TIMELINE April 1916
Saturday, 1 April 1916
Joseph ARMSTRONG, Percy George BROWN, Charles William Gordon CONROY, Edwin Joseph FULLER, John MARTIN, Donald Singleton STEWART, John TARLINGTON, John William THOMPSON, William Charles WALKER, Joseph Patrick WALLIS, and Colin David WREN, the Coo-ees who on 16th February 1916 had embarked for Egypt on the HMAT Ballarat A70 as 14th reinforcement for the 13th Battalion, were all transferred to the 54th Battalion at Ferry Post, Egypt.
Sunday, 9 April 1916
Lewis LEOVILLE and five other Coo-ees embarked from Sydney on the HMAT A71 Nestor.
Photograph of HMAT A71 Nestor loaded with troops on an earlier voyage, taken 11 October 1915. Part of the Australian War Memorial Collection. PB0607.
Tuesday, 11 April 1916
The bulk of the Coo-ees arrive at Alexandra in Egypt on the HMAT A15 Star of England.
Friday, 14 April 1916
William Thomas HITCHEN embarked from Sydney on the HMAT A14 Ceramic.
Sunday, 16 April 1916
Joseph PARRISH , Karl Alex Frederick NIELSON and John QUINN transferred to the 4th Pioneer Battalion in Egypt.
Tuesday, 18 April 1916
William Henry NICHOLLS and two other Coo-ees embarked from Sydney on the HMAT A56 Palermo.
Wednesday, 19 April 1916
Harold BAXTER, Harold Brooks DAVIS and Alan Chesher JOHNSON (Alan Cheshyre JANION) transferred to the 45th Battalion in Egypt.
Sunday, 25 April 1916
First anniversary of the landing of Australian troops at Gallipoli. William Hilton SAUNDERS had wrote in his diary about his experience on the first Anzac Day held on 25th April 1916, where a sports day was held in the Australian camp in Egypt where he and the other Coo-ees were in training. He wrote the following words:
W. H. Saunders diary entry 25/4/1916 (Image part of the State Library of NSW collection)
April 1916: 25 Easter Tuesday. “1st anniversary of landing at A.N.Z.A.C. Holiday for all troops in Egypt. Sports held on the Canal. Swimming etc. on the water. Did not go over myself felt too lazy. Stayed in camp & wrote home.”
Wednesday, 26 April 1916
Ronald Hector PERKINS and another Katoomba Coo-ee embarked from Sydney on the HMAT A39 Port Macquarie.
1915 Coo-ee March 