Monthly Archives: September 2016

TIMELINE September 1916

Posted on September 6, 2016 | Leave a comment

TIMELINE September 1916

Sunday, 3 September 1916         

Private James CRAWFORD (13th Battalion) died of his wounds at the 49th Casualty Clearing Station near Mouqet Farm.

James Crawford's headstone, Contay British Cemetery, France (Photograph: H. Thompson 4/9/2014)

James Crawford’s headstone, Contay British Cemetery, France (Photograph: H. Thompson 4/9/2014)

Corporal William Thomas HITCHEN died of disease at the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield Park in England.

Bill Hitchen's headstone, Harefield (St. Mary) Churchyard (Photograph: S & H Thompson, 17/8/2014)

Bill Hitchen’s headstone, Harefield (St. Mary) Churchyard (Photograph: S & H Thompson, 17/8/2014)

Tuesday, 5 September 1916       

James Gerald CAMERON (45th Battalion) was promoted to Lance Corporal.

Friday, 8 September 1916           

Gunner Arthur Charles REID (4th Division Medium Trench Mortar Battery) received a gunshot wound to his head in the vicinity of Bierssraat in Belgium.

‘Gunner A. C. Reed’, (Forbes Advocate 8/12/1916)


‘Gunner A. C. Reed’, (Forbes Advocate 8/12/1916)

Saturday, 9 September 1916      

Acting Corporal Francis Charles FINLAYSON (Parramatta Coo-ee) embarked from Sydney on HMAT A14 Euripides, as 20th reinforcement for the 13th Battalion.  With him travelled fellow Coo-ees Acting Sergeant Thomas Walter DOWD (Wongarbon Coo-ee) and Acting Sergeant Stanley Everard STEPHENS (Gilgandra Coo-ee) and Leo Ambrose STINSON (20th Battalion).  They arrived in Plymouth, England on 26 October 1916.

Gunner Arthur Charles REID (4th Division Medium Trench Mortar Battery) died of wounds at the 11th Canadian Field Ambulance.

Arthur Charles Reid’s headstone at La Clytte Military Cemetery, Belgium (Photograph: H. Thompson 28/8/2014) Note: The writing on the headstone is very worn. It reads: 4886 Gunner A. C. Read, Aust. Field Artillery, 9th September 1916 Age 25. In memory of the dearly loved son of Mr. & Mrs. Read

Arthur Charles Reid’s headstone at La Clytte Military Cemetery, Belgium (Photograph: H. Thompson 28/8/2014)
Note: The writing on the headstone is very worn. It reads: 4886 Gunner A. C. Read, Aust. Field Artillery, 9th September 1916 Age 25. In memory of the dearly loved son of Mr. & Mrs. Read

Wednesday, 13 September 1916             

Private Charles Edmond MARCHANT (45th Battalion) was discharged medically unfit in Australia due to injuries from his accidental gunshot wound to his left elbow in Egypt.

Tuesday, 19 September 1916     

Trooper David O’ROURKE (Wellington Coo-ee) (12th Light Horse Regiment) embarked from Melbourne on the HMAT A6 Clan Maccorquodale.

Friday, 22 September 1916         

Private Bernard COYTE (13th Battalion) embarked for France.

Private Sidney BENNETT (45th Battalion) was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his left arm in a working party at Bierrsraat in Belgium.

Sidney Bennett (Photograph courtesy of his of his grand-daughters D. Ayers and J. Pemberton)

Sidney Bennett (Photograph courtesy of his of his grand-daughters D. Ayers and J. Pemberton)

Saturday, 23 September 1916    

Trooper William Solomon CISSMAN (Imperial Camel Corps) commenced his return to Australia on the Transport Kanowna from Port Said, Egypt.

Monday, 25 September 1916     

Richard CROCKER (Ashfield recruit) re-enlisted after being discharged after the Coo-ee March at his parent’s request due to being underage.

Tuesday, 26 September 1916     

Private Harold Roy Devlin UHR (13th Battalion) was discharged medically unfit after his return to Australia from Egypt  (the first of three enlistments).

Wednesday, 27 September 1916             

William Joseph MUNRO (13th Battalion) was reported to be a prisoner of war in Germany.

William Joseph Munro (seated), German prisoner of war (Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate 8/6/1918)

William Joseph Munro (seated), German prisoner of war (Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate 8/6/1918)

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Re-visiting the graves of the fallen Coo-ees in August-September 2016

Posted on September 6, 2016 | 1 comment

Re-visiting the graves of the fallen Coo-ees in August-September 2016

When Stephen and I visited the graves of the fallen Coo-ees in France, Belgium and England in 2012 and 2014, we felt that it would have been a good idea to have left an Australian flag and a commemorative information card on each of their graves.

After our participation in the 2015 Coo-ee March Re-enactment, we spoke at a Coo-ee March 2015 Inc. (Gilgandra Sub-Committee) meeting about our plan to revisit the graves of the Coo-ees during the Centenary of Anzac period, and idea to also have a travelling wreath to rest on the grave of each Coo-ee.

The Committee provided one of the purple Coo-ee “badge” ribbons to go on our wreath, which had been created to be worn by the marchers during the Re-enactment in memory of the purple “badges” worn by the original Coo-ees during the 1915 Coo-ee March.

Wreath on Bill Hitchen's grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph: S. & H. Thompson)

Wreath on Bill Hitchen’s grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph: S. & H. Thompson)

After collecting our hire car at Heathrow Airport in London on 21st August 2016, we drove for 30 minutes to visit Bill Hitchen’s grave at Harefield (St. Mary) Churchyard. We laid the wreath against his headstone, and left an Australian flag and commemorative information card with a red poppy on his grave.

Commemorative card on Bill Hitchen's grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph: S. & H. Thompson)

Commemorative card on Bill Hitchen’s grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph: S. & H. Thompson)

 

Australian flag and commemorative card on Bill Hitchen's grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph S. & H. Thompson)

Australian flag and commemorative card on Bill Hitchen’s grave 26/8/2016 (Photograph S. & H. Thompson)

Over the next few weeks we will be visiting the graves of all the fallen Coo-ees who are buried in France, Belgium and England, and also the Menin Gate, V.C. Corner Australian Memorial, and Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, where the names of those Coo-ees who have no known grave are remembered. (Unfortunately we are not able to visit the grave of the Coo-ee buried in the Jerusalem War Cemetery, at least at this time).

On our return to Australia we will create an Honor Roll in memory of the fallen Coo-ees on this website.

 

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