, a strongly held strategic position on the Western Front, which had been held by the Germans since late 1914. The offensive operation was the product of long preparation, detailed planning and sound training carried out by General Plumer's Second Army. The initial assault was preceded by the detonation of 19 mines under the German font line which caused an estimated 10 000 German casualties. British, Australian and New Zealand infantry advanced behind a carefully co-ordinated artillery bombardment and took all their objectives within the first hours of the battle. German counter attacks the following day failed, and although German resistance continued until 14 June, British, Australian and New Zealand forces retained possession of the captured areas. The battle is often cited as a model for a well planned limited objective attack. Messines represented a preliminary to the major British offensive in Flanders in 1917, the Third Battle of Ypres.

8 June 1917

Now at Messines Ridge, Belgium. Image shows the Officers of the 4th Machine Gun Company eating breakfast in a reserve near Messines during the Battle of Messines which started on 7th June.  These men moved to the front line after dark.

9th June 1917

instructions given to the 4th MGC to relieve the 1st NZ Machine Gun Company in the Messines Sector.

13 June 1917

The above image shows members of No. 1 Section, 4th Australian Machine Gun Company, in a front line trench approximately one kilometre south east of Messines. The Company fought here from 9 to 14 June 1917 (Battle of Messines)

9 July 1917

William was admitted to hospital - in field - with septic abrasion to the buttock. One week later on the 16th July he rejoined his unit.

29 August 1917

still at Ploegsteert Woods, Belgium and all men given morning off to tidy themselves up and bath themselves. Afternoon cleaning of all gun gear & packing & cleaning of wagons.

1 September 1917

The morning was devoted to the care of the mens feet - a foot inspection being held by section officers and attention being paid to socks. Billets were cleared & gun gear & wagons packed ready. The next morning (2nd September) the men were embussing at 9:00am at Merville. Arrived at Lisbourg about 3.00pm and marched to Crepy where they were billeted with 16th Battalion.

13 September 1917

By the 13th they were at Fruges, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France where this group image (above) was taken of 4th Machine Gun Company.

18 September 1917

The Company fell in at 8.45am & marched to Crepy. From there they proceeded in buses to the vicinity of Staple, near Hazelbronck. On 20th the Company moved off at 8.30am for Steenvoorde area & arrived in Billets there at about 3.00pm. Next day orders were received to embus for Canal area, near Ypres.

23 September 1917

at Westhoek Ridge, Belgium

Headquarters and the two sections left Belgian Chateau at 3.00pm for 7th Australian MGC Headquarters at Westhoek Ridge, the route being through Ypres & along the Ypres-Menin Road.

yellow line shows location of Westhoek Ridge east of Ypres

Windy outpost on Westhoek Ridge ~ Belgium

24th September 1917

Preliminary Orders for the offensive which is to take place shortly were issued this afternoon. A barrage was put over by our artillery at 8.00pm. There was a fair amount of retaliation from the enemy.

25th September 1917

Memo received from Rear Battalion Headquarters that attack will take place on “K” Day which is tomorrow, 26th Inst. Zero hour 5:50am.

The Brigadier thinks that 3.00am is too early to be on the jumping off tape but that at the same time the tails of Battalion should be clear of present support line ….

26 September 1917

The Battle of Polygon Wood.

~from the diary of the 4th Machine Gun Company ~
we can only assume that William Stanley Ormandy
was one of the "two men in front line have been killed"

The attack commenced at 5.50am 26 September, 1917 with the Australian 4th and 5th Divisions and 5 British divisions following an artillery barrage on a 10 kilometre front. The Australian 4th and 5th Divisions were responsible for a front of about 2,500 metres. All northern objectives were taken while on the southern front captured all their objectives as well as some objectives assigned to X Corps. One of the main objectives was Polygon Wood Butts, which in peacetime was the Ypres district rifle range. From the Butts the Germans commanded an excellent view of all targets with their machine guns. This was also taken.

This was designed as the second blow of the Ypres battle. Casualties on both sides were about equal. The Australian 4th Division captured all its objectives and sustained 1,717 casualties. The more heavily engaged Australian 5th Division suffered 5,471 dead and wounded. The Allied forces were now in a position to strike at the main Broodseinde ridge.

KIA - 26 September 1917

the will - in part - of William Stanley Ormandy

Polygon Wood is a small wood which is about four miles east of Ypres. The wood was sometimes known as Racecourse Wood, as there was a track within it. Before the Great War, Polygon Wood was by the Belgian Army and within it stands a large mound, known as the Butte, which was used for musketry training. On the Butte today stands a memorial to the 5th Australian Division.

During the War, Polygon Wood was totally destroyed, and the wood was replanted after the war. There are 'rides' or tracks running through the wood which can be walked, and in terms of the Great War, there is a large cemetery, plus a New Zealand Memorial to the Missing as well as the Australian Memorial within the wood itself. Just outside the wood is a small original wartime cemetery. In fact, the entrances to the two sites are directly opposite on either side of the road, at the north-eastern apex of the wood.

Commemoration details The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 31), Belgium

LEST WE FORGET

Roll of Honour name projection.

William Stanley Ormandy's name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory (AWM) in Canberra on:

• Fri 24 October, 2014 at 5:39 am
• Wed 17 December, 2014 at 5:38 am
• Tue 10 February, 2015 at 3:02 am
• Wed 1 April, 2015 at 11:42 pm
• Wed 13 May, 2015 at 8:27 pm
• Mon 22 June, 2015 at 1:59 am
• Wed 29 July, 2015 at 6:56 pm

These dates and times are estimates. The actual time of projection could change as a result of weather and other factors, so it is advisable to check closer to the date. In the rare event of a temporary loss of electrical power, the names scheduled for display in that period will not appear until the next time listed.

With grateful thanks to the following for information and the use of images & data off their sites:

State Library of Victoria

National Library of Australia - Trove

The Australian War Memorial

The Australian National Archives

Australians on the Western Front

another family member, Arnold Roy Bartram 
and not related to William Ormandy, 
also embarked Melbourne on board the HMAT ORSOVA!

read about Arnold HERE

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Samuel James Naismith [1895 - 1918]

Samuel James Naismith was born in 1895 at Tumbarumba to Samuel James Naismith and Eliza Quinn (nee Wilson). The small town of Tumbarumba is located North-East of Albury in New South Wales, Australia.

By the age of 20 years (& 5 months) Samuel had enlisted in the 5th Battalion AIF in Melbourne.  Both parents had given written consent.  His enlistment papers record that his eyes were grey, his complexion fair and his hair light brown. His occupation was that of a saddler (one who made saddles, harnesses, horse collars, bridles, etc.) and his religion was listed as Presbyterian.

After training was completed at Broadmeadows Army Camp, Samuel embarked Melbourne on board the HMAT NESTOR on 11th October 1915 bound for the Middle East via Fremantle (West Australia)

HMAT NESTOR at Port Melbourne 2nd October 1916

William Le Brun - another family member, but unknown to each other - departed Melbourne on board HMAT A71 "Nestor" on 11 October 191. William was in the 7th Battalion

HMAT NESTOR arrived in Fremantle at 11:35 am on Sunday the 17th, but the diggers weren’t allowed ashore and only stopped long enough to offload four chaps who were quite ill. There had been an outbreak of measles and other disease's in the preceding days. All were given vaccinations once underway.

Various diary entries refer to the sea being ‘as smooth as glass’; to flying fish; whales squirting water into the air and ‘porpoises playing in front of the boat.’

By October 31st they were already in the Gulf of Aden and entered the Red Sea on the 1st November. On the 4th of November at around 10:00 pm, they anchored about 3 miles off Suez. Unfortunately one of the cooks didn’t quite make it there and died just the day before and was buried at sea. 

With the excitement of their arrival though, and the beauty of the bright lights on shore, everyone was in high spirits however they weren’t to disembark until the morning of the 6th. The ensuing train trip to Heliopolis took another seven long hours arriving at 5:30 pm.  

Despite their arduous journey, they went into Cairo that night to be greeted by ‘a filthy place’ and ‘natives [who] try to take you down.’  

Generally, it was hot and dusty most of the time and money was scarce.  By the end of November (1915) bayonet drills had been common and there was talk of the possibility of an uprising against them from the locals.

On 4th December (1915) Samuel was admitted to the 4th Auxiliary Hospital in Abbassia with mumps. There were multiple hospitals for the armed forces at Abbassia, including the No. 4 Auxiliary Hospital and the 3rd and 14th Australian General Hospitals. The former was of smaller size than the General Hospitals, and the inside view of a ward in 1916 is shown below with patients, nurses and doctors.

 Abbassia is a neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt.

No 4 AUXILIARY HOSPITAL, ABBASSIA 
ARTILLERY BARRACKS, 1915 [EGYPT]

By March 1916 Samuel was at the Garrison Camp at Zeitoun in the Reserve Brigade awaiting orders to be dispatched to Europe. He embarked Alexandria in Egypt for B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force) on 29th March 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles on 4th April.

By the first week of June (1916) he was 'taken on strength' from the 5th Battalion into the 1st Pioneers Battalion.

25th July 1916 ~

Samuel Naismith and the rest of his Battalion found themselves in the Front Line right in The Battle of Pozieres...

For three days, 24 to 26 July 1916, the Germans relentlessly bombarded Pozières. The aim of this concentrated shelling was not simply to prepare for a counter–attack but to inflict as much damage and loss on the Australians as possible.

Also shelled were the approaches to the village, by which vital supplies entered and hundreds of walking wounded and stretcher–bearers carrying the severely injured exited. One of these approaches was the ‘sunken road’, which reached Pozières from the countryside to the south–west on the other side of the main road just opposite First Australian Division Street. Enemy shells rained down on the village’s main street and along the ‘sunken road’ for most of 24 July.

24 October 1916 ~

the Battalion left billets in Dernancourt at 1400 hours & proceeded to Pommiers Camp arriving at about 1730.

 " ..... and worming its way on foot through traffic for another ten miles in the afternoon, turned off the crowded road at dusk into a muddy plateau known as "Pommiers Camp", near Montauban. Here, as no cover was available for three quarters of the men, the majority slept in the open, improvising what shelter they could with their blankets and water-proof sheets. Little rain had fallen since the previous day, but there was a heavy frost and the ground was wet ... "

1st November 1916 ~ 

The end of the Somme, Nov 1916 The worsening weather & physical destruction of the battlefield made life hellish for attackers & defenders alike. So October and November saw the two last attacks, The Battle of Transloy Ridges and Battle of the Ancre.

the winter of 1916 / 1917  was horrendous for everyone

4th November 1916 ~ 

during the Battle of Transloy Ridge in France, Samuel was wounded in action, in the field with a GSW (Gun Shot Wound) to the leg, wrist and back. On the 12th he was moved to England for medical treatment and by the 16th he was being admitted to the 2nd Southern General Hospital with severe GSW to the left leg.

The conditions in which the stretcher bearers had to carry the
injured men to the Casualty Clearing Stations.

12th February 1917 ~

Samuel Naismith was at Perham Downs for rehab. Perham Downs was an AIF army camp on the edge of the Salisbury Plain in England, and Sam reported there after being at Furlough.

Perham Downs Camp, near Tidworth in England

This was when his father - also named Samuel James Naismith - enlisted in the AIF and embarked Melbourne on 11th May 1917 heading towards Europe.

29 Jul 1917 ~

After spending sometime at Perham Downs recovering from his injuries, Samuel was attached to the 15th Training Battalion at Hurdcott, near Fovant in Wiltshire. But by October he proceeded to rejoin his unit - 1st Pioneer Battalion - at Havre, in Belgium.

1st March 1918 ~

The Battle of Yrpes and a major Battle in which the 1st Pioneer Battalion took part.

The Battalion was sending it's companies up to the front lines - a distance of 8 klms - from Godezonne Farm, digging and repairing trenches, MG pits, shelters, etc. During the month of March they had 2 that were killed and 65 wounded performing these duties.

11th September 1918 ~

Battalion moved by march route to Tincourt area of France.

17th September 1918 ~

Samuel James Naismith was Killed in Action:Tincourt, Somme, Picardie, France 
KIA - enemy mine. 
The 1st Pioneers Battalion were doing general road repairs and two diggers (one being Samuel) were killed by an explosion of enemy 'booby trap'

Samuel Naismith is buried at the  Tincourt New British Cemetery, Picardie, France Plot: V. E. 7.

He was 23 years of age.

Samuel James Naismith and his wife Eliza,
with their son, Samuel James Naismith

Roll of Honour name projection at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Samuel James Naismith's name will be projected onto the exterior of the Hall of Memory at the AWM on:

• Sun 26 October, 2014 at 2:15 am
• Fri 19 December, 2014 at 2:54 am
• Wed 11 February, 2015 at 10:37 pm
• Fri 3 April, 2015 at 3:13 am
• Thu 14 May, 2015 at 11:58 pm
• Tue 23 June, 2015 at 4:05 am
• Thu 30 July, 2015 at 9:02 pm

These dates and times are estimates. The actual time of projection could change as a result of weather and other factors, so it is advisable to check closer to the date. In the rare event of a temporary loss of electrical power, the names scheduled for display in that period will not appear until the next time listed.

1st Australian Pioneer Battalion ...
 
The 1st AIF was a purely volunteer force for the duration of the war. In Australia, two plebiscites on conscription were defeated, thereby preserving the volunteer status but stretching the AIF's reserves towards the end of the war.

A total of 331,814 Australians were sent overseas to serve as part of the AIF, which represented 13% of the white male population. Of these, 18% (61,859) were killed. The casualty rate (killed or wounded) was 64%.

About 2,100 women served with the 1st AIF, mainly as nurses. Close to 20% of those who served in the 1st AIF had been born in the United Kingdom but all enlistments had to occur in Australia (there were a few exceptions). As a volunteer force, all units were demobilized at the end of the war.

*it should be noted however, that the term '1st AIF' was in use as early as August 1914, in anticipation that a 2nd AIF would one day be formed.


The following are a few links that were of great help with the blog posting of Samuel Naismith so that I could record his life in the AIF as close as possible.

some of the above - re the journey in October 1915 on board the HMAT NESTOR - are from the diary of Bert Manderson as written here.

Fleurs - The Somme Battle Ends

Bombardment of Pozieres

Australian War Memorial

National Archives of Australia


With grateful thanks to all of the above websites.





LEST WE FORGET








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Samuel James NAISMITH [1867 - 1941]

Samuel James Naismith was born in 1867 in Prahran, Victoria, Australia. Samuel was the fourth child of James Naismith and Hannah Barnes.
 

image of Samuel Naismith (senior) taken when he enlisted in the AIF

Samuel lived in the Wimmera District for a few years and then in 1894 - at the age of 27 -  left Warracknabeal and moved to the district around Tumbarumba in New South Wales.  This is where he met the widow - Eliza Quinn - and they had a son they named Samuel James Naismith. Samuel (junior) was born at Tumbarumba on 23rd May 1895.

Four years later - in 1899 - Samuel James Naismith married Eliza Quinn (nee Wilson).

The Naismith Family
Samuel and Eliza and their son, Samuel Naismith.

In 1903, Samuel was reported as "missing' by his brother - Hiram Thomas Naismith.  Hiram mentioned in the Police Gazette of NSW that Samuel had been missing for just on 9 years. There is no record of them locating each other, but one can only assume so. We do have the census records of 1914 Samuel & Eliza residing at 39 Cliff St, Prahran and at 25 Portland St, South Yarra where his occupation is a brick maker.

At the age of 50 in March of 1917, Samuel had enlisted in the AIF, was given the service number 3694 and allocated to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion. By the 11th May he had embarked Melbourne on board the HMAT SHROPSHIRE bound for Plymouth, England.


Each Division was allocated a Pioneer Battalion.  The 2nd Pioneers were the Pioneer Battalion of the 2nd Division as indicated by the diamond-shaped colour patch.

Pioneer Battalions were essentially light military combat engineers organised like the infantry and located at the very forward edge of the battle area.  They were used to develop and enhance protection and mobility for supported troops and to deny it to the enemy.  They constructed defensive positions, command posts and dugouts, prepared barbed wire defences and on occasion breached those of the enemy using devices like the Bangalore Torpedo.

Their skills and capability were broad from building, construction and maintenance to road and track preparation and maintenance. They could also, and did quite often, fight as infantry.

Although they had existed in the Indian Army before 1914, pioneer battalions were used on a large scale by Commonwealth forces on the Western Front during the First World War. Because of its largely static nature, there was a much heavier reliance on field defences and the provision of mobility support to get people weapons ammunition rations and stores up to the front and casualties out.  Roads and railways needed to be built maintained and repaired.

While these were also Engineer tasks, Engineers alone could not meet the heavy demand, while riflemen were always needed at the front. Therefore, pioneer battalions were raised to meet the needs of both and trained to support both engineers and infantry.

The 2nd Pioneers were raised in 1916 and were engaged in every action undertaken by the 2nd Division, starting at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm in mid 1916 through Bullecourt and Third Ypres in 1917, the stemming of the German tide in the Spring Offensive of 1918, action in the north of France during June July 1916 around Merris  culminating in the final stages of the Hundred Days campaign in late 1918.

In January 1918 he proceeded overseas to France and was taken on strength by the 2nd Pioneer Battalion. Samuel was attached to the Australian Graves Detachment and began the work of locating, burying and reburying the Australian dead, particularly around Amiens.

In September of that same year (1918) his only son - also named Samuel James Naismith - was KIA at Tincourt, Somme, France. He was killed by an enemy mine early on the morning of 17th September 1918.

One year later - Samuel Naismith - returned to Australia on board the PORT DENISON arriving into Melbourne on 13th November 1919.

There is a report of Sam and his wife (Eliza) leaving Temora in July 1936 and then moving to Bowen in Queensland, they obviously did not stay there too long and returned to Cootamundra Road, Temora where he lived with his wife Eliza. He died there at the age of 74 years on 4th July 1941. 

next blog post is on his son - Samuel James Naismith - who was KIA on 17th September 1918 in the Tincourt area of France.





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George Bowden HUDSON [1891 - 1982]

George Bowden Hudson was the sixth child of William Charles Hudson and his wife, Matilda Ellen King.

George was born in Moama in New South Wales (Australia) on 8th October 1891. War broke out when George was 22 years of age, but it was not until July 1915 that he enlisted at Echuca in the 31st Battalion and given service number 710 in the AIF.

He completed his training at Broadmeadows Camp in Melbourne before departing Melbourne on board the HMAT A62 WANDILLA on 9th November 1915 bound for the Middle East. The Battalion arrived at Suez on 7th December 1915.

Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board
HMAT A62 Wandilla on 9 November 1915

16th March 1916 - Innoculations “C” Company – 1st dose typhoid and paratyphoid. 1st Parade on bayonet fighting and physical training 2nd Parade on company training under OC companies 3rd Parade on half holiday.

The 31st Battalion continued with physical training and bayonet fighting and were in the Middle East until June 1916 when it departed for Marseilles in France.  By 1st July they were at Morbecque and being put through a practical demonstration of poisonous gas and gas helmet instruction.

Morbecque in France

9th July - 1030-1430: Battalion left Estaires 1000 hours and Brigade starting point 1030. Destination Erquinghem via Croix du Bac, Bac St Maur. Bn met at Croix du Bac by guide & led to billets in Rue Dormoire abt 1 mile west of Erquinghem, relieving the 18th Bn.

16th July - First of Battalion arrived at Fleurbaix (Bois-Granier Line, France) about 1430 to find billeting arrangements inadequate and incomplete. It took some time to make suitable arrangements and it was 0430 hours before last of the men were billeted.

19th July - The 31st Battalion fought its first major battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916, having only entered the front-line trenches 3 days previously. The attack was a disastrous introduction to battle for the 31st - it suffered 572 casualties.

20th July - 0545: Captured positions could not be held so a retirement was made at 0545 back to our own lines. Very heavy casualties and men completely broken. 0900: Battalion taken out of front line and re-billeted at Fleurbaix. Estimated casualties 600 of all ranks.

parts of the 31st Battalion War Diary reads as ........

To have a much better understanding of what the Diggers went through at Fromelles - and in particular the 31st Battalion - it is perhaps wise to read the diaries of the 31st Battalion. 

The following are just six pages of Appendix C from the diary dated 19th July 1916.

By the first week of August, George Hudson was back at Fleurbeaux in France. The Bn diary - for the 3rd August - reads as: Situation quiet. Few parties of enemy noticed behind enemy lines but in general troops well under cover. Battalion growing much more cheerful after grueling of 19 and 20 July 1916 ultimo. Foggy weather prevails in the mornings. 31 August - La Motte, France.

Battalion under canvas at La Motte. Small replica RF 1/110 of Bois des Vaches built in camp area for lecture purposes.

21 September - Armentieres, France.

Day fine but roads in bad condition. Arrived Armentieres at 10.40am & settled in billets at 11am. Brigade notified. very bad condition, mud plentiful bags in parapet and communication trenches rotten and walls tumbling in.

when reading through the diaries, it seems most days the weather & conditions were intolerable....

30th October - Montauban, France.

Very wet and mud conditions simply indescribable. Horses tractor engines stuck everywhere on the roads. Majority of roads being laid with logs in transverse section.

One year later after spending much of their time around the Somme area,  the Battalion arrived at Wippenhoek, in Belgium on 19th September.

25 September 1917 - Warning Order received from Brigade that Battalion to be held in readiness to move at short notice. 10.00 pm: Battalion moved off to front line to take part in the horrendous Battle of Polygon Wood.

The 31st fought in the Ypres sector. The battle began at 5.30 am on 26 September 1917, when the British and Dominion guns opened on a 10 kilometre front. The intention was to build on the gains made during the Battle of Menin Road. The AIF 4th and 5th Divisions were responsible for a 2500-metre sector and one of their main objectives was Polygon Wood Butts, the target on the Ypres district rifle range.

"the 4,000 men of the six attacking battalions dashed forward at a run ........
George Bowden Hudson was one of those men in the 5th Division.

Ypres - 1917

2nd May 1918 - at Bois d'Accroche, Le Hamel, France

by the 2nd May 1918 the Battalion were at this location.
Bois d'Accroché, Le Hamel, France

13th May 1918 - Wounded in Action.

wounded in action - gassed. According to the Bn diary the Artillery was active during the day. "Suggest" that he was wounded at Vaire, Le Hamel, France.

Poison gas was probably the most feared of all weapons in World War One. Poison gas was indiscriminate and could be used on the trenches even when no attack was going on. 

Whereas the machine gun killed more soldiers overall during the war, death was frequently instant or not drawn out and soldiers could find some shelter in bomb/shell craters from gunfire. A poison gas attack meant soldiers having to put on crude gas masks and if these were unsuccessful, an attack could leave a victim in agony for days and weeks before he finally succumbed to his injuries.

Gassed Australian soldiers awaiting treatment near
Bois de L'Abbe outside Villers-Bretonneux 1918.

Location of where George Hudson was wounded

George Bowden Hudson returned to Australia on 8th April 1919 and in 1923 he married Inez Emily Henderson. Daughter of John Gill Henderson and Mary Margaret Simpson.

On the 12th August 1982 George died in Deniliquin at the age of 90 years. He is buried at the Mathoura Cemetery along side his wife - Inez - who died in 1979.

with grateful thanks to the following 

for use of data and images

31st Battalion Diaries

The War Diaries of the 31st Battalion

The Australian Embassy to Belgium

About Poison Gas

 

 Australian War Memorial

National Archives of Australia

the above information on George Bowden Hudson has been collected over many years, but if anyone has any further data I would be more than happy to hear from you!

George Hudson is my first cousin (2 x removed)

we relate through my great great grandmother:
Elizabeth Jane RICHARDS
[1837 - 1919]

LEST WE FORGET


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