TIMELINE July 1916
Saturday, 1 July 1916
William Allan Luther PHILPOTT was wounded in action with shellshock during a German bombardment when the 13th Battalion was manning the front line at White City post in the vicinity of Bois-Grenier in France.
Wednesday, 5 July 1916
Charles Edmond MARCHANT commenced his return to Australia from Egpyt on the Hospital Ship Karoola.
Thursday, 6 July 1916
David James WAGNER was wounded in action with a gunsot wound to his chest while he was with the 45th Battalion when it was manning the front line in the vicinity of Sailly Sur La Lys, France.
David James Wagner (Photograph courtesy of his grand-daughter Anne Dollin)
Saturday, 8 July 1916
William ALSTON and Henry John KING embarked from Sydney on the RMS Mongolia.
John Edward Leslie HOURIGAN was wounded in action with a severe gunshot wound to the scalp when the 45th Battalion was in the front line in the vicinity of Fleurbaix, France.
Corporal J. E. L. Hourigan (Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate 12/8/1916)
Monday, 10 July 1916
Harold Roy Devlin UHR commenced his return to Australia from Port Suez on the H.T. Clan McGillivray sick with Influenza – he later reenlisted.
Arthur Ernest MCGREGOR departed Egypt on the transport Tunisian and arrived in Marseilles on 16th July 1916.
Wednesday, 19 July 1916 and Thursday, 20 July 1916
Charles William Gordon CONROY and Joseph Patrick WALLIS (Wailes), both in the 54th Battalion, were killed in action during the Battle of Fromelles on the night of 19/20 July 1916.
“CONROY C W” name on V. C. Corner Cemetery and Memorial (Photograph: S & H Thompson, 1/9/2014)
Joseph Patrick Wallis headstone at Fromelles (Pheseant Wood) Military Cemetery, France (Photograph S & H Thompson 2012)
Joseph ARMSTRONG (54th Battalion) and Donald Singleton STEWART (54th Battalion) were captured as prisoners of war during the Battle of Fromelles. Donald Stewart wrote home about his experience in this battle, and being taken as a prisoner of war, in a letter dated 12th August 1916: “I was captured on the 20th July. We went into the trenches a couple of days before I was caught. We had a big charge on the 19th, and had very heavy losses. Out of about six of my section who tried to get out of a tight hole two of us got out alive, and God only knows how I got out of it. We are being treated as well as can be expected in the camp we are in …” Click here to read the letter: Letter from Donald Stewart in a German prisoner of war camp
Donald Stewart. (Photograph courtesy of his daughter Norma Stewart).
Henry James Naughton BLAKEMAN (54th Battalion) was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his thigh on 19th/20th July 1916 during the Battle of Fromelles. James Birrell DAWSON (54th Battalion) was wounded in action on 19th/20th July 1916 during the Battle of Fromelles with a gunshot wound to his right forearm which was later amputated. William Charles WALKER (54th Battalion) was wounded in action on 19th/20th July 1916 during the Battle of Fromelles with a shrapnel wound to his right arm.
Tuesday, 25 July 1916
Harry DAVENPORT (aka Harry SWENDSON) was appointed a Second Lieutenant following training at the A.I.F. Officers Training School at Duntroon.
Saturday, 29 July 1916
Walter Cavill and William Sidney LOVETT embarked from Sydney on the HMAT A67 Orsova, and arrived in Portsmouth England on 14th September 1916.
HMAT A67 Orsova leaving Melbourne 1 August 1916. Part of the Australian War Memorial collection. PB0663.
1915 Coo-ee March 