
Here are the memories and stories people have submitted:
Thomas William Jones was born on New Year's Day 1890 in Wood Street Warwick Qld. He was the sixth son and last child of Susanah Jones (nee Groves) born Peckham Surrey December 18th 1848 and Frederick Jones born London 1845.
On the 11th May 1916, God and Country called Tom to enlist for service in World War 1.
Tom enlisted in Blackbutt but the enlistment address was changed from Blackbutt to Boswell Tce Manly. This is probably due to the fact that Tom's parents had recently retired to Manly in 1914 but he was still working in the Blackbutt region. In any case, his name is located on the Blackbutt Honour Roll and not the Manly Roll/Cenotaph. Tom was 26 years old when he enlisted on the 11th May 1916 and was a good horseman as he successfully joined the A.I.F. 5th Light Horse as a Light Horse Trooper. Upon enlistment, his height was 5'71/2", 120lbs (54.5 kgs), eyes brown, and hair black.
On the 30/4/1917 Tom arrived at the Suez Canal and was dispatched to the battlefront. Apart from trooper duties, Tom had been trained as a linesmen - that is the laying of telephone line for war communications. This task in itself proved to be very dangerous as a linesmen up a pole made an easy target for Turkish snipers. Tom recalled to his son that at times it was necessary to align the pole between him and the sniper. During the war, Tom was also a member of the divisional Anzac Band. Tom's 5th L.H. regiment was part of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade under the Anzac Mounted Division. The Anzac Mounted Division was one of two A.I.F. mounted divisions in the Middle East Campaign.
The other was the Australian Mounted Division.
Tom had joined the Anzac Mounted Division at the beginning of the Beersheba Campaign. This campaign lasted from August to early November 1917. Towards the end of October 1917 dwindling supplies of water demanded that the water wells at Beersheeba be taken at once.Without water, the whole Sinai-Palestine campaign would be halted perhaps for months, and the Gaza-Beersheeba line would remain unbroken. On the 29th to 31st October 1917 Tom's 5th Light Horse moved on to try and capture the Tel el Sakati, a formidable fortified hill behind Beersheba. Early on the 31st the 5th Queenslanders of the 2nd Brigade gave their horses nosebags and checked their equipment for mounted action. Many of the horses had not drunk for 36 hours. And there was a day of battle ahead in building heat. Later that morning, Ryrie commanding the 2nd Brigade charged Tel el Sakati. Ryrie wrote of the charge that morning, "The country was quite open and there was no cover so there was only one way to go at it. We raced across the open and soon the Turks started a barrage of shells but we never stopped. I think our sudden dash at them made the gunners shoot very wild. The Turkish prisoners all say they are terrified of the Australian cavalry." Tel el Sakati was eventually taken at 1p.m. The 2nd Brigade/5th Lighthorse was then reserved onto Beersheba itself from the rear. Earlier on the 31st, Australian General Sir H. G. Chauvel had been ordered to capture Beersheeba today, in order to secure water. Chauvel had other units available including British troops, but directed the 4th Brigade forward under the famous order - 'Put Grant straight at it',. History's last great mounted charge thus was hastily organised in an atmosphere of urgency.
'It was the bravest, most awe inspiring sight I've ever witnessed, and they were. . . yelling, swearing and shouting. There were more than 500 Aussie horsemen . . . As they thundered past my hair stood on end. The boys were wild-eyed and yelling their heads off'. Trooper Eric Elliott
Battle of Beersheba was Tom's first major campaign other's that followed were the successful third Battle of Gaza . Afterward they pursued the enemy as far as Jaffa. In March and again in April 1918, the division made major raids across the Jordan River. Finally, in August 1918, the Anzac Mounted Division participated in the final breakthrough and captured Amman in September 1918, capturing 10,300 prisoners in just nine days. Tom's personal stories reflected upon the time during one of the chargers when a bullet went through his saddle and burnt his backside. Once his horse was shot from underneath him and he used the carcass of the horse as a shield as he returned fire. He vividly recalled the thumping of the bullets into the horse. After the finish of the World War 1 Tom’s division at Rafa put down the Egyptian Rebellion. Tom complained that at the end of the war their horses had been destroyed, as they were ready to go home when the rebellion started leaving them to march to clean up the rebellion instead of riding. It should be remembered that disease was one of the main killers of the war. It was written,”From April 1916 to the end of the war, none had a record like the famous Anzac Mounted Division. They had been responsible for clearing the Sinai Peninsula; they had fought at Beersheba; they had been the first troops into the Jordan valley and the last to leave. For the final advance they had been in even poorer physical condition than the men in the Australian Mounted Division. So severe was disease that at the close of the campaign there were 900 stretcher cases. The war ended for Tom on the 3/8/1919 when he was demobbed. Medals awarded were the British War Medal, Victory Medal and Star. It was said that he suffered from stress anemia for the rest of his life.
Trevor Jones Jimboomba - 22 July 2000
My Grandfather,Arthur Albert Smith,from
Tas. served in the 11th Field Amb.in
France 1917-18.I am in the process of
reading up on times,places and following
his journey.Desperate times,sobering reading.Never Forget.
Tony Smith 45 Melbourne - 24 June 2000
Michael Francis Maddin served in WW1.
He served in the 3rd or 4th Machine Gun battalion. He returned to Australia because of poor vision. He died at 40 years of age, in a house fire near Tarong (Qld). In the rubble of the fire the investigating officers found one small tin box which contained, one pair of rosary beads and medals from WW1.
May God rest his soul.
Theresa.
theresa sheehan Brisbane - 30 April 2000
My grandfather, James Lawrence Maddin signed up in 1916. He served in WW1 in the 4th pioneers battlion on Western Front. He was wounded by Mustard Gas while he was fighting in Wimereux, France 1918. He was returned to Australia at the end of 1918.
His life was never the same. His physical and emotional condition left him a broken man.
He died in 1941 - May God rest his soul.
Love from his Grand-daughter,
Theresa.
Theresa 41 Brisbane - 28 April 2000
great website!!
lee cartwright 21 canberra - 16 April 2000
My father Cpl. Larry Bird 17bn was at the battle of Amiens. On the 8/8/1918 he led his section into battle , capturing 2 German Gun Posts, he then captured the third Gun Post on his own killing some of the enemy and capturing 23 Germans. He was awarded the Military Medal for his efforts. We are a Military family. My father served in both wars, I served in World War 11 and 14 years in the CMF afterwards. My eldest son a Military College graduate severd in Vietnam with the A.A.T.V. and retired a Lt. Col. My other son was a Sgt. in the Regular Army for 20 years. All in all we have served over 60 years between us.
Bird, Lawrence Russell 76 Sydney - 15 April 2000
i remember when we looked at the coats from 1918
louise simcock 10 dandenong - 18 March 2000
My grandfather, George Edward Oliver, fought in France during WW1. He was in the 5th Pioneers and received severe gunshot wounds, especially to his head (pinet) and legs. As if that wasn't enough, he was gassed as well. Surgeons in England inserted a steel plate in his head above the temple, which remained there for the rest of his life. In the breast pocket of his uniform he carried a small red New Testament that was evidently issued to all soldiers. When he was shot the bullet went through the Testament and came to rest in the very back cover. As a little girl I remember seeing the bullet in that bible. Pa said that the soldiers had to wade through mud up to their waist in the trenches in wintertime and snow on the battlefields that was nearly waist high also. We don't realize the terrible time they endured fighting for their country, for freedom and for us.
Mrs. Elayne Stanford Belgrave, Victoria - 13 March 2000
I enjoyed the presentation very much.
I visited Australia in 98 &
visited the museum.
It was an excellent experience.
Also have been to Beersheba & own a tape
of the Light Horsemen.
You should be extermely proud of your
Armed Services.
Good Luck & God Bless!
Harold Schnabel Furlong, PA-USA - 12 February 2000
I am very interested in obtaining information (battalion history) on the movements of the 12th/52nd battalion on/around Sept.1917. My grandfather Leo Farrell was in WWI....his unit was stationed at Hellfire Corner (Near Ypres) they were just coming off duty and about to return to set up Billet (about 5km behind the frontline), my grandfather and 5 other soldiers were sent back ahead of the unit to set up. Halfway between billets and front was a "YMCA cafe"..they stopped here for a cup of tea and were sitting around in a circle chatting when a german plane flew overhead,reconnaisance planes were a common sight, although this plane released a bomb that landed in the middle of their group killing 3 of the 6 soldiers. When Leo came to, he found himself buried under rubble and worked his way out and his first instinct was to stand up and immediately collapsed. Metal fragments had entered and ripped across both upper thighs, his chest and back. Amazingly he was one of the lucky ones...he managed to survive and imprint fond memories on all who knew him. One of his best mates was a "Nick Carter" from WA probably enlisted in 12th. Fate/whereabouts unknown.
Lisa Farrell 34 Melbourne - 06 February 2000
Lisa, The Memorial's Research Centre (info@awm.gov.au) holds the WW1 Unit War Diaries plus the published unit history "52nd Battalion, Australian Imperial Force", both should give you additional information.
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