From Darwin to Dardanelles by Christine Collins

From n i w Dar To s e l l e n a d r a D By Christine Collins

From Darwin

To Dardanelles By Christine Collins

Written and Published By Christine Collins Darwin, 2015. Copyright ÂŠ Christine Collins, 2015.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Every effort has been made to trace and contact copyright holders. If there are any inadvertent omissions it is asked that you contact me to correct any oversight as soon as possible. Christine Collins Moil Primary School Lanyon Terrace, Moil, Darwin, Northern Territory, Austalia. 0810

Written with the assistance of: Northern Territory Government Department Veteran Affairs Moil Primary School, Moil NT. This book is supplemented by a website for schools: www.darwintodardanelles.com

ISBN 9780646940526

Previous page: Fort Hill and the Residency 1887.

Contents Part 1.................................1

Part 2................................55

1. Darwin .........................................4

28. Going Ashore............................58

2. Port Darwin..................................5

29. The First Day.............................60

3. A Dangerous Wharf.....................6

30. Robert Bousfield.......................63

4. Living in Palmerston....................7

31. Patrick Holmes..........................65

5. Gold Rush......................................9

32. Walter Styles.............................66

6. Alfred Pott..................................11

33. Brisbane....................................67

7. Pearl Divers................................12

34. Enoggera, Brisbane..................68

8. The Opium Trade.......................13

35. Leaving Brisbane......................71

9. Gertrude Pott.............................14

36. Leaving Sydney.........................72

10. Cyclone.....................................16

37. Darwin Red Cross.....................73

11. School Time..............................18

38. Egypt..........................................75

12. Bravery.....................................20

39. August Offensive......................76

13. Sports.......................................22

40. Prisoner of War........................77

14. The Accident.............................24

41. Lemnos......................................79

15. Working in Darwin...................26

42. Arrival at Gallipoli.....................80

16. Cable Guard.............................30

43. The Food....................................82

17. Croc Catchers..........................31

44. Routines....................................84

18. Cool Under Pressure................33

45. Gallipoli Trots............................85

19. War Declared...........................34

46. Enlistment Continues...............86

20. Early Leavers............................35

47. Wanted - Men............................87

21. Still Waiting..............................37

48. Relaxing the Rules ...................88

22. Indignation Meeting................38

49. Keeping in Touch......................89

23. Townsville Invitation................39

50. Sniper........................................89

24. Official Contingent...................42

51. Llewellyn Downing.....................89

25. Men Who Enlisted....................45

52. Snow..........................................92

26. The Smoke Social.....................46

53. The Dug Out..............................94

27. Goodbye to Friends..................48

54. Jaundice.....................................95

Contents 55. E.H.R..........................................98

Part 4..............................133

56. NT Medical Staff.......................99

78. Back in Australia ....................134

57. Christmas................................100

79. Waiting ...................................135

58. Catching up.............................101

80. Still Waiting .............................136

Part 3..............................103

81. One Year On ...........................137

59. Arriving in France ..................107

82. Two Years Later .....................139

60. Training...................................108

83. Time Passes............................140

61. Armentieres............................110

84. Never Ending Grief.................142

62. Harry’s Letter..........................111

85. Brisbane..................................145

63. Darwin Red Cross...................112

86. Canberra.................................146

64. First Commemoration............113

87. Gallipoli....................................147

65. Lewis........................................114

88. Pozieres...................................148

66. Wedding, Funeral....................115

89. Villers Bretonneux..................149

67. Planes......................................116

90. Belgium………………………….150

68. Moving On...............................117

91. Darwin.....................................151

69. Pozieres...................................118

92. Moil..........................................152

70. Getting Ready.........................119 71. The Attack...............................120 72. Waiting....................................122 73. No Man’s Land........................124 74. Hell on Earth...........................126 75. Hospital...................................128 76. Death.......................................129 77. Burial.......................................130

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Harry Pottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relatives for providing information about Harry and enabling his story to be written.

Above: Unveiling the soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monument, 1918. Opposite page, left: ANZAC Day Service, 1935. Below: Cenotaph after Japanese air raids, 1942. Opposite page: Wreath on Anzac Day 1937.

This is the true story of Harry Bunce Pott. He grew up in Darwin and went to the Great War in 1915. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t win special medals or progress through the military ranks. His photo doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hang in the galleries at the Australian War Memorial, among soldiers who were awarded Victorian Crosses. He was simply a son, a brother and a friend of many people from Darwin. He was an ordinary man who was placed in extraordinary circumstances, where he and his mates felt duty-bound to participate. Darwin was a small, tight-knit community in the early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and it provided strong support to Harry and the other men while they were overseas. Harry was never to return to Darwin. He was never to marry, nor have children. It is because he has no direct descendants that it is even more important to keep his story alive. Harry needs to be remembered for his sacrifice for his country, which he genuinely believed he was making for Australia. He represents all the brave men who came from the Northern Territory - and there were many. Harry is an unsung hero.

Above: Smith Street, Darwin 1915. Right: View of Palmerston from Fort Hill. 1887. Pages 2, 3: Map: Town of Darwin 1915.

1915

In 1892, Harry Bunce Pott arrived in Port Darwin as a baby. Dangers at Sea Harry was only four months old when his Mother, Mrs Gertrude Pott, returned with he and his older brother, William from Brisbane. They had travelled on the steamer, ‘Menmuir’ up the East coast of Queensland, across the Gulf of Carpentaria and west through the Arafura Sea to Port Darwin. The arduous journey of 51 days during the tropical wet season was difficult for the young Mother and her two small children. But Gertrude had no choice. Travel by sea was the only means of transport to reach the remote colony of Palmerston, as Darwin was then called. There were no roads or cars, no railways or aeroplanes, not even radio contact with the distant town.

The Menmuir

Epidemic in Palmerston Gertrude Emily Cooke had made the long journey more than once before she was married. She had travelled to Palmerston in 1888 to visit Alfred Pott. Within a few months, they had married at the local Wesleyan Church.

The ocean voyage was not without its dangers, especially when navigating through the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast. Just six months earlier, the schooner, ‘Harrier’ had shipwrecked on the reef near Cooktown. Luckily, all on board were saved. But not all ships were so lucky. In February 1875, the steamer, ‘Gothenburg’ departed Darwin, only to sink off the Queensland coast near Townsville.

Gertrude gave birth to her first born son in Palmerston at the local hospital but three months before Harry was due to be born, she decided to travel to Brisbane for the event. A highly contagious measles epidemic was rife in Palmerston and it would very likely have killed a newborn infant if she had stayed.

A cyclone had caused it to run aground on a reef. The vessel sank, killing 102 people, including all the women and children aboard, as well as many notable public figures, such as Doctor Millner and Judge Wearing. Only 22 survivors were rescued.

So Gertrude travelled to Brisbane, where both she and her husband, Alfred, had family. Gertrude’s sister was married to Alfred’s brother, so she was able to stay with them for Harry’s birth and first few months of his life.

“During bad weather it was impossible to stay on deck. A young child would easily be swept overboard. The cabin entrance was covered by a tarpaulin and below deck, the air is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. It is also stale and suffocating. It was too dark to read as the lamp does not burn in the foul air. When you lie down, you are tossed back and forth ‘like a pea in a football’. Seasickness tends to deaden your senses but the continual pitching makes it impossible to sleep. Every now and again there is a terrible crash that throws you out of your bunk and you land on the floor with a heavy bag on your stomach and a teapot in your eye. It makes you wonder why you were such a fool as to go to sea.”

The ‘Menmuir’ docked at the Port Darwin wharf. Gertrude carefully traversed her way along the wharf to the mainland. Her long skirt and petticoats were the fashion at the time but made it cumbersome to walk on the wharf, especially while she was holding baby Harry in her arms and keeping a watchful eye on her active two year old. In the wet season, the wharf was wet and slippery. It was known to be dangerous because it had been weakened by the ‘torpedo’ mollusc, and there were many gaps in the walkway.

It had only been a few years since her husband, Alfred, had actually fallen through the walkway one night and into the water below the wharf. Alfred couldn’t swim and he was lucky to escape with his life. He had clung to a pylon under the jetty, among the crocodiles and sea wasps, until he has able to catch the attention of a passing boat and be rescued. He hadn’t been the first to fall from the decrepit structure.

3 views of the old jetty, Port Darwin,

Few passengers made the arduous trip at that time of year, so Gertrude had little company or help with the children. She was relieved to be back in her own home with her husband and children.

Harry grew up in the remote colony of Palmerston, which was a small settlement of about 1,000 people. He lived with his family in a modest house on Smith Street. It was a simple, low-set, wooden home, with an iron roof. Bamboo latticed verandahs allowed the air to flow through to keep it cooler in the hot, tropical weather.

Nearby were many businesses, including the post office, town hall, court house, the railway station and workshop, three hotels, two banks, a newsagent, several Chinese and European shops, several boarding houses, a convent school, a public school and many residences.

There was no electricity, so there were no conveniences such as air conditioners, fridges or lighting. A factory on Mitchell Street made ice, which people bought to keep their food cool.

A little further away from the central business district was the hospital overlooking Doctor’s Gully. To the west were the Botanic Gardens and north of the town was the racecourse, a rifle range and market gardens. Tennis courts and an oval with a grandstand were situated on the Esplanade. People routinely called the town ‘Darwin’, as in Port Darwin, but it wasn’t until 1911 that the town officially changed its name to Darwin.

Palmerston was a thriving community, governed by the state of South Australia. An Administrator was appointed to manage the local affairs and lived in the most impressive building of the town - Government House.

Typical house in Darwin in the early 1900’s. 7

Above: House on Smith Street, Darwin. Below: Inside a typical house in Darwin, on the verandah. Above right: Cavanagh Street, 1915. Right: Zapopan Gold Mine, Brocks Creek. 1911. Below right: Chinese panning at Pine Creek.

Aside from Harry’s English parents, there were many different cultural groups in Darwin. The Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin was completed in 1872 and British Australian Telegraph (BAT) employees were sent to Darwin to manage it. During the building of the telegraph line, gold was discovered. An influx of immigrants from the United Kingdom and China caught ‘gold fever’ and arrived to try their luck at the Pine Creek and Yam Creek gold fields, a few hours south of Darwin. There were many Japanese, Timorese, Filipino and Indonesians who worked on local fishing and pearling boats. The cattle industry was in its infancy and many southerners came north to try and establish pastoral leases. Others were enticed to work on experimental farms where sugar, tobacco and sisal struggled to be successfully grown in the tropical climate. Several English families, including the Pott family, called Darwin home and established the small businesses and services in the town. 9

1871 Vestibulume ,semper enim non eros.

Landing the sub-marine telegraph cabl

Above: Testing submarine cable near the telegraph office.

Belle of South Esk

Harry’s Father, Alfred, first learned of Palmerston in the early 1880’s when he arrived as a mate on the ship, ‘Belle of South Esk’. The ship carried passengers between England and Singapore and regularly stopped enroute at Palmerston. It was eventually decommissioned to Thursday Island where it was used as a storage hulk before it was finally sailed to Port Darwin in the mid-1880s. Alfred accompanied Captain Gay on the journey to Palmerston, when the town had only been in existence for about ten years. For the next three years, Captain Gay and Alfred Pott were based in Palmerston and both enjoyed the freedom and opportunities that the small town offered.

The opportunity soon presented itself. At the time, the pearling industry was growing and Alfred believed that large profits could be made. Alfred, always the smart businessman, sold the hotel. He then bought a pearling boat, ‘Midge’, as part of a syndicate of Darwin business men, including Captain Mugg. The business was called ‘Pott, Mugg and Company’. Japanese and Maccassan divers willingly donned canvas diving suits and heavy bronze helmets, and plunged deep into the ocean in pursuit of the prized pearls. Mr Pott manned the air pump for the divers while they were underwater. It was dangerous work and in 1894 one of his divers, Sisto, drowned. During the incident, Sisto went underwater to 4½ fathoms (about 8 metres). He twice signalled for air by tugging on the air hose. After that, he remained quiet for a prolonged time. Mr Pott became worried and hauled him up. After removing his helmet, Sisto was found to be unconscious. Mr Pott resuscitated him but he did not regain consciousness.

In April 1888, Captain Gay retired and Alfred was appointed commander of the ship. He soon organised major repairs to the ‘Belle’ and then sold her. He traded his seafaring ways for the role of publican at the Palmerston Club Hotel on Mitchell Street, with the assistance of his new wife, Gertrude. The venture didn’t last long. After only a year, Alfred was longing to be back working on the ocean.

There was an inquest into the cause of Sisto’s death. Justice Dashwood found that Sisto had complained of feeling unwell earlier in the week. His theory was that “…he was very weak in either the heart or lungs, and that one or other of these organs suspended operations from even the slight excess of pressure that his work entailed.” The local divers from other boats had a different theory. They told stories about a giant Tiger Shark that had been swimming around them while they had been collecting pearl shell. The divers said that the fear of sharks was greater than the fear of being gripped by a large octopus. They believed that the shark had something to do with Sisto’s death. Although an open verdict was returned, Sisto was the first diver from Port Darwin to die. Justice Dashwood issued a caution to pearl boats - that it should not happen again. Unfortunately, this would not be the case. Mr Pott was not found negligent but he never fully recovered from the incident. Diver, r. Darwin Harbou

12 12

By 1896, the pearling industry was in decline . At the time, the Northern Territory was a major exporter of gold, pearl shell, turtle shells, cattle, horses and fish. One of the imports to Australia was opium and new rules had been issued in Port Darwin. All imported opium cargo needed to be inspected and stamped to ensure that the correct duty was paid. Often Chinese importers tried to avoid the tax.

Alfred Pott

Once, Alfred made a significant discovery on the ‘Aldenham’. After hearing noises at 2 am in the morning, Alfred snuck onto the ship and spied men through a keyhole to the bar room. He decided that ‘something mysterious’ was happening that warranted further investigation. He called the chief officer who unlocked the door. Inside they found several Chinese men wrapping up tins of opium into neat brown paper covered parcels. The parcels each concealed ten tins, ready to be ‘spirited ashore’ to secretly avoid the tax.

Mr Pott moved to a more secure position with the Trade and Customs Office. The work still involved the sea but now Mr Pott inspected boats that were arriving and departing Port Darwin. He ensured that there were no illegal immigrants or prohibited cargo on the ships. He once discovered four Chinese stowaways on a steamer from Hong Kong and had to go to court to give evidence against them.

Through his detective work, Alfred was able to seize 79 tins of opium as well as a quantity of cash that was to be payment for getting the opium to shore.

Gertrude Pott was the full-time carer for her active boys but always managed to find time to join local committees and help run events such as fetes, dances and theatrical performances. She was only too willing to assist others in the small, tightly knit community and had many lifelong friends Darwin. Solomon and Griffiths were in the lead. As the running totals were read out, they “drew forth hearty cheers” because it was apparent they would be the successful members returned to the South Australian House of Assembly. The supporters of Mr Finniss believed that the “Finnissites had ratted” at the last minute. For the first time, the votes from Mrs Pott and other women helped decide the results.

In 1894, Mrs Pott gave birth to her third child, Eric. This time, Gertrude elected to stay in Palmerston. Hospital facilities had improved since the days of overcrowding and poor facilities. There was now a women’s section and staff had been employed to maintain the cleanliness of the wards. Gertrude was one of the first women in Australia to vote. In 1894, South Australia became the first state to allow women the right to vote. The rules were that women had to be 21 or over and either own property, or live in a house valued at 25 pounds or more. They also had to be registered for six months prior to an election. There were 72 eligible women in the Northern Territory, with 58 from Palmerston. Mrs Pott was one of the women who registered in 1895. In 1896, South Australia called an election, with voting to be held in the Northern Territory on Saturday 2 May 1896. “Much anxiety was displayed at the women’s vote” and how it could affect the elections. Mr Vaiben Solomon, Mr Walter Griffiths and Mr Fred Finniss were the contenders in the Northern Territory.

At the time, the question was asked in the local newspaper, “When, by the way, are the Chinese to be given a vote?” It had not yet occurred to residents to also ask the question, “When will Indigenous people be given a vote?” It would be another 66 years before Indigenous men and women would be fully entitled to vote as Australian citizens and 78 years before any Indigenous person from the Northern Territory would enter parliament.

On the morning of the elections in Palmerston, the candidates displayed signs on buggies decorated with flags. The first voter was a woman and by the end of the day, all but five eligible people had voted and there were few ‘plumpers’ (informal votes). The results from the Alice Springs area and other towns were wired up along the Overland Telegraph Line.

Above: Election Day, Adelaide, 25.4.1896. The first time Australian women voted.

Right: Mrs Gertrude Pott

January 1897 Harry was only five years old when the big cyclone hit. It was the worst disaster ever to strike the fledgling settlement of Palmerston. Harry and his family were lucky to survive because buildings were not built to withstand severe cyclones. The pelting rain did not drown out the howling of the wind as it tore the small town to shreds.

Above: Victoria Hotel, Smith Street, Darwin after the cyclone.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is impossible to describe the total state of ruin and devastation that exists in the city of Palmerston. The distress among the residents is simply appalling, and many people are absolutely ruined by the terrible cyclone. Ten people have been killed when their homes collapsed and many people are missing. An earthquake struck before the cyclone and caused much of the damage. The large cyclone lasted four hours. Nearly every building has been destroyed and every boat in the harbour has been sunk or washed away. Trees have been uprooted and the railway line has been destroyed.â&#x20AC;? (NT News & Gazette)

Leaving, January 1897 The Pottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house was very badly damaged and the young family could not live in it. Additionally, the wet season made it impossible to reside in Palmerston without shelter. The jetty was now so dangerous that it was on the verge of collapse. It needed to be permanently closed and a new structure built. The threat of disease quickly emerged, with dysentery, beri-beri and pneumonia spreading among the local population.

Damage to Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mart, Darwin, 1897.

Returning, March 1898 When the Mrs Pott finally returned to Darwin, it was with her four children, William, Harry, Eric and Florence. Florence was nearly one year old before she was finally able to meet her Father for the first time. With their home finally repaired, the family once again resumed their life in Palmerston together.

There was no choice for the Pott family but to leave Darwin. Mrs Pott once again embarked on the arduous voyage south, but this time to relatives in Adelaide. Gertrude made the unwelcome journey with her three energetic boys while she was eight months pregnant. She hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t planned to leave Palmerston at such a late stage of her pregnancy but there was no other option. Alfred Pott felt obliged to stay and help clean up the mess, repair the town and rebuild his house ready for the return of his expanding family.

Above and left: P.R. Allen & Co. damage to residence.

Harry was six when he returned to Darwin and it was legally time for him to go to school. On occasion, fancy dress parades were May 1898 Palmerston Public School had been totally arranged. Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mother would sew different destroyed by the cyclone and the students had costumes for each of her children. It was an missed all of the previous year of schooling, as impressive event - photos were taken, the local well as the first term of 1898. Public pressure newspaper reported on the events and had ensured that a new school building was sometimes the parades were hosted by local dignitaries. The children dressed up as a range rebuilt as a priority. of characters, including sailors, clowns and By May, the school teacher, Mrs Pett, had fairies. returned from Adelaide to resume teaching the students. She had been the teacher at the school At one event, William Pott dressed up as the for the past ten years. Mrs Pett was a strict but NT Times, Eric was a Swiss mountaineer, Flo fair teacher. Young Harry worked hard and, was Little Bo-Peep and Harry was a night each year, Mrs Pett entered his schoolwork into watchman. Another time, Harry dressed up as the local show. Over the years, Harry won a veteran soldier. Perhaps even at a young age, several age prizes for his school work, Harry was interested in soldiers and military including for his handwriting, mapping, essay life. It would only be about ten years later, that writing and artwork. Mrs Pett regularly nearly half those same school children would organised school concerts for the children. experience a beloved brother or father leaving Harry recited poems and sang songs to for military service. One in ten of the school children would go to war and half of these boys admiring parents. would not return. Below: Fancy Dress 1095. Harry 3rd row, right.

Above: Darwin Public School, 1930. Below: Students at school, 1905. Mrs Pett, far right.

The Fort Hill Baths were a popular swimming place in Palmerston. Although the baths were enclosed, they were subject to the tides. He realised that they would both drown if someone didn’t help them immediately. He looked around but there was no one else to assist but him. Harry was not a strong swimmer himself but he carefully edged along the rails of the baths. He reached out and just managed to grab hold of some of Hannah’s dress material within reach. He gripped her dress firmly and dragged the sodden girl along the side of the baths, towards shallow water. The weight of the girl in her wet costume was almost beyond his ability and Harry was unsure whether he could save her in time. He jumped into the shallow water to continue hauling her motionless form towards the beach. She lay helpless and Harry was unsure of what to do. Fetch the doctor? Find his Father?

The water could rapidly increase in depth and undertows were common. In fact, many people had drowned in baths around Australia. In 1905, men and women preferred to swim separately so swimming was segregated for modesty’s sake. Girls wore full bathing costumes from neck to ankles, made of material that was heavy and awkward once waterlogged. It was rare that any girls of the time could swim. Modesty was of more concern than costumes designed for efficient swimming.

Suddenly, her pale face screwed up as she gasped and then coughed. Hannah retched up sea water that she had swallowed. She held her stomach in pain and then began to cry. Hannah was alive! Ethel had also managed to struggle to shore behind Harry, forlorn and exhausted. She was sobbing in distress, having also swallowed large amounts of sea water but she too, had survived. Both girls were alive!

May 1905 One afternoon, two teenage girls, Miss Hannah Trenam and Miss Ethel Freeman, were in the baths and decided to walk across the pool. It was high tide and the water was fairly deep. Hannah suddenly found herself out of her depth and, in panic, grabbed Ethel’s arm. They both sank under water. The girls tried to surface, scrambling over each other for air. No sooner had they surfaced, when down they quickly sank again to the bottom of the baths, weighted down by their wet swimming costumes. They were “half filled with sea water and on the point of drowning” when Harry noticed what was happening.

Harry had saved them from drowning. It was reported to the newspaper and someone later suggested that Harry should be nominated for a bravery award. It did indeed show the courage that Harry possessed, even as a 13 year old boy.

Lameroo Bat hs, Darwin.

Many of the local boys enjoyed sports, particularly cricket. 1908 - 1911 Both Harry and his brother William played for the local cricket team, as well as several of their school friends, including Monte Byrne, Jimmy Cain, Willie Allen, Charles Lloyd Herbert and Vernon Lanyon. Willie was a promising young Indigenous player, who was employed as a gardener by Charles’ Father, the local judge. The team played and won many matches against other local teams.

Harry over the years. Harry displayed a natural ability to shoot targets accurately and when he had just turned 18, he won his first club trophy. A year later, in April 1910, Louis won the competition. Just one month later, they tied for first place but, as Harry’s last shot was a bullseye, Harry was declared the winner and Louis second place. In November of the same year, Louis scored the highest average over all the range competitions, whereas Harry won a prize for the best shooting for the day.

Harry also participated in athletics, competing against another of his friends, William Budgen. Cycling was popular with his friend, Percy Spain. As the boys grew older, the Pott, Budgen, Cain and Spain brothers contested each other in billiards tournaments. Willie later played football with the ‘Waratahs’ where he was described as a very good goal keeper.

The following year, the competition was an even tighter between Harry, Louis and another man, Harry Iliffe, a 48 year old locomotive driver. The competitors, Willie Allen, Eric Pott and Leslie Giles were out of the running. At the close of the day, Mr Iliffe and Harry had exactly the same scores for the season. Mr Iliffe finally won the competition with his the last shot. Although Harry came second for the championship trophy, the club presented him a watch as a prize for his valiant efforts.

Above all, Harry loved rifle shooting. Harry’s Father, Alfred, had been a member of the Palmerston Rifle Club for many years and had even been elected as club secretary and treasurer in 1906. William and Harry became members of the club when they were old enough. Willie Allen and Vernon Lanyon were also regular competitors. Many fathers and sons participated in shooting events, including the Cain, Budgen, Stretton and Williams families.

Darwin men, 1920.

It was Louis Williams who often provided the stiffest competition for 22

Above: Port Darwin Cricket Club, 1930. Below: Open day Palmerston Rifle Club 1881.

One day, Harry and his shooting companion, Louis Williams, went on a hunting trip in bush land outside of Darwin. It was not long before they spied a kangaroo through the undergrowth. They both aimed. Louis squeezed his trigger first and the kangaroo dropped to the ground, killed instantly. Harry was some distance away but unfortunately, was in the line of Louis’ rifle fire. Several pellets from Louis’ rifle had ricocheted and lodged in Harry’s ankle. Harry fell to the ground in pain, clutching his leg. He yelled to Williams for help. His leg was bleeding and his ankle was swelling. The wound was very painful but Harry had no choice but to limp out from the remote location to their horse-drawn buggy for the ride back to Darwin. The trip home was uncomfortable for Harry because the tracks were rough. Harry’s ankle jolted and jarred with each bounce of the buggy. Doctor Strangman visited Harry at his house and removed the lead shot from his leg. Harry was left with a scar, a shot mark across his left shin. It was a permanent reminder of a rifle’s ability to injure and harm. It was also an important experience of trusting his mate to rescue him in his time of need.

Darwin Hospital staff, 1911.

Above: Government Resident Gilruth and staff of Darwin Hospital, at Government House. Dr J. A. Gilruth (seated). Back row: Dr Cecil Strangman, 1910. Below: Darwin Public Hospital, 1878.

When Harry left school, he worked as a grocer for Edwin Luxton and Company, which was a longstanding supplier of goods in Darwin.

Darwin Railways After 4½ years with Edwin Luxton and Company, Harry joined the railway and worked as a porter.

A. E. Jolly and Co., Darwin, 1930.

The business sold groceries, ironmongery, stationery, drapery, animal fodder and liquor from their shop on Smith Street. In 1913, Harry was 21, which was old enough to apply for a licence to allow him to sell the liquor. Harry knew many of the local people who worked in other Darwin businesses. Mrs Spain, Percy’s Mother, owned the newsagent, while Percy Spain had a plumbing apprenticeship with Mr Petersen. Sid Greenwood owned the local barber shop. Fred Thornton worked in the butcher shop. Sid Lauder was a telegraph assistant at the telegraph office on Mitchell Street where his sister’s fiancée, Claude William Brown, also worked. Charles Herbert was a clerk and civil servant, while Charles’ Father was the local judge. Willie Allen was the gardener for Justice Herbert, while his school friend, Monte Byrne, went south to work as a stockman at Brocks Creek. John Scales, the softly spoken Englishman, worked at the ice works. These men and many more would soon leave their respective jobs, many never to return. 1917

The railway was a major employer of men in Darwin. The railways first opened in 1889 to service the towns south of Darwin during the gold rush. From Darwin to Pine Creek, the railways transported both passengers and freight. Vestey’s Meatworks used the railways to transport livestock to the factory in Darwin, as well as to the port at Stokes Hill. The maintenance of the trains was conducted at two workshops in Darwin, one near the port and another at the 2½ mile in Paraparap (nowadays called Parap). The workshops employed many men. Will Budgen was an apprentice fitter and turner at the railway workshops. Patrick Holmes and the outspoken Scotsman, Bob Butters, were both employed as engineers at the 2½ mile.

Right: Palmerston Club Hotel, 1920. Below: Inside A.E. Jolly’s store, 1930. Bottom: Vestey’s Meat Works, 1910.

Above: Workshop, Public Works Department, Darwin, 1914. Below: Brocks Creek Station, 1912.

Above: Darwin Railway Station, 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Below: Workshop, Cavanagh Street, Darwin, 1915.

In 1913, Harry joined the newly formed Cable Guard and his new title was Corporal Pott. The job of the Cable Guard was to protect the telegraph station from any possible threat. The Overland Telegraph Line ran between Adelaide and Darwin, under the ocean to Java in Indonesia and then on to London. It was the most important communication link between Australia and the rest of the world. The Commonwealth Government believed that the possible threat of German interference was strong enough to form the Cable Guard to protect it.

Harry had known Vernon Lanyon since they were boys. As well as playing cricket together, Vernon knew Harry’s Father Captain Robert Lewis, 1914. through his work as a clerk for a local shipping company. Vernon also was part of the local Dramatic and Musical Society.

Captain Robert Lewis was in charge of its operation. He was born in Ireland, older than the other men and had recently arrived from Thursday Island to establish the Cable Guard. He came with his wife, Gertrude, who was employed at Darwin hospital as a nurse. Robert’s experience in the Boer War in South Africa, meant that he had many amusing stories to tell. He was an expert rifleman who was well respected. He coached the men as they practised shooting at the rifle range, in his distinct Scottish accent.

Leslie Giles was the son of Alfred Giles, who well known for his property ‘Springvale’ on the Katherine River and his pioneering work as a surveyor for the Overland Telegraph Line. Leslie’s older brother, Felix, was in Adelaide, training to be an electrical engineer. Both Leslie and Felix were men from the land, who were down-to-earth with an easy going nature. Leslie was a fine shot with a rifle and often rivalled Harry in shooting competitions.

Those Who Joined. Several other local men joined the Cable Guard, including Captain Julian O’Sullivan, Mr Sidney Lauder, Private Vernon Lanyon, Mr Leslie Giles and Mr Willie Allen. The men trained and socialised together, becoming a united team despite being from very different backgrounds.

Exercises The Cable Guard conducted regular practice sessions, including at night. As part of their first night exercise, a small group of invaders role-played landing by canoe at Doctor’s Gully and destroying a wireless station. The second group, led by Harry, counterattacked and successfully overcame the imaginary enemy by 10 pm. The shots and shouts were heard by a local resident who was unaware of the proceedings and demanded that the police be fetched to investigate the shooting.

Sid Lauder was a telegram messenger but was better known for playing in the Darwin Brass Band. He was only 15 years old when he joined the Cable Guard but he enjoyed the company of the older men and aspired to be like them.

The Larrakia people had warned local people about ‘Dulyjimba’, meaning ‘iron wood head’. It had prowled Mindil Beach, ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. The very large crocodile had already taken entire catches of fish from fish traps at high tide. One Chinese fisherman described the length of the monster as “all same sampan”. It had torn 755 yards of wire netting from his boat. One night the alarm was raised and two member of the Cable Guard spotted a crocodile. They shot it, to the relief of the local people. The next morning, crowds of people visited the crocodile and inspected the array of items it had eaten, including lengths of wire rope, tins of bully beef, a shark hook and half a pig. However, the crocodile that had been shot was not Dulyjimba, the monster that had been terrorising Mindil Beach. Dulyjimba was bigger. Even though the Cable Guard had made Mindil Beach safer, the monster crocodile was still on the loose.

They observed that the Cable Guard was enthusiastic and orderly, especially considering they were volunteers who paid their own train fares for the camp. Other members of the public were less generous. They queried how the Cable Guard would actually protect the town of Darwin if a German battleship should enter the harbour. It was thought that trying to shoot at a German invasion would highly likely result in the deaths of women and children. A sarcastic suggestion made was that if worst came to worst, a compromise with the enemy should be made, where control was simply handed over and terms for their ransom negotiated with the government.

A few months later, the Cable Guard caught a train to the Elizabeth River Bridge, where they camped for two nights. The camp was set up on the river banks. The group was inspected by Major Evans, from the Australian Intelligence Corps, Administrator Gilruth and an accompanying party of officials.

Top: Darwin Rifle Club, 1920. Above: March past Darwin Post Office by WW1 men. Below: Cable Guard volunteers, 1914. Harry Pott, front right.

It was the Rifle Shooting Championships of 1913 and all of the men from the Cable Guard were competing. The competition was fiercely contested and the standard of shooting was high. There was no shout of encouragement. Shooting was a silent competition but the tension in the air was palpable. The shooter had to maintain concentration. Harry fired again. 14 bullseyes! The crowd sighed with relief. One shot to go. Harry aimed, every muscle and nerve under control. “Bullseye!” shouted the scorer. 15 bullseyes in a row! All the nervous tension was released as the crowd cheered for Harry. What an amazing score!

The contest began ordinarily enough, with Harry ranked seventh in the field. The bullseye was set 600 yards away, which was a good test of skill and nerve. It was a long distance and difficult to be consistently accurate over the 15 rounds of the competition. The weather conditions on the day were ideal for shooting, being a fine day with slight winds. Harry began Round 1 of the competition with a bullseye. He held his nerve as the other competitors took their turns.

The newspaper reported, “Anyone can fire a gun, but it takes a mighty fine shot to get 15 consecutive bullseyes from 600 yards. We may never see such clean shooting again.” It was Harry’s day that day. He was the champion without a doubt!

On the second round, Harry achieved another bullseye. Then another. Twelve bulleyes in a row! Three rounds in the competition were left. Would Harry miss a shot? He had missed it two years ago and achieved only second place. The crowd had now stopped to watch the incredible spectacle that was unfolding. This was shooting of the highest skill. Everyone held their breath. Harry shot again. 13 bullseyes!

July 1914 War was declared in Europe. Austria – Hungary was at war with Serbia after the assassination of their king and queen. Everyone in Australia was concerned. Residents of Darwin were also anxious. The Commonwealth Government had offered to assist England in the war against Germany and 20,000 troops were offered to go overseas. Men from the Cable Guard discussed enlisting. Captain Lewis declared his plans to depart as soon as he was officially permitted. Unfortunately, the men from Darwin were directed by the Administrator to stay in Darwin.

Meanwhile, the “dreadful cloud of war loomed intensely black.” By mid-August, the London Stock Exchange had closed indefinitely, an event that had never occurred before. It signalled that investors were not willing to invest in the fragile economies of Europe. The British Government asked their parliament for one billion pounds for the war effort. Russia mobilised their large army. Germany challenged Russia to battle saying, “We will show our enemies what it means to attack Germany.” The Germans cut all French railways and travel then began their advance into Belgium and France. Fierce fighting had quickly started.

The Commonwealth Government considered that Darwin was a remote, yet strategic outpost. It believed that if men from Darwin enlisted, there would not be enough European men left to protect the town and the telegraph cable. It was the era of the ‘White Australia Policy’ and the multi-cultural community of Darwin was considered to be a threat to white Australia if too many European men enlisted. The Commonwealth didn’t seem to realise that the Chinese population in Darwin had outnumbered the European numbers since the gold rush.

In Australia, volunteer applications were flocking in, with the majority of men having South African experience from the Boer War. Governor Galway of South Australia said, “It is unthinkable that a small power like Serbia…should bring the whole of Europe into war.” The Australian Prime Minister, Joseph Cook, stated, “If the Old Country is at war, so are we.” The British Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, said, “We are going to suffer terribly in this war.” All of these leaders had predicted events accurately. 34

Lieutenant Patrick Holmes was the first to volunteer to join the war from Darwin. August 1914 He did not wait to be officially called up in Australia. He left his job with the railway in Darwin to depart by ship for England. Patrick was a humorous Englishman who was over six feet tall and full of larrikin spirit. Only a few months earlier, he had competed in local boxing tournaments against a man called Douglas. It was memorable because it had poured rained prior to the event. As a result, the competitors slipped and slid in the water at the stadium during the competitions. In the match between Patrick and Douglas, there was confusion about the number of rounds. Firstly, Douglas was awarded the medal, then Patrick. Finally, it was decided that both of the men would receive a medal.

children and it was unknown why he left his wife to go to Australia. By 1913, he had arrived in Darwin and by 1914, the circumstances of war had caused him to leave. Farewell Pipes A large gathering of people attended the Victoria Hotel to say farewell. The proceedings were the first of many to be conducted and included formal speeches, singing and toasts. Lieutenant Holmes was presented with a couple of “the best tobacco pipes procurable in Darwin, as a mark of the esteem in which their guest was held by his mates at the 2 ½ mile railway workshops.” Patrick responded to the crowd in a heartfelt manner, mentioning the strong characteristics of Australian people and the many friends he had made. While smoking the pipes, he said he would cherish the fond memories of those friendships. He also said he would like to smoke ‘the pipe of peace’ when overseas.

Although Patrick had only been in Darwin for a year, he had made many friends. However, no one from Darwin really knew much about the tall, intelligent Englishman. Patrick was 34 years old when he volunteered for service. He had emigrated from England, where he had Patrick left on the 22 August 1914 on the S.S. also been known as Edward or Lionel and was Mataram, bound for Singapore. Perhaps he still went to England but he did not end up enlisting the youngest of four children. there. When he was a child, his family had travelled around the world, from India, to Canada and He made his way to then back to England. His Father, Henry, was New Zealand, where he a clergyman and Patrick had grown up with a enlisted with the religious upbringing. The census recorded Canterbury Infantry Patrick as being a clergyman and also part of Battalion, Second the Coventry Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Battalion (English Ringers. Section) by December In 1901, his occupation was Second 1914. Lieutenant of the Munster Fusiliers and in 1905, he had married Mary, who was 16 years older than he. They were never to have any

Darwin, 25th September, 1914 To His Excellency the Administrator, Darwin.

Sir, We, the undersigned, residents of this Territory, are desirous of enlisting in the service of His Majesty the King, and of serving the Empire at the Battle Front, and we beg that you will use your valuable influence to secure for us enlistment with one of the earliest contingents to leave Australia. We are aware of the difficulties which may exist in attaching a small body of men at so remote distance from a military centre, but we respectfully urge that our loyalty to the Empire should not be denied means of gratification on this account. Rather, we would urge that some place should be found, no matter how humble, for a small contingent from this outpost of the Empire and thus promote the sentiment that every part of our Grand Empire is willing to make sacrifice in defence of the glorious traditions and liberties of our country. We have the honor to be sir, Your Obedient Servants, Captain Julian Robert Bede O'Sullivan, 42, married; service: 18 months South Africa and 20 years South Australia. George Club McPherson, Ex-Color Sergeant, 40, single; service: 12 years India and South Africa, H.R.H. Princess Louise's Argyll and Southerland Highlanders. Corporal James Park, 41, single; service: 3 years Scots Borderers. Joseph E. Wilson, 36, single; service; 1 year South African War, Damant Horse. William Douglas Leitch, 29, single; service: 13 years R. A. E H. Tozer, 22, single. Sergeant. Robert Dingwall Butters, 33, single; service:- 8 years Royal Scots Greys. C. Swanson, 44, single; service: 2I years South Africa, Railway Pioneers; India, China, Africa. Corporal. Arthur Walter Catt, 34, single; service, 12 years 14th King's Husssars, 2 years 4 months South Africa; service abroad India, China, Africa. Jeremiah Buckley, 29, single; service: Shanghai Light Horse, 2 Â˝ years. Neil Stewart Boyle, 29, single. Jack Johnson, 22, single, three years in the Royal Horse Artillery and survey work in Engineers in India, has also volunteered, but he is leaving for Sydney in the S.S. St. Albans Sidney Ernest Greenwood, 39, married; service: 3 years R.A.A. John Stewart Godfrey, 21, single; service:Sydney Scottish- Rifles, three years. L. V. Griffin, 21, single; service: 2 years Tasmanian Field Artillery, two years 8 months Tasmanian Rangers. Corporal Tom Sawyer, 32, single; service: 4 years 2nd Gloucester Regiment, 4 years 2nd Gloucester Regiment, India. Norman Claude Wilson, 26, single; "service: 4 years A.L.H., South Africa Corp. J. M. Cunningham, 35, married; service:" 2 years 1st and 6th W.A.M.I., South Africa. Wally Heale, 29, single; service: 2 years Tasmanian Engineers, Electrical Section. James Lawrence Cain, 30, single; service: Nil. William Maurice Scott, 37, single; service: 9 Â˝ years R. H. Artillery, 2 years Natal Police. William. Duncan Stewart Mc'Kercher, 25, single; 2 years R.F.A. (volunteers.)

The men from Darwin were unhappy with the decision that they remain in Darwin to protect the town. They petitioned Administrator Gilruth to take up their cause and write to the Minister of Defence on their behalf. The letter was signed by many local Darwin men who were prepared to leave their employment and volunteer for active service. Administrator Gilruth.

As part of the letter, the men included their military experience and age, to impress upon authorities their suitability for war service.

The men were not satisfied with the reply from the Minister of Defence and demanded to know the reasons why they would not be considered for service. Senator Pearce responded, stating that Colonel Legge, Chief of the General Staff, “…never intended to establish recruiting stations in distant parts of Australia due to costs and inconvenience of travel. If the men wanted to enlist, they would need to travel to southern ports at their own expense.”

Harry wished that he was also able to defend Australia overseas but as part of the Cable Guard, he accepted his current role as imposed by the Commonwealth Government. By November 1914, a reply was received from the Department of External Affairs in Melbourne, stating that there were no plans for the establishment of volunteer corps from the remote areas of Australia. The men were encouraged to develop a ‘strong and vigorous’ rifle club in Pine Creek. Furthermore, that if thirty men were recruited, the Commonwealth Government would issue rifles and ammunition to support their training.

A further telegram stated, “It is desired that men in the Northern Territory should be retained there. This means, of course, that in case of need, residents would form a garrison to defend Darwin.” The public response suggested that the residents of the Northern Territory were anxious to be represented in some way, however small, at the front. Even though individuals had left and joined in southern states, they were merged into the contingents from other states and not recorded as being from the Northern Territory.

Government House, 1910.

It was proposed that the defence authorities should enable a small group of ten to twenty men to join. It was stated that if the Government did not want to pay, then local residents could raise the funds. 37

The men who wanted to go were described, “As fine a specimen of manhood as any in Australia, many with military experience who’d be a credit to the Northern Territory.” The Administrator finished his letter by saying, “In the strongest language possible, the public Town Hall, 1888. interest demands loudly that the people of the Northern Territory have some share in shaping the destinies of the Territory and also in the defence of the Empire.” The motion was carried unanimously at the indignation meeting. Shortly after, a terse reply stated that the Minister would consider the request.

The men called an ‘indignation meeting’ to further argue their cause. Among the men were Mr Butters, Mr Yeadon and many local councillors. At the meeting, it was said that, “One of the greatest privileges man could have was the right to fight for his country, and next, to have a vote and voice in its Government.”

Tragedy struck Harry’s family. Mr Pott hadn’t been well for a while so he and Mrs Pott sailed to Brisbane for specialist medical treatment. Harry was never to see his Father again. After 30 years in Darwin, Mr Pott died in Brisbane at only 51 years of age. Harry was devastated, as were his brothers and sister. Mrs Pott arranged his funeral in South Brisbane. Gertrude stayed in Brisbane for several months, grieving for her husband. The family would never be the same again.

Another man from the audience added, “What would be thought if no one was allowed to enlist from Tasmania, or another town in Australia?” A further comment was that there were not enough rifles or ammunition to protect Darwin and that the departure of a small group of fifty men would make no difference to the situation. Administrator Gilruth replied on behalf of the men from Darwin, “By accepting fifty men, you will satisfy a burning desire, appease public indignation and reward and gratify the patriotic spirit already so strongly evidenced.”

January 1915: Time passed. The war continued. The men in Darwin were still waiting.

ld War. in the First Wor nham to enlist de Al SS . on ille Frank Thompson rwin to Townsv rk, Jimmy Cain, Pa Sailing from Da es m Ja , rs b Butte Albert Borella, Bo Photo includes:

They included Neil Boyle, Jack Johnston, Lucian Wetherby, Robert Stirling, Percy Readby, Charles Dickason, James MacDonald, George Classen, Jeremiah Buckley and John Beattie.

Doctor Maplestone from Pine Creek had joined the Army Medical Corps and left for the front. He was followed by James Hay from the Cable Guard. Leslie Owen went to Bunbury in Western Australia, paying his own way.

Four days later, Jimmy Cain, James Park, Albert Borella, Frank Thompson, and Sergeant Bob Butters also left for Townsville on the ‘Aldenham’.

A telegram was then received from a businessman in Townsville. He informed Darwin residents that men who travelled there would be able to enlist. Once successfully enlisted, the government would then pay their travel expenses to Brisbane. The cable stated,“Recommend men take their chance.”

Word was soon received from James MacDonald that the men had successfully arrived and enlisted in Townsville. They were all soon to sail for Brisbane. James requested money be sent to assist the men with their ongoing expenses. He also urged others to follow to Townsville, as a successful way to enlist.

Several men took up the offer and by early March, the steamer ‘Taiyuan’ left for Townsville carrying passengers who were eager to enlist. 39

Volunteers: Back - Albert Borella, Bob Butters, James, Park. Front - James Lawrence, Frank Thompson.

The 1st contingent of the Northern Territory volunteers for the front, leaving on the "Taiyuan", March 1915. The 'Taiyuan' contingent consisted of Neil Boyle; J. T. Johnson; L. P. Wetherbv; R. W. Stirling; P. C. Reaby; C. B Dickason; Jas. M. McDonald; G. Classen; J. Buckley; J. Beattie.

Still Harry waited. The war had been waged for seven months before approval was finally granted in mid-March 1915, for the men to officially volunteer from the Northern Territory. The Defence Minister said that he would, “Grant facilities for the enlistment of eligible men in the Northern Territory by allowing free medical examinations at Pine Creek and Darwin, and by the payment of rail and steamer fares to the Enoggera or Broadmeadows Camp of all men who have duly passed the test and enlisted.” A contingent of thirty men were allowed to proceed after being approved by Captain Lewis and the government medical officer. The men needed to be between 18 and 45, and have parent approval if they were under 21. They had to be ‘substantially of European origin’, a minimum height of five feet eight inches without boots, have an expanded chest capacity of a minimum 34 inches and have good eye sight. When the first group of 28 men were officially signed up in Darwin, Harry was amongst them. He was surprised at the variety of men who were part of the first contingent along with him. Captain Lewis, as the leader and spokesman of the group, had influenced many men from all walks of life to join the cause. Among them was Leslie Giles from the Cable Guard.

Vernon Lanyon planned to join them soon, after first visiting his family in Adelaide. There was also Vic Parkhouse, the butcher, Frank Termansen from the boats, William McKercher who worked with Harry as a railway porter, Sam Dick, the local shopkeeper, Charlie Allen, the gardener, Mr Levy from the bank, Mr William Stiles, the prison warden and Llewellyn Selwyn Downing, an engineer. There were also miners, labourers, builders and government workers. Some of the men came from the gold fields of Pine Creek, several hours south of Darwin by train. They were indeed an assortment of shapes, sizes, ages and personalities but were mostly young, single men, around Harry’s age. They were all looking for an adventure overseas and a decent pay packet but many of them lacked any military training.

nt: ficial continge ts of the first of en m st li en e Th h, 39, single rdener, Englis ga : en ll A k an Fr ngle Charles Ernest ter, Qld, 25, si , bridge carpen an m w Bo m Ada WA, 21, single Dick, Grocer, , single Samuel Henry neer, Welsh, 27 gi en , ng ni ow yn D 45, widower Llewellyn Selw ay ganger, Vic, w il ra , as gl ou D Henry Charles , miner, Vic ngdon Edwards La ry en H rt be Gil , 28, single prospector, NSW Gilbert Every, SA, 24, single tt, storehand, ce w Fa d ar w 27, single James Ed l servant, NT, vi ci , es il G d lfre Leslie Henry A , single tsman, NSW, 21 af dr , ey fr od G ngle John Stewart ved sailing, si brewer, 29, lo e, ci ra G e in nt , single Frank Vale er, Scottish, 29 in jo s, ld ie sh n Green John Hamilto details J. L. Henry, no , single ison, surveyor le Adam T. Hutch k, Tas, 21, sing , 25, single Levy, bank cler driller, Scottish n Lionel Vivian ia es rt A , ar ch er n Stewart M'K William Dunca 29, single , urer, Scottish ngle J. M'Niell, Labo r, NSW, 23, si eredith, painte M d ar h ic R Fred 1918 sson, returned Alfred P. Morri 27, single butcher, WA, , se ou kh ar P Victor Roy , NT, 24, single le railway porter t, ot P e ottish, 25 sing nc Bu Harry ent driller, Sc nm er ov G s, er amiliton Rog Cyril Stuart H widower der, NSW, 31, ar w on is pr , es William Stil tese, 26, single triated 1920 , surveyor, Mal l fusiliers, repa ya ro ed in Antony Xuereb jo , Melbourne left 22 April to S. A. Gregory, ingent) g with 4th cont in av le up ed (end John M'Shane, ark, 36, single seaman, Denm n, se an rm Te Frank

First contingent to leave Darwin. Gilruth on left with 24 men in contingent; Government House, 1915.

Many of the Cable Guard from Darwin enlisted.

Sidney Lauder Sidney James Lauder was born 27 February 1898 on Thursday Island, Queensland, the third of six children. His parents, James and Edith were local Darwin residents, having moved there when Sidney was a child. Sidney was a member of the Darwin Boy Scouts and the Darwin Brass Band. He later worked as a telegraph assistant and was part of the Cable Guard. Sidney enlisted in 1915. Although he said that he was 18 1/2, he was actually only 17 years old, which means he was one of the youngest from the NT. Sidney’s older brother, Arthur enlisted one year after Sid. His brother, Charles, was too young but did enlist in WW2. Sidney was killed in Belgium on 30 October 1917.

Leslie Giles Leslie Henry Alfred Giles was born in South Australia on 22 December 1887, the second of four children to Alfred and Mary Giles. Leslie’s Father was the well known surveyor for the overland telegraph line. The family grew up on properties south of Pine Creek. Leslie worked in Darwin as a civil servant before he enlisted as part of the first official contingent, along with Harry. He was in the 25th Battalion. His older brother, Felix, enlisted in August 1914 and rose through the ranks to be Major by 1916. Leslie’s younger brother, Harold, enlisted but was discharged due to a medical conditon. Despite injuries and illness, Leslie survived and returned to Darwin in 1919. 45

Tony Xuereb Antony Xuereb was born in Valetta, Malta. He came to Darwin to work as a surveyor with the Survey Department. He had been part of the Cable Guard for 8 months before he enlisted with the first official contingent. He received a gunshot wound to his face in November 1916. He was admitted to hospital with shell shock but survived the war. Afterwards, he visited his family in Malta before heading back to Darwin. Antony was then employed as a draftsmen and warden of a gold mining district by the Lands Department. He involved himself in the Darwin community and was responsible for the evacuation of a group in 1941, before the bombing of Darwin.

Many people attended the function at Darwin Town Hall to farewell the official contingent. It was called a farewell ‘Smoke Social’.

Administrator Gilruth, the mayor, the president of the Workers’ Union, the local judge, the local priest and a number of Chinese, Russian and Japanese business men attended the smoke social to farewell the first official contingent. They proposed toasts, sang songs and made speeches about the noble efforts of the men protecting their country. Everyone patriotically sang, ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’.

The volunteers felt honoured and Harry was proud to be part of such a special occasion. Despite the enormous task that lay ahead, Harry was confident that he would uphold his duty well for ‘King and Country’, especially with the support of so many people from Darwin.

The Darwin Brass Band, directed by Mr Clark, played other farewell songs. Sid Lauder was part of the band. As he was too young, he would have to wait before he could join the Cable Guard group overseas. Captain Lewis thanked everyone for their well wishes. After a final rendition of ‘God Save the King’, the evening came to a close. 46

Above left: First Contingent at the ‘Smoke Social’. Below left: Victoria Hotel, Darwin Above: Harry’s invitation to the Smoke Social,which was printed on silk.

Harry and several of his school mates and friends spent one of the last Saturday nights together at a gathering, to bid farewell to each other.

The men from Darwin sailed on the ship, ‘Changsha’, bound for Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane. There was uncertainty about when they would return. Some thought the war would be over by the end of the year. Others thought it may be later. Some would never return at any time in the future. Many more contingents would follow them.

Both Harry and Leslie Giles mixed with the people that they had known most of their lives. They played cards, ate a light supper, sang songs and danced. There were toasts to the health of those leaving. Harry responded by proposing a toast to “those who could not go to the front.” It was a bittersweet occasion. A procession of the town’s folk and the local brass band paraded through the streets of Darwin to the wharf. It was an emotional time, as Harry’s brothers and sister tearfully said goodbye. It was more difficult because both his Mother and Father were not there to offer words of encouragement or last minute advice.

Opposite page, above left: Friends picnicking in Darwin. Below left: Procession to wharf of NT Contingent, dated 26 April 1915. Above: 25th Battalion A.I.F. left Darwin on the 'ChangSha' and were marched out of town with a brass band. Below: The volunteers.

Above: Brass band and soldiers march through Darwin. Below: Northern Territory volunteers embarked from the Darwin Jetty on to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;SS Changshaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on their way to the war. Right: Harry Bunce Pott.

The first official contingent left Darwin and became part of the 25th Battalion. The contingent stayed together as part of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Company.

25 April 1915 The Dardanelles is tiny strip of water, only 65 kilometres long and about 7 kilometres wide, overlooked by steep cliffs on both sides. It separates Europe and Asia and is the only route that connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. The Dardanelles were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, who were allied with the Germans. The Turks would therefore not let foreign ships through the strait. Since Russia was an ally of Britain, Britain needed their ships to pass through the strait to get supplies to Russia. The plan was to overrun the Gallipoli Peninsula quickly by surprise force, followed by taking control of the Dardanelles. The British would then have uninterrupted access back and forth along the Dardanelles. That was the plan. The ships left the nearby Lemnos Island on Saturday 24 April with Australian, New Zealand, British and French troops. The Australians were on board the ‘Queen’, ‘Prince of Wales’ and the ‘London’. During the night, the ships anchored in the Aegean Sea and waited.

The men were awoken at 1 am while it was still dark. There was a faint sliver of the moon and a chill in the air. After their last hot breakfast on board, the men lined up on the decks of the ships. Final words of advice were issued before they climbed down the rope ladders and into waiting row boats, which were tied together in lines. It was a drill that they had practised several times in Mudros Harbour at Lemnos Island. The men were instructed to speak in whispers as it was a still night and sounds seemed to travel. When all the men were in the boats, the order was given from the ‘Queen’, “Get away and land!” The steamboats quietly departed and towed the crowded boats towards the Peninsula. The moon had now set so it was completely dark.

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Some men in the boats crouched while others were frozen. Some men laughed while others swore. Some were calm. There were still a few hundred metres to the shore, so when one rower was shot, another person took over.

The journey seemed to take a long time but, in reality, it only took about 40 minutes. With ten minutes left to go, there was just enough light through the sea mist to make out the silhouette of the Gallipoli Peninsula, a land unseen by the men until now. The men knew that they had no cover and were not able to fight back if the Turkish soldiers saw them. The tension was high.

Men tried to get out of their boats prematurely but the water was uneven in depth. While some were in water up to their waists, others sunk over their heads. Their uniforms and equipment quickly became waterlogged, making it impossible to surface again once under the water. Others tripped on the slippery stones with their rigid army boots and were shot in the water. Those that made it to shore continued to be shot at, wounded and killed, although the narrow beach finally provided some protection.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;All they could do was sit silent, still, frozen and let silence and darkness magnify their fears.â&#x20AC;? The boats were taken as close the shore as possible before being unhitched. The men were then on their own to row the last part of the way to the beach. Suddenly, a flare lit up the sky. Rifles and machine guns started to rain down on them from the cliffs.

Left: Australian troops ready to leave for Anzac Cove. Above: Lancashire Fusiliers in boat ready to exit for the shore.

Above: Row boats being towed to Anzac Cove from the transport ship. Right: Men exit the row boats on the shore of Anzac Cove.

I went up the hill in company with my ‘C’ Company Officer, Captain Fisher, before dawn, among the original landing party at 3.45 am. We were the first that ever burst ‘into that silent sea’. (Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)”

Robert Bousfield was one of the men who arrived on the beach that morning. He was a 27 year old farmer who was born in England but lived in Darwin. He had enlisted in September 1914 and was part of the 9th Battalion ‘C’ Company. This group of men were part of the first to arrive on 25 April, responsible for establishing a stronghold and defending the beach, in readiness for the troops still to come.

By that afternoon, Robert had been shot in his right thigh and was evacuated to England for treatment. He was one of the lucky ones who was eventually discharged back to Australia, although he promptly reenlisted a year later.

“We had a tremendous welcome on the morning of the 25 April. We had a whistling good tune of Mausers from the shore and pompoms (bombs) etc flying all around and splashing and zipping overhead. We had orders to storm the heights at any cost before daylight and to use only the bayonet…

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea… Coleridge

Above: 2nd Brigade landing at Anzac Cove, 25 April, 1915. Below: The morning of 25 April, 1915. Right: Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ridge, Gallipoli.

everywhere, but thanks to the steep slope we were not seriously exposed to it. Near the summit of this cliff, we halted and had time to take stock of the situation. It was sufficiently grim.”

Meanwhile, Private Holmes was on board the ‘Lutzow’, anchored off the Gallipoli Peninsula. His battalion was one of many waiting for the command to be launched into action at Anzac Cove. The morning had gone badly, very badly. The men on the ship could see and hear the carnage that was occurring. Now they were waiting. It was an uncomfortable wait, but by the afternoon, the Canterbury Infantry Battalion was directed to go ashore.

By 4 pm, Pat and the rest of his battalion were fighting on the peninsula, fighting for their lives at Anzac Cove. By the end of that afternoon his battalion had reached Walker’s Ridge. Among the mayhem, Pat was shot. Somewhere on that ridge, he died. Later, Pat was declared missing in action. He was the first man to leave Darwin and be killed in action. He was, by no means, the last. About 2,000 men were killed by the end of the first day.

“In the shallows, we tumbled out knee-deep and scrambled ashore. Forming a rough line on the beach, we were led straight up the steep hill passing many dead and wounded, and stragglers in a terrible state of fatigue. Shrapnel was still whizzing through the bushes

Early Days in Gallipoli The first group of volunteers who paid their way to Townsville arrived at Gallipoli soon after the campaign began. They formed part of the 9th Battalion. Walter Styles was another man from the Northern Territory who had joined the 9th Battalion. He was born at Brocks Creek near Darwin and was the oldest brother to seven sisters and one brother. He, too, had travelled under his own steam to Cairns and enlisted in December 1914. Early in the battle at Gallipoli, he was wounded, receiving a gun shot wound to the left hand side of his body. After a month in hospital, he rejoined his unit only to be badly injured again. Wally, as he was known, was placed on the hospital ship â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rewaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but this time, he never made it to the hospital at Lemnos. The 21 year old, blond haired, blue eyed boy died on the ship and was buried at sea. The ship, Rewa.

Meanwhile, Harry and the others from the first official contingent had arrived in Brisbane early in June and finally completed the enlistment process by 23 June. Harry was now officially part of the 2nd Division, 7th Brigade, 25th Battalion, 1st Reinforcement, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Company. Enoggera training camp, Brisbane 1915.

May - June 1915 At 23, Harry had left his steady work as a railway porter. He had given up his beloved shooting and cricket, as well as the warmth and friendliness of his life in Darwin. Already he missed his family. He wished his Father could have seen him in his uniform and imparted some words of confidence before he left for overseas.

With only a few weeks for basic training, the routines at the camp were quickly established, with military dress and hygiene codes enforced. A typical day began at 6 am. After roll call, there was parade, physical exercises and breakfast, with training commencing at 9 am. The men undertook shooting practice, mock battles and lectures. There were also long marches and regular drills. On one march, the men walked twelve miles into the centre of Brisbane and back. Large crowds gathered along the route to watch the spectacle. They passed drinks and refreshments to the men as they marched past.

However, Harry was more fortunate than those from the Northern Territory who had enlisted before him. Although the majority of men in his Battalion were from Queensland, the contingent from the Northern Territory were placed together throughout their travels, providing company and friendship when times were difficult. There were about 4,000 men in the camp at Enoggera in Brisbane, with about 120 men in each company.

Most of the men were additionally rostered on to the more mundane tasks, such as chopping wood for the kitchen, clean up duties or gate security. Lights out was at 10.15 pm.

Soldiers, Gympie Road, Chermside, 1915.

During this time, Harry was vaccinated against Typhoid. He received his first issue of equipment consisting of white dungarees (work overalls), a hat, boots, a great coat, toiletries and a paliase (mattress). His eating utensils consisted of one plate, pannikin, knife, fork and spoon. Later, he was issued a service uniform and badges. A letter from Brisbane, 13 May said:

“…so much has happened in a short time…we have a good deal of drill to come up to the others and are let off fatigue and other duties in that we might have plenty of drill. We did two days firing practice for musketry and on the whole did pretty well... Jim MacDonald and Bob Butters are here. The men who are not allotted to a Battalion remain at Enoggera. Jim Cain and Thompson have already gone, while Jones, Boyle and Greenwood will join us in the 25th Battalion. Major Walker commands our company while Captain Lewis is second in command. This camp is known as ‘Green Hill’ and is about one and a half miles on the Brisbane side of Enoggera and a much better camp than others.”

Members of the Australian Army Rifle Team on range.

Above: Drill with rifles and satchels but no uniforms, Brisbane, 1915. Below: March through Brisbane, 1915. Right: Ship â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aeneasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; departs Brisbane,1915.

Brisbane, 29 June 1915 The battalion was soon to leave Brisbane and Harry was issued with a sea bag for his equipment. He was also given his identity discs and the copper letters – ‘25 INF’ to wear on the epaulettes of his uniform. The order finally came for the battalion to leave on 28 June. The group caught the train to the wharf at Pinkenba, arriving there early in the afternoon.

Harry reassured his Mother that he would return soon, that she would be proud of him when he did return. Gertrude’s heart ached. Her husband was gone and now her son was leaving. She felt an unbearable sense of loss as Harry boarded the ship. The ‘Aeneas’ departed at 11 am the next day for the month long trip overseas. On board, were

A large crowd had gathered at the wharf to say their final farewells before the troops boarded at 5 pm. Harry searched the crowd for a familiar face. And there it was! His Mother had made the journey to see her son one last time. Harry ran through the crowd and embraced Gertrude. There were tears in their eyes and they did not want to let each other go. There was so much to say and precious little time to talk.

29 officers, 976 men from the 25th Battalion and about 700 from the Tasmanian section of the 26th Battalion. Harry was one of 1,700 soldiers leaving Australia on that day but none of the recruits knew where they were going. The ship was one of many troopships to transport thousands of soldiers from Australia to the war far from home.

After two days, the ship berthed in Sydney and the men disembarked. The seas were very rough around the Great Australian Bight. It was cold and wet and soon many men were seasick. There was an outbreak of the flu on the ship. Four of the soldiers died and had to be buried at sea in a watery grave.

The men were housed in the animal stalls at the Sydney Show Grounds for six days. Leave was forbidden but for those who had never been to a big city, it was too tempting. Men would jump the fence to visit the city. Finally, it was decided that the men would be granted leave, so Colonel Paton went to tell the men the good news. Unfortunately, there was no one there. They had all jumped over the fence and were already sightseeing around Sydney!

Otherwise, the trip was monotonous. To relieve the boredom, sporting activities were organised to keep the men busy and maintain their fitness, including boxing tournaments and novelty races. There were also lectures and concerts. On the 29 July, the ship anchored at Aden in Africa for only a few hours and, by 2 August, they had reached Port Suez. Two days later, the men finally disembarked.

By 7 July, the men boarded the ship again and another large crowd farewelled them from the wharf. The men were divided into groups of about 20. The Northern Territory group lived, ate and slept in the same area on the ship.

Ship leaves southern port.

Gertrude Pott had returned to Darwin. July 1915 Flo Pott had been fundraising with the Red Cross during her Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absence. Now Mrs Pott had returned, she too, concentrated her efforts on fundraising, with Harry foremost in her mind. She wrote to him often because she was extremely worried about what she had been reading in the newspapers. She recognised how dangerous the war had become, having seen soldiers who had returned to Darwin, with their terrible injuries. Mrs Pott understood how the people of Darwin despaired at being so far away and felt of little use to their friends and relatives overseas. Mrs Pott realised how best to assist Harry and others. All her past experience of organising and fundraising had equipped her for her most important undertaking. She would put all her energy into the Red Cross war effort and inspire everyone in the Darwin community to support it. Mrs Pott devoted herself to the work. It helped keep her mind off her loneliness, adjusting to life without Alfred.

It stopped her thinking about Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s situation. She roused all her friends and her family to plan events that could raise money for the Red Cross. She organised large events that would involve the whole town. She worked tirelessly. It was the best way she could help Harry and other men. It could make the difference between life and death. It could keep Harry alive. In the coming months, a Jumble Sale was held in Darwin. Mrs Budgen and Mrs Pott organised it at Darwin Stadium in the evening. It raised the creditable sum of 62 pounds for the war effort. A Red Cross card party and dance was then held, which raised another 9 pounds. There were donation booths at the horse races. Every donation made by local people was listed in the newspaper and sent to the Red Cross in Brisbane. Next, the Red Cross volunteers organised an Australia Day event on 30 July. It included the Darwin Brass Band, patriotic speeches, singing and the auctioning of donated goods. The event was well attended and raised another 750 pounds for the war effort.

Left: Voluntary Aid Detachment, Darwin Red Cross Jumble Sale. Front: Mrs Edwards Snr, wife of Skipper Edwards. Back: Dolores Flynn, Myrtle Styles, Lilla Bell, Mrs Wells (judge's wife), Ivy Bell, Topsy Finniss.

Left: The journey up the Suez Canal. Right: Tents at Mena, under the pyramids of Egypt. Below: 1st Battalion train near Mena, their camp outside Cairo.

4 August 1915 Harry’s battalion caught the train south from Port Said to Ismailia, then west to Zeitoun near Cairo. From there, they marched to their first overseas camp at Abbassia, about five miles from Cairo and near a town called Heliopolis. There were thousands of men already there, camped in tents in the desert. Everything was dusty and sandy. There were no plants anywhere. Wind blew the sand around and made life uncomfortable. It reminded Harry of the southerly winds that blew during Darwin’s dry season. The sand in Egypt flew about in thick clouds all day long. Harry couldn’t hold his head up or else the sand would cut his eyes.

One of the Northern Territory men remarked, “The running across the sand has given us the speed of an ostrich and the knees of camels!” In his limited free time, Harry was able to visit the nearby towns of Heliopolis and Cairo. The First Australian General Hospital was stationed in Heliopolis so the men were able to visit those who had been injured in Gallipoli. Harry and many other soldiers from Australia, England, France and India, had their first overseas experiences in this bustling city, with its foreign people, different language and exotic foods. It was all so different from the small town of Darwin. Harry climbed the pyramids, visited the Cairo Museum, and ate and drank at local cafes and bars. The men enjoyed the experiences but some got up to mischief in the town. The men were like tourists who enjoyed the new experiences of the exotic country. War was far from their minds.

Many of the men had no experience of military life so over the month of August, they underwent more basic training. A typical day consisted of drill that commenced at 4.30 a.m. It continued until 9 a.m. when the men would stop for breakfast. After eating, there were lectures and musketry instruction.

While Harry and his battalion were training in Egypt, the August Offensive was taking place at Gallipoli. It was the largest battle on the peninsula to try and break the stalemate between the Turkish troops and the allied forces. Thousands of Australian, British, New Zealand, Indian and other forces were killed in the month-long battle.

Several from the first group of Northern Territory volunteers were killed. Vernon Lanyon, the 21 year old clerk and friend of Harry’s, was hit by shrapnel in the chest during the offensive. He was put on a hospital ship but died from his injuries. He was buried by Chaplain Grove on the Greek Island of Mudros, near Gallipoli.

Lucian Wetherby, the Canadian accountant who enlisted from Darwin, initially nominated Wally Styles’ Father as his next of kin. He was part of the 15th Battalion and was listed as ‘missing in action’ during major fighting at Hill 971.

Word was received from John Beattie that he had been taken prisoner by the Turks.

Constantinople, Turkey 22 August, 1915 Dear Peter Mills, Dear Sir, I have been wounded and am now a prisoner of the Turks. At present, we are at Constantinople but will be leaving at any time for Asia Minor. I was taken on August 8th, it took us about (*deleted by Turkish censors*) to reach here, going across the country in transport carts and bullock wagons to the railway, and one day in the train. We have been here about a week. The sooner we leave here the better weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll like it. There are about one hundred English prisoners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mostly Territorials, and about fifteen or sixteen Australians and New Zealanders, but we were not all captured on the same day. J. Beattie Prisoner of War No 1827, B Coy 15

Harry knew where he was headed next. He had seen many of the wounded soldiers return from the fighting at Gallipoli in Turkey.

Above: French arrive on Lemnos. War ships in Mudros Bay.

There were hundreds of injured men in the hospital tents in Egypt. Although he had heard rumours, Harry realised that his turn to go to Gallipoli would come sooner rather than later. The men he saw would need to be replaced. It was further confirmed when his battalion was issued with a new pocket knife, some iodine and field dressing to add to their equipment. There was now a feeling of nervous anticipation among the men.

Lemnos Island, which was 30 kilometres from Gallipoli. They arrived at Lemnos on 7 September and had to sail past a ship that had been torpedoed only days before. The men now realised that the conflict was very close. The harbour at Lemnos was an amazing sight. There were hundreds of ships of all shapes and sizes anchored there. There were battleships, cruisers, torpedo boats, submarines, transport ships, supply ships, tugs, barges and smaller boats called lighters. It made the wharf in Darwin look very small by comparison.

11 September 1915 Sure enough, Harry’s battalion soon boarded the ‘Minnewaska’ in Alexandria and sailed for 79

Late in the afternoon on 11 September, Harry’s battalion boarded the steamer, ‘Sarnia’. They travelled by night so they could not be seen. Gallipoli was only four hours away by ship and as they got closer, Harry could see the coast light up from exploding bombs. He then heard the cracking of gunfire and the reverberation from explosions. It looked like fireworks. The Battalion was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. The war was now real and soon they would be part of it. Harry thought of his family and tried to calm his nerves.

The terrible smells, however, were another thing. Harry did not get used to the overpowering odour from the lack of toilets and dead soldiers nearby, nor did he enjoy the lice and other bugs that crawled into his clothes. There was no opportunity to change his clothes to rid himself of the insects, so Harry had to constantly itch at the annoying pests. In fact, he would not be able to change his clothes or take off his boots for weeks.

The men arrived at the point where the lighters would take them to the coast. Just as the men had done on the first day of the landings at Gallipoli, Harry climbed down a rope ladder from the steamer and into the small boat. His craft was towed to a jetty near Anzac Cove. The men had been instructed to remain silent so as not to draw any attention to their landing. By 11 pm, the Battalion was standing on Turkish soil. Only one man had been injured by rifle fire. The men moved from the beach and climbed a steep hill, dodging many shells as they went. Seven men were killed before they reached the New Zealand and Australian forces who were already there. The role of the 25th Battalion was to relieve the soldiers who were exhausted after the major fighting throughout August. Luckily, there was less heavy fighting than that of the previous month, but there was still constant rifle and machine gun fire whizzing around them as they worked. The noise became a constant companion and the men soon became used to it. They dodged the bullets while fixing the damaged trenches in the area.

Left: Disembarking at Gallipoli. Above: Soldiers waiting to fill water carriers to take to their areas. Below: Food stores at Anzac Cove.

Harry wrote to his family when he could. His letters were positive and reassuring so that his family wouldn’t worry.

Above: Lining up for water. Below: Cooking in mess tins. Right: Dr Fry in a dug out at Gallipoli.

The biscuits and jam for lunch were often dotted with buzzing black creatures stuck in the sticky food. The men were eventually issued with a square of mosquito netting to wear while eating, but it was not successful.

Food rations were terrible, yet Harry wrote that he was impressed with the ration packs issued. He said that he could now cook better than when he left home. He listed his food rations and made it sound like a feast. “There is tea, sugar, milk, rice, fresh and tinned meat, bacon, biscuits, jam, bread, raisins, golden syrup, lime juice, tobacco, matches.” In reality, the food was bland, in short supply and monotonous. The thousands of flies swarmed around and it was impossible not to swallow a few of them while eating. 82

James MacDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recipes

Trench Rissoles Ingredients: One can bully beef One onion Army biscuits

Gallipoli Porridge Ingredients: Army biscuits Method: 1. Grind biscuits finely. 2. Mix with water in mess tin. 3. Put on fire and boil.

Method: 1. Chop onion finely. 2. Grind biscuit finely. 3. Mix well with bully beef.

The water also had to be shipped in. It was in limited supply so it was only available for drinking and could not be used for washing. Needless to say, men soon became ill from poor hygiene. The weather was getting colder and the men did not have enough warm clothes. The conditions made the conflict more and more difficult.

A small amount of rum was issued to drink. Captain Lewis just ‘happened’ to find an extra bottle of something on occasion as well as a friendly glass to share it with! Harry and the men liked Captain Lewis very much. He did these sorts of things to keep up the morale of his men. His troops described him as a very good ‘pal’. The kind of life they were leading, they thought, brought out the best of some men, such as Captain Lewis.

20 September 1915 During September, the wind blew hard, which made it even colder. It became more challenging to work but the men maintained their routine. They worked at night digging trenches so they could not be seen by the Turks. Attacks often occurred at dawn, so the men would be ready just before sunrise. They put on their equipment, checked their rifles and observed the area beyond their trenches in the twilight.

15 September 1915 It rained heavily during the night, but Harry was able to keep most of the water out of his small dug out. In the morning however, the ground of the trenches had turned to mud, which was made sloppier when men moved around.

Above: Dragging a water tank up the cliffs. Right: Supplies at Anzac Cove, 1915.

Ill at Gallipoli, 30 September 1915 Harry had severe stomach pains and constant diarrhoea. He vomited and had a high fever. At first, Harry tried to keep going but he quickly became exhausted. His symptoms continued to worsen until he was ordered to the 7th Field Ambulance on the beach, to be treated. He was sick with dysentery.

Once it was clear daylight, the men could ‘stand down’. After the long night, they could relax a little and have breakfast of tinned meat, hard biscuits and black tea. They oiled their rifles, shaved and cleaned up rubbish. Support teams ventured down to the beach to dump rubbish and pick up new supplies. Others continued with trench digging if it was safe. Men who had been up at night tried to sleep, while others patrolled the area.

Many soldiers in the trenches had contracted dysentery through infected food and water. With the latrines so close, flies easily spread infection. Luckily, Harry’s dysentery was controlled. If not, he could have easily died from dehydration.

85 85

Meanwhile, the number of men enlisting decreasing. Greater pressure was exerted on the general public to raise further contingents to send overseas. Patriotic notices were placed in the newspaper that made men feel like cowards unless they enlisted. These included text such as:

from the Northern Territory was quickly

“The Empire still calls loudly and urgently for recruits….the Territory have now a full opportunity for responding to the call. No eligible man should now wait. Delay means danger and possibly defeat. Every delay means the sacrifice of valuable lives who should be succored. The position put plainly, is that the man who can offer now and does not do so, is unworthy of the name of Briton; and it will be a lifelong repreach to him if he does not enlist, that when the Country called, he closed his ears.

Justice Bevan appealed to the women folk, saying that they were the best recruiting sergeants. Mr Williams, who was chairing the meeting, implored men to enlist freely rather than be subjected to the possible introduction of compulsory ‘press gangs’. Reverend Gsell believed that most men would enlist sooner or later, but urged them to consider it be sooner – any delay would cost lives. Mr Ellis told those in attendance that it was their patriotic duty to enlist. Mr Carey appealed to moral conscience, by asking people to consider whether ‘force’ rather than ‘right’ should dominate the world – that the answer lay with them. Reverend Fletcher worried people by saying that their very existence was at stake. Mr Perry stated that it should not be said that we were too afraid to enlist. The meeting concluded with patriotic songs. The speeches worked. Eight men immediately enlisted, including the brothers, Matthew, Palencio, Glamor and William Gar, as well as Percy Spain and George Seabright.

Bring him the buttonless garment of woman! Cover his face lest it freckle and tan; First in the field that is farthest from danger; Take your white feather plume, sweet little man.”

The same recruitment drive was then conducted at Pine Creek and Brock’s Creek. Again, there was a strong reaction, with eleven more men instantly enlisting from Pine Creek and two from Brock’s Creek, including Alf Linde, Maurice Bruton, Joe Thompson and Beaumont Philpott. Several of these miners would later be deployed as tunnellers in France.

The Darwin Recruiting Officer, Mr Bailey, called for a Recruiting Week to boost the numbers of enlistments. A panel of 13 experts gathered together at Darwin Town Hall to impress upon people the importance sending troops overseas. In attendance were several council members, Justice Bevan, Father Gsell, Reverend Bean, Reverend Fletcher, and Mr Bailey. Each person on the panel used different tactics and arguments to encourage men to enlist.

Justice Bevan 86

Father Gsell

(‘Stock and Station Journal,’ 8 August, 1915. By ‘Tile Wanderer.’)

No ‘wasters’ could climb up those pinches, In the face of the Turks and their shells; Where our boys have been winning by inches, In the fight at the grim Dardanelles.

The, cry is for MEN - for they're needed, In the trenches far over the Main, In all of the papers you'll read it But sound it - and sound it again.

We mourn for the lads who have fallen; Who sleep on the hillsides and dells; But for others, my brothers, we're calling It's strength in the battle that tells.

Let them go from the town and the station, From valley and hill, and from plain, To the land where the cannon's vibration, Is carrying death in its train.

It's for freedom today we are fighting, Our Liberty now is at stake; There's wrongs for our boys to be righting, And a place in the trenches to take.

There's no time this morning for ‘shirkers’; It's men who will do and who'll dare; The robust and strong, and the workers, There’s room for them all over there.

It's Victory Lamp you'll be lighting, Though your strongholds with shrapnel they rake, And Death - though it's never inviting, Is noble in Liberty's sake.

WANTED-MEN.

We've been sending the ‘pick of the basket’, Their deeds are now known far and wide; No quarter they wanted - nor asked it, They fought and they died, and they died.

The clarion call, let us sound it, With the whole of our strength and our might; It's a duty with honours around it, Take a hand in the Battle for RIGHT.

They're feared by the Turks, For they've shown them, That ‘pluck’ is our boast and our pride; And over shoulders thrown them, On bayonets with vigour they plied.

Think of the bones that are bleaching, The lads, who have died in the fight; In the land where the lyddite is screeching, They're calling you there, boy, tonight.

The numbers continued to swell until more than 43 men paraded in Darwin to complete enlistment papers in early October. They would eventually join the three million men already at the front. They would also add to the outlay that Australia had spent on the war. In the past three months, three and a half million pounds had been spent. The Commonwealth Government approved another two and a half million pounds to fund the war effort through to midNovember. As time went on, the demand for men increased yet the enlistments diminished, so the conditions to join were made less stringent.

Willie Allen Willie Darwin was the son of a Larrakia woman. He was part of the Cable Guard at the same time as Harry, with three years service. He worked as a gardener for Judge Herbert. He was 33 when he enlisted in 1917. Due to his skills, he was placed in the 11th Light Horse Regiment, working in Palestine, Cairo and Tripoli. He returned to Darwin late in 1919.

Indigenous males could now join, so men such as Willie Allen were able to enlist. Medical conditions were less imposing. Men such as the miner, Alf O’Neill who had tried six times to enlist, were now able to join his mates overseas. Alf had been rejected because of his teeth, “which greatly depressed him.” He responded once, “I want to fight the Germans, not eat them!” The age restrictions were reduced to 18 years with parent permission, however it was obvious that many underage boys had already ignored this rule.

Alexander McKinnon Frederick Prentice Alexander was born in Charlotte Waters, NT, near the South Australia border. He was a station hand when he enlisted in May 1916. He was killed in October 1917 in Belgium. After his death, Alice McKinnon ‘Cobb’ wrote to the department that she was his Aboriginal stepmother. She had to sign a statutory declaration to say she would look after his medals.

Frederick was adopted by Isabell Kell and Alfred Prentice, the JP from Powell Creek, NT. Frederick was a 21 year old station hand when he enlisted in May 1915. He joined the 12th Battalion and he receieved a Military Medal at Pozieres at the same time that Harry was there. It was for great courage under fire. He returned in 1919 to Katherine, NT.

By October, 50,000 letters addressed to men overseas were sitting in the ‘Dead Letter Office’ in Melbourne. There was not enough staff to deal with the mountain of paper. Perhaps this was an unfortunate name for the place because many of these were marked ‘Return to Sender’. The intended recipients had been killed in action before they received the letters.

There were few ways to share information between home and overseas. When the occasional ‘NT News and Gazette’ arrived overseas, it was passed around and eagerly read by everyone. Many locals sent letters to the newspaper so everyone in Darwin could see what was happening. Likewise, many of the soldiers included news about local men so that when published in the paper, friends and relatives knew how their friends were coping.

Men in the trenches weren’t receiving their mail either. Leslie Giles wrote to the newspaper, ”I cannot make out where my letters are going as I have not received a single one since I left Turkish soil, and what is stranger still, I got two parcels since I arrived in Egypt but no letters. I am anxiously awaiting news…”

Personal letters were censored. The men were not able to discuss any details of the events they witnessed, otherwise their words would be crossed out. As enlistments grew, so did the correspondence. Thousands of letters were sent by steamer, taking many weeks to arrive at their destination. That is, if they arrived at all.

Eventually, additional staff was employed to cope with the back log and all the extra mail, including those from Harry and his family.

Harry was back in the trenches after three days, though still very weak from the illness. 3 October 1915 Harry then found himself in a fortunate position, being chosen as one of two snipers for his company to counter the constant Turkish fire. For the time being, there would be no more trench digging, which was significant given his weakened state. As a sniper, Harry would quietly monitor and report on the movements of the Turkish soldiers. He would shoot over long distances at the Turkish positions, a job he knew he could do capably. All his time in the rifle club had qualified him well and he was proud to take on such an important role.

It enabled Harry to aim more accurately and without being noticed, before disappearing quietly back into the trenches. Harry performed well in the role and his mates believed he should have received a promotion for being such a skilled marksman.

He was given one of the new periscope rifles to use. One man would observe what was happening through the periscope and Harry would then shoot.

Above & left: snipers at Gallipoli. Opposite page: Above right: Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915. An Australian officer visiting a comrade's grave. Right: view through a periscope.

It shook the 25th Battalion. One of their own from the close knit contingent was killed from an explosion.

16 October 1915 The Welshman, Llewellyn Downing, had died instantly. The engineer from Darwin was not much older than Harry and well liked. Everyone was shocked by his sudden death.

“..poor kid. I felt very sad about it. We have lost a good many of this battalion, one way or another, but are still going strong…” Next, Harry was hit in the leg by bomb shrapnel. He wrote home that it had only bruised him below the knee. He considered that his injury was not as painful as when his leg had been shot in Darwin. He thought himself to be physically and mentally stronger than when he was younger, so he was able to keep fighting. It did unnerve him however, especially after Llewellyn’s sudden death. He realised he could not be complacent about the war. He could just as easily be killed by a stray bullet or bomb. 91

“My word it was cold, and as you know, I had never put in a winter in my life. You can guess how I felt it.”

November 1915 Conditions at Gallipoli were becoming more and more difficult. Bullets continued to whistle overhead, but Harry was now more used to them. The group of men who originally enlisted with Harry was reducing. Many were sick. Harry heard that his cousin, Jack Pott, had died somewhere nearby.

The white powder kept silently falling throughout the day and it was still snowing by dinner time. It was so cold that Harry used a pair of socks for mittens but they still weren’t warm enough. There were no more warm clothes to put on and Harry was nearly frozen. He was luckier than 200 other men who did freeze to death or were washed away in flash floods. Many men had to be evacuated with severe frostbite.

There were several more close calls among the group of Territorians. Private Charlie Allen, who had worked in the Darwin Botanical Gardens, was hit by a bullet. It had cut the moustache from his top lip. His friends told him that at least he didn’t have to shave that day! Leslie Giles also had a lucky escape. He was hit by a bullet in the chest but the bullet bounced off the notebook in his pocket. He, luckily, was only left with grazed ribs.

Harry observed a flock of wild geese flying overhead, perhaps flying away for the winter. It reminded him of Darwin. It was the same time of year as when he used to go out to the ‘Ten Mile’ with his friends to shoot Magpie Geese. His Mother would cook delicious stews with them. Harry savoured the thought of some warm stew in the cold weather of Gallipoli. It would have been luxury after months of bland food rations. Harry missed the fun, the warmth, the food and his friends. He missed Darwin.

27 November 1915 It rained constantly and was cold enough for snow. The Aegean Sea was whipped up by gale force winds. It very rough, too rough for boats to get close enough to deliver food and water rations. The soldiers had to go hungry until the weather improved. 28 November 1915 Snow! It had snowed! Harry woke up and found that it had fallen throughout the night. Everything was white. Harry had never experienced snow in Darwin; it never snowed in the tropics!

Opposite page: Pocket book pierced by a Turkish bullet at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. Owned by Private John Hector Croft, 3rd Battalion. Above: Snow covered landscape at Gallipoli. Below: Australian soldiers rugged up in warm greatcoats, November 1915.

3 December 1915 Harry was still in the trenches at Gallipoli. He wrote a letter home from his dug out, which was so small that he could not turn around or sit up. He wrote beside a tiny flicker of light and had to bend over to get close enough to see what he was writing. The light came from a little tobacco tin with some fat in it. He used a rag as a wick – some material that wouldn’t burn too quickly. Harry mentioned that he had seen several of men in good health, including Neil Boyle and Captain Lewis, but Leslie Giles was in hospital with jaundice. Harry had killed a large rat in his dug out. It had raided his food rations and left a mess of crumbs. The rats had increased in number, attracted to all the rubbish left by the soldiers and dead soldiers. Food was short so Harry just shrugged. He couldn’t throw it away. He would just have to take his chances with rat chewed rations.

18 December 1915 Harry became very ill with jaundice. His eyes and skin were yellow. He had fever, chills, stomach pain and had lost weight. He needed to be evacuated to the beach, which was difficult and dangerous. The country was rough and uneven, particularly for stretcher bearers. Sniper fire was a constant threat as there were areas exposed to the Turks. There was no other option other than to run through the areas as fast as possible and hope they were not shot.

Lemnos had changed a lot since Harry was there last. Hundreds of ships of all shapes and sizes were still in the harbour but there were now tents on the shore as far as the eye could see. Harry had heard that all the soldiers were being withdrawn from Gallipoli and the rest of his division would soon join him. Little did he realise how soon it would be. By 9 pm that night, the rest of the 25th Battalion were evacuated from Gallipoli. The campaign was at an end.

Harry made it to the beach where he lay all day until he could be loaded onto a transport ship.

By the end of the time at Gallipoli, the 25th Battalion had lost 23 men. 16 men had died from wounds, 7 from disease and 354 had been wounded. The rest of the men were weak and malnourished. They needed extra rations and exercise to regain their strength before their next posting. Rumours circulated about where they would be sent in the near future.

He was eventually evacuated to the 3rd Australian General Hospital on the Greek island of Lemnos. It was a welcome break from the trenches after 15 long weeks.

Opposite page: Above left: Felix Giles in dug out. Below left: Staff in snow at field hospital. Right: Symptoms of jaundice. Below: Sleeping in the open.

Opposite page, above left: A flat bottomed barge transporting wounded soldiers from Anzac Cove. Below left: Lemnos hospital. Above: Inside a hospital tent. Below: Australian hospital in Heliopolis, Egypt, 1915.

TO KATE, The leaves you sent across the sea They brought a breath of home to me; It seemed that in the three leaved spray, With each dear leaf a lesson lay. The golden wattle's bloom so rare Brought golden youth to do and dare Australia's best to write their name Upon the priceless lists of fame. The rose of England cannot vie With wattle blooms when our men die. The ivy leaf will do for me; It breathes of a tenacity.

And some a cross that Providence May slay an evil consequence; Some portraits of their girls divine, With eyes like stars and lips like wine, Who may for those across the foam Take on the man who stays at home. All I had on was my old disc, To show who fell and took the risk; But now; I wear a bunch of leaves, Sent from the land where my heart cleaves; And should a foeman cross my track, And if his steel should press me back, To find a way and make the wattle bloom, And cut the clinging ivy strand

And bids us hold what we have won,

With strong and no uncertain hand.

And cling on till the war is done. The old gum tree was made to last, And weather many a wintry blast.

But if he breaks the old gum tree â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Why, then, of course, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do for me. Australian leaves sent here by you,

So we against the foe must stand

May bring me luck and see me through.

For liberty and our home land. A purple cotton bound the same:

Gallipoli Peninsula, EHR

This points the royal road to fame. Each comrade wears a talisman, To bring him luck, if luck it can. Some wear a rosary of beads To help them on to noble deeds;

The Doctors Doctor Maplestone Philip Alan Maplestone worked at Pine Creek in 1913 until his enlistment in December 1914. He served at

The Nurses Nurse Ruby Wilson Ruby Emily Olive Wilson was the sister of Norman Claude Wilson who had already enlisted from Darwin in 1914. Ruby was born in 1884 and trained as a nurse at Melbourne Hospital, Victoria. She arrived on the ship ‘Montoro’ in 1912 to work at Darwin Hospital. Ruby returned to Victoria and worked in other bush hospitals before enlisting with the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1917. At 32 years of age, Ruby travelled to London to work in the Australian Army Hospital. While she was working there, she received news that her brother had died of Malaria in the Middle East. Not two months later, Ruby’s Father also died. Ruby returned home in 1919. Nurse Jessie Tomlins Jessie Millicent Tomlins, 26, enlisted in 1916. She worked in Cairo, Egypt with 14 Australian General Hospital then in England from April 1919 until her return to Australia in July 1919. She came to Darwin in 1921 and worked at Darwin Hospital and Pine Creek. She married Hugh Spencer Kentish, a returned soldier.

Gallipoli with the 6th Field Ambulance. In 1917, he received a Distinguished Service Order, when he remained cool while in charge of stretcher bearers under heavy fire, was gassed but continued to work for 30 hours straight. He also received a Mention in Despatches in 1918 for conspicuous service. After the war, he studied tropical medicine and practised in Kenya for several years. Doctor Strangman Cecil Lucius Strangman was a doctor in Darwin from 1890, having treated Harry Pott as a child. He enlisted in October 1914 and expected to go to Europe. However, he was sent to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, where he was the principal medical officer. After leave to Australia in 1917, he went on the ‘Matunga’ to return to his post, but the ship was seized by Germans. The ship was sunk and he became as a prisoner of war along with many others. He was taken to Europe until his eventual release in 1918. Doctor Fry Henry Kenneth Fry was a doctor in Darwin before he enlisted in 1914. He was at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and worked in a Casualty Clearing Station.. One of his stretcher bearers was Private Simpson, known for his work transporting patients using donkeys. Henry worked in France, receiving several awards for bravery, including a Distinguished Service Order. He was Mentioned in Despatches four times.

In 1915, Harry received a Christmas Billy from the Australian Red Cross. Lemnos Island The Red Cross had taken great care to ensure that the Billies contained items that would be most appreciated by the soldiers and no two seemed to be the same. Harry had even heard of one man receiving a valuable watch in his Billy! Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Billy was sent from Miss Tudor of Prince Alfred College in South Australia. She had included a Christmas card that wished Harry a safe return and hoped that he liked his gift. Harry certainly did enjoy it! He felt like a small child again, opening a present with excitement to see what was inside. It contained luxuries compared to what he had eaten in the past few months! There was a packet of cocoa, chocolates, a tin of cream and a tin of sausages. Miss Tudor had also included some cigarettes and writing paper. Harry used the paper to write a letter of thanks to her. He sent the letter to an Adelaide newspaper in the hope that Miss Tudor would read it. It reminded Harry of his Mother and her efforts to raise money for soldiers like him. At Christmas time, Harry missed his family, but especially his Mother. 100

Darwin A Christmas Fair was organised to fundraise for wounded soldiers. The ladies in Darwin only took two months to organise the many stalls. Mr MacDonald decorated the Darwin Town Hall with flags from allied countries and Red Cross emblems. It was rainy, windy and muddy and there were pools of water everywhere. Despite this, 300 people came to support the fundraiser. As people entered the hall, the first thing they saw was a giant Christmas tree with many presents around it. Father Christmas was there for the children. Mrs and Miss Lauder, Florence and Mrs Pott ran a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; post and telegraph stall. For a small fee, they delivered messages and parcels from people to others in the hall. The Darwin Town Band played and people won prizes in a variety of competitions. By the closing time of 11 pm, 160 pounds had been raised for the Red Cross. The people in Darwin had enthusiastically supported yet another fundraising event for the men overseas.

Harry’s health gradually improved. On 6 January, the Battalion left Lemnos and headed for Alexandria in Egypt. January - March 1916 From there, the men were put on a train headed for Tel-el-Kebir, their next training ground. There was spare time for Harry to meet others from Darwin whom he hadn’t seen in months, and to catch up on the news. He heard that his friend, Monte Byrne, had enlisted and would soon be sent overseas. He found out that the four Cain brothers, Joe, Leo, Roy and Jimmy had enlisted and were somewhere on active service, except Jimmy, who had been killed. The boys had all grown up and gone to school in Darwin. Jimmy had worked at the 2½ mile railway workshop, graduating as a lead fitter. He was a born mechanic and everyone liked his jovial nature. Harry found Captain O’Sullivan, Jim and Joe Cain, Jim MacDonald and Fred Yeadon, who was now a sergeant. He visited Frank Termansen in hospital in Cairo, as well as Bert Morris who had lost his leg. Harry wrote back to Darwin with the news that Levy, Stiles, Meredith, and Lofthouse, from different Darwin contingents, were in Egypt but were ill, as was Fawcett who had been in hospital for eleven weeks with enteric fever. Harry met Sid Lauder, who had put his age up to join and looked too young to have been at Gallipoli. He visited Leslie Giles, who was in hospital with a leg wound. Harry remarked, “His wound was not as bad as mine.” Harry located Norman Wilson, who had been at Gallipoli as part of the 8th Light Horse Brigade and was being treated for a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Norm was looking forward to being redeployed to Palestine soon. He also had news that his sister, Nurse Ruby

Wilson, from Darwin was soon to enlist as a nurse. He hoped that he may be able to see her when her ship passed through the Suez Canal. Doctors Goldsmith, Fry, Maplestone and Howson, from the Northern Territory, were all thought to be in Egypt. Leslie Giles was able to meet his brother, Felix, who had been in the trenches for eight months. Bob Butters met up with Jack Scales and Jim Cain. The men were able to reflect on their experiences in Turkey. Bob wrote home briefly, “I have seen more blood spilt here in one day than I saw all the time in the South Africa War.” Harry Dowsett wrote of his time in Gallipoli, “The effects of shrapnel fire is terrible in the extreme and it is indeed a matter for wonder how one can stand the sights. I really think that a prospective soldier should serve an apprenticeship at an abattoir.” Throughout February, the men were kept busy working on the Suez Canal maintaining the ferry operations. They had to unload supplies from the ferry that went across the canal and keep the railway operational. Many ships passed through the Suez Canal, including those from Australia, which made it interesting work. On 13 March, General Birdwood visited the men and informed them that they were headed for France. He told them that they were the first Australian infantry Battalion to go to France. The 25th Battalion boarded the ‘Minneapolis’ and departed for Marseilles on 15 March. Recuperation time was over.

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The journey taken by the 25th Battalion from Egypt to Gallipoli, then from Egypt to France.

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Part 3

To the

Western Front 103

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59. Arriving in France The journey across the Mediterranean Sea was dangerous and the men were uneasy. March 1916 Dymock wrote: There were German submarines in the area and they had torpedoed several ships before. In “We experienced a rather severe hailstorm and fact, their ship, the ‘Minneapolis’ was then we got a snow storm. A good number had torpedoed on the return trip from France. never seen snow before and when the train pulled up anywhere, they were out and having After four days, Harry glimpsed the coastline of a snowball fight. Some English Tommies and France early in the morning. By 10.30 am, his Scotch Jocks were aboard the train also, but ship had arrived in Marseilles. It moored at the they sat still and watched us Australians amuse wharf by 12 pm, where their military band ourselves, little knowing they had never seen played ‘Marseillaise’ to the approving crowd at snow before.” the wharf. The Australian men cheered and waved at the local French people who waved Leslie Giles described the countryside as being: back. The next afternoon, they disembarked and marched from the wharf to a new camp about two miles away, called Chateau Santi, which overlooked the harbour. As they marched, Harry saw German prisoners. He also noticed many French women in mourning, wearing black. What he didn’t see, were young men. They were all gone – gone to the war or killed in the war. In the morning, Harry and his Battalion travelled north by train for three days, passing through many picturesque French towns. At many stops along the way, French people offered refreshments to the men. The weather was progressively getting worse.

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“Lovely and green. There were yellow dandelions, thistles, weeds and wild red poppies growing everywhere; the trees were sprouting new leaves, and the birds were singing. It seemed quite sad there was a war on, with demolished houses everywhere. Women and children are being killed occasionally by shellfire in the village just in front of the trenches.”

60. Training The Battalion marched for a couple of hours to Morbecque Camp. They arrived at 2 am and had to camp in tents. March 1916 Harry had heard that the country was called ‘Sunny France’ but since he had arrived, it had only been sunny for a few days. Mostly it had rained. That night in the tents, it snowed again and the men shivered until daybreak, with only one blanket each. There was no firewood for heating water but the next morning, local French people came to the rescue. They offered hot coffee to the men, which was gladly accepted. The camp was only an overnight measure and the men were then split up and billeted with local French families. Groups of up to 50 men lodged in large barns, along with the rats, lice and fleas, often with a smelly compost pit of manure and rotting waste nearby. However, the Australians soon befriended the French people. They helped in the fields, played with the children and tried to communicate with people in broken English and French. Soon, the French warmed to the Australian men. Training commenced at Morbecque so the men had to march back and forth from their lodgings. They were not used to marching on the hard cobblestone roads and soon complained of sore and bruised feet. Harry commenced rifle training. In the first week, he recorded the second highest score in shooting. Over the course, he was placed sixth in shooting out of 700 soldiers.

Earliest gas masks.

Of the three subjects that he studied, he obtained two ‘Very Good’ and one ‘Good’ score. He held the record for his Brigade, about 5,000 men. Harry said, modestly, “I think I did fairly well!” As part of their training, the men were issued with gas masks. The Germans had first used chlorine gas on 22 April 1915 and the men had been unprepared. About 1,500 men were blinded by the gas, many dying a slow, painful death. Harry had read in the NT News & Gazette, that Fred Yeadon had been gassed last October. The gas had attacked his lungs so he couldn’t breathe - but he had survived. Harry listened intently and tried on the cumbersome equipment. The mask was a material hood with two eye glasses, which limited vision. Harry breathed air in through flannel material that had been soaked in chemicals designed to neutralise the gas. He breathed out through a one way rubber valve in his mouth. The men practised using the equipment by walking through a trench filled with gas. After the rehearsal, Harry had a bad headache and was glad to take off the uncomfortable equipment.

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Somewhere in the Trenches

To Mother, Mrs G. Pott

Love from Harry. March, 1916

Smith Street,

France

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

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61. Armentieres The 25th Battalion headed for Armentieres, which would be their first experience of war in France. April 1916 It was a two day march, the first day being from Morbecque to a town called Merris, where they camped overnight. On the second day, they marched to the towns Steenwerk and Equinghem, where the men were again billeted with French families. Armentieres was also known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the Nurseryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; because there was less hostility when compared to other parts of the Western Front. The men had time to organise themselves before facing the Germans at the front line on 11 April. A large part of their work was to organise the rundown trenches in the area. Unfortunately, Armentieres was swampy and waterlogged, so the men couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dig trenches without them filling up with water.

Instead, the trenches needed to be built above ground, about 1,400 metres long. They needed to be thickly reinforced using soil, sand bags, wooden supports and wire. The men also had to build the back wall of the trenches for their stores and shelters. In some ways, the trenches at Armentieres were better than Gallipoli. The men were organised into a cycle of between seven to twelve days at the front before being relieved by the 27th Battalion. Water was more readily available because it could be piped up, food was more plentiful and the men could have two hot meals a day. However, they constantly had wet, cold feet because they were unable to take off their shoes and dry them out. Trench foot was more the enemy at Armentieres. Armentieres trenches

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62. Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Letter Harry had time to write to his sister, Flo. 13 April 1916 His letter, again, was positive and mentioned little of the difficulties that Harry experienced. He talked about the souvenirs he had kept from Gallipoli that he would bring home, which were a driving band from a Turkish shrapnel shell and a clip from Turkish cartridges. He even had some Turkish bullets that had been fired at him. They had missed and he had dug them out of the dirt behind him. He lamented that the Turkish rifle that he had found was too heavy to bring back to Australia.

Flo had mentioned that the ship â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cornwallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; had visited Darwin and the sailors had disembarked. It was a British Navy ship, which Harry had also seen at Lemnos Island. Flo had attended a dance, where the navy had provided a string band. It was a novelty for Darwin and Harry gently chastised her for staying up late dancing. However, he expressed delight at his sister being able to ride in a motor car.

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63. Darwin Red Cross

Red Cross Supplies.

Darwin, Easter Monday, 24 April 1916 A gloom settled over Darwin as more and more men were reported missing. The wait was endless. Residents hoped that missing loved ones would be located, maybe found injured in a hospital somewhere. Mrs Pott organised an Easter Fair in the Town Hall. Unlike the wet Christmas Fair, the weather on Easter Monday evening was beautiful. Private Bassett had returned to Darwin from the war and stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Red Cross did so much for me. I must do a little for the Fair and for the boys.â&#x20AC;? The Mayor opened the Fair by reading a telegram from the Red Cross President, which asked for more money desperately to support the brave fellows in the trenches. There were several stalls, including a sweet stall where Mrs Mugg helped to sell fancy baskets of confections.

There was a drink stall, a fancy goods stall and a clothing stall. Mrs Lauder and Flo Pott ran a mock telegram service, delivering messages around the room. There were sporting games, dart shooting, and an auction. The Darwin Town Band played a selection of songs. This time, nearly 200 pounds were raised, which was a huge effort for a town as small as Darwin. To date, the Darwin Red Cross Fund had raised a total of 3,566 pounds. Shortly after, some very encouraging letters were received, congratulating the women on their fundraising efforts. The Red Cross Divisions from Sydney and Brisbane, as well as the Australian Acting President, recognised the tremendous efforts of the Darwin community, despite the isolation. They all expressed admiration for the tireless efforts of the volunteers who had constantly organised the fundraising events. They were urged to continue their efforts.

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64. First Commemoration Darwin, Easter Tuesday, 25 April 1916 A whole year has passed since the day that Australian soldiers first landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula and since the first contingent had left Darwin. The Rifle Club was now very quiet, as many more men had left the town. The NT News and Gazette stated: “We have provided a lot of soldiers compared to the size of our population.” Darwin commemorated their first Anzac Day with a service held at Christ Church Cathedral on Smith Street. An Honour Roll was created with several names placed on it, including John Buckley, Llewellyn Selwyn Downing, Walter Styles and Vernon Lanyon. There was discussion about creating a memorial and tribute in brass or stone. It was suggested that: “Perhaps, once yearly, on Anzac Day, their comrades, citizens and those who follow, shall honour the memory of the brave who fell in the Great War.”

Christ Church Cathedral

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65. Lewis

Armentieres, 25 April 1916 Harry and his Battalion didn’t have time to commemorate the fallen. They were marching to the frontline for their second stint. Gas, 27 April 1916 “It was between 12 and 1 am, we were all asleep, but when the gas alarm sounded every man was quicker than the other in getting his gas helmet on, and falling in ready for further orders. It was a little exciting, with shells bursting overhead; one didn't think he was too comfortable. However, no one was hurt.” Leaving Armentieres, 15 June 1916 Between the 11 and 14 June, some men from the Battalion underwent specialist training while the others rested. On the morning of 16 June, Major General Legge addressed the troops before they marched the four hours to Kortepyp Camp, on the French Belgium border. An advance party of five officers and forty men were sent ahead, including Private Beaumont Philpott from Darwin. He was in a trench when artillery fire started, followed by a gas attack.

He was one of two men killed. Philpott was described as “about 26, a well educated gentlemanly type, and well built physically. He worked with the Union Reefs Gold Mining Syndicate.” Lewis, 16 June 1916 The German snipers had been active since the arrival of the 25th Battalion. The men were caught in a trench, held there by a sniper. Several of their periscopes had been broken so Captain Lewis peered over the parapet at the edge of the trench without a periscope. A sniper fired. Captain Lewis was shot and instantly killed by the sniper. Another man who took his place. He peered out of the trench. He, too, was killed. When Harry had realised that Captain Lewis had been killed, he was deeply saddened. His Cable Guard leader was gone. After all their years shooting together, Captain Lewis had become more than just a leader to Harry. He had been a friend who had been by his side through many difficult times. One shot and now he was gone. Their team was fragmented and demoralised. Harry couldn’t believe it.

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66. Wedding, Funeral Funeral, 19 June 1916 Captain Lewisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funeral was held. The men said that he was the most well liked officer in the Battalion and it was a great loss to them all. He always had a good word for those with whom he had worked. He had also been a family man who had constantly wanted to hear news about the Northern Territory, where his young family lived. It was tragic that his baby daughter would never meet him. She was only about six months old and Captain Lewis had talked about her often. It would be an even greater blow to his wife, Gertrude, now a single Mother.

Flo Gets Married, 8 June 1916 Florence Pott looked so lovely in her white silk dress holding her bouquet of lilies at Christ Church Cathedral in Darwin. Her friends had decorated the church beautifully. Flo and her new husband, Claude, looked very happy. They were the first couple who were both Territory-born, to be married in Darwin. Mrs Pott sent Harry news and a photo of the happy event.

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Below left: Captain Lewis; Urgent telegram about his death. Below right: Wedding of Flo Pott and Claude Brown.

67. Planes

“They were on an air raid and looked lovely,” Harry said. “They remind me of a lot of hawks hovering over a carcass in Darwin.” Planes, 1 July 1916 Harry wrote to Mr Mugg, who had been his Father’s friend and business partner on the pearling boat. He described the amazing sight of 18 aeroplanes in the air all at once. Harry watched a duel where the German plane retreated. Harry mentioned to Mr Mugg that he had heard that they were now called Anzacs. He expressed his growing anxiety as the war continued, especially since Captain Lewis was no longer with his men. He voiced his concern that the number of ‘lads’ from the Territory were diminishing rapidly. More of his friends had died and he had received letters from some of their loved ones back home. It was difficult to answer the letters but Harry tried to stay cheery and positive about the situation. He wrote, “I would like to be back in Darwin again but we must put our trust in God and He will see us through.” 116

This would be Harry’s last letter home. The first of July was also the beginning of the battle of the Somme. It was part of the British plan to relieve pressure in another area of the Western Front called Verdun, where many soldiers were being killed and wounded. The British began the ‘Big Push’ at the River Somme. It was a terrible failure and 60,000 British soldiers were killed, wounded or missing. The British tried again on 14 July but again, it was a failure. The First Division of the Australian Imperial Forces was called in to assist. On 23 July, they marched to a village called Pozieres, where they fought until 27 July. In just three days, there were 5,285 casualties. The Second Division was then called in to relieve them.

68. Moving On Battle of Pozières, 29 July 1916 The men marched into a landscape that was a scene of devastation.

Arthur Thomas from the 6th Battalion also described the scene: “The sky for miles in a semi-circle round us, is a blaze and the colours of the rainbow from star shells illuminate the heavens, and the earth rocks and trembles from the sickening concussion, nothing less than the average imagination of hell… What utter desolation, what ruin and death, what a battlefield never witnessed before by mortal man, a disgrace to civilization. The only remedy seems to be to fight on and soak every acre of this miserable France with innocent blood.”

“We are moving up to Pozieres, thousands of us, big hearted game men, ready to do or die.” “Hedges, villages and field were by this time little more than an expanse of desert, the village area had been so pounded by shell burst after shell burst that the powdered debris of houses and earth was spread like ashes six feet deep over the surface as featureless as the Sahara, and level except for the shell craters which lay edge to edge…”

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69. Pozieres Battle of Pozières, 29 July 1916 Leslie Giles said:

Dymock wrote to his friends in Darwin: “When we got relieved here we marched for the Somme, and in due course we arrived at Warloy, and well within

“The land was a sea of shell holes, anything up to 7 and 8 feet deep and as many yards wide.

hearing of the guns. We were not billetted long here before we realised there was something doing. Our First Division had charged and took possession of Pozieres, but not without the usual result. We were all anxious to

Communication trenches and roads were not to be found. What were once certain villages … not one brick was left upon another… I have never seen anything like it before and candidly, I never want to again.”

have a talk to the returned wounded. Some gave us promising views, and others, less encouraging, but from what we gathered we could think the rest. However, the next few days saw us prepared for our engagement. On 27th July 1916, we were lying in Sausage Gully, a flat between La Boiselle and Tara Hill, and about two miles behind the firing line. The noise of the guns now was deafening. Our objective was the heights beyond Pozieres.”

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70. Getting Ready The men were issued with a triangular metal disc about three inches long that they had to sew on the back of their uniform. It was thought to be a useful way for observers and aircraft to spot their own men, however, the men did not like them. They thought the shiny surface glinting in the light made them more of a target for the Germans. 29 July 1916 Hundreds of men from the 5th, 6th and 7th Brigades, received orders to attack at 12.15 am and take control of the Old German trenches, called OG1 and OG2. The plan was that after heavy bombardment for one minute, the men were to run from their trenches and gain control of OG1. The same process would then be repeated to take OG2. Roy Stewart said:

“We learned in the afternoon that we were to capture the village of Pozieres and we each had an idea of the task in front of us…my comrade and I had tea for the last time together…We knew it might be our last day on earth, but we felt that our life was in God’s hands…we shook hands and said goodbye with the wish to meet in the village after the charge… With pick and shovel, we dug ourselves in and waited. Oh, it was awful waiting there with shells bursting only a few yards away, and we could only wait…”

The German soldiers had seen the men getting ready in the trenches. When the Battalions ran out, the German soldiers fired up a flare to light up the area and then proceeded to use their machine guns to stop them taking the German trenches. The Australian men reached OG1 but many were caught in the barbed wire at No Man’s Land. It had not been cut as the men expected. There was confusion in the darkness as to whether the trench was even OG1. Some of the men tried to reach OG2 but they were caught by heavy machine gun fire and bombs. The wire at OG2 also stopped the men entering the trench. The situation became desperate because the German soldiers were reentering the trenches and many men were cut off between OG1 and OG2. The German soldiers continued to fire at the Australian men. “The hail of bullets was such as had not been experienced in the AIF since the fighting of 8th May 1915 at Cape Helles and that of August 7th at the Nek at Anzac…” “Rifles were useless in this terrible encounter. Only knives, bayonets, revolvers and grenades were used…” The men were ordered to retreat but many men were caught in No Man’s Land between the two sides. Only a small number from each Battalion returned. Luckily, the next morning, there was a heavy fog, which allowed more men to return without being seen. Some men took two or three days to escape. Others were brought in by stretcher bearers who bravely entered No Man’s Land to retrieve the injured.

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71. The Attack Private Sunter, a stretcher bearer from Darwin, wrote: “I have been through some of the very worst fighting that has taken place in this war. One continually marvels how one can come through unscathed. I can tell you I am not looking

Some men were taken prisoner and others died somewhere in No Man’s Land. Unbeknown to his Battalion, Harry had been wounded during the early hours of the morning when the fighting was at its peak. The constant barrage and the large numbers of men killed and wounded meant that no one had yet noticed him missing.

forward to spending the winter in this part of the world and many a time shall I sigh for old Koolpinyah.”

Harry lay in No Man’s Land while the German fire continued around him.

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72. Waiting 30 July 1916 Harry remained unseen in No Man’s Land among the craters and wire, despite trying to attract someone’s attention. He was badly wounded and couldn’t move. In desperation, he took out his notebook and wrote down what was happening.

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The

Of fic er B C in oy. Cha , 2 rge 5 th Hit , , 1 B in a t h t e s to t. , ide put . N o n. O o b to an nly go da thr for ges So e e m str fa e e n l tch r eft er non wa bea ter e tur rer sin ned reg ce s. ar da up. ds ylig No ht. Ca to nno Kin all t m des Wo ove t the und mu b c o get h ys. Sho tin ver uld g y sa ver hot y it 10 y . 51 p i s ain Pt ab f . out ul. H. B C B. five oy. P o p.m , 2 tt, 5 .

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73. No Man’s Land 1 August 1916 Harry was still in No Man’s Land. He could hear the fighting. It was so close that he was splattered with mud. He was almost buried by one explosion. No one had yet noticed him lying among the shelled out craters. He drifted in and out of consciousness. The pain was unbearable and he imagined himself back in Darwin. He was swimming in the warm ocean at Fort Hill Baths, drifting. There were faces, his Mother smiling at him; his Father watching from afar. Then Harry saw himself on the rifle range. Aim, fire – crack! Back to reality. The explosion was real shrapnel blasting overhead. The hallucination of Darwin faded and the nightmare of the shellfire exploded over Harry’s still body.

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Harry peered weakly at the time on his damaged wrist watch. He just made out that it was 6 pm. He had been lying in the quagmire for two and a half days. He knew that he needed help desperately. Would the stretcher bearers venture out to No Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Land tonight? He decided to write another heartrending note as he realised the situation was becoming hopeless.

ay. all d s n g i . s S.O.S n ving hit i a w been e Been v . Ha e move meon t o n e so p o Can ll. H s we ours ine a 6 h p s 5 e h t ht onig ble p t u nly a O s . n d r o tu or fo are ater w t that ou s m with e st rass ck g u s to e. and to m ight e n s l o l l c a rded mba o b day. z t i r F all well ty n. pret set i has n o i you, at tific bless d Mor Go and ye b d Goo . arry her. n, H Mot o s g lovin our y m Fro

r Dea

he Mot

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74. Hell on Earth The Second Attack, 2 August 1916 A second enormous attack was planned against the Germans the next day at 9.15 pm. The 25th Battalion was ordered to dig trenches ready for the attack. From 10 am to 10 pm, the men from the 25th Battalion undertook the dangerous work while the Germans continued to shoot at them. Thirteen men were killed, while two officers and 42 men were wounded during this time. Another two officers and between ten and twenty men suffered shell shock from the constant barrage of fire. Some had even been buried when the bombs exploded.

126

These men couldn’t cope with the terrible events anymore. Some were crying, some were rocking and others seemed to be in a trance. They were just some of the estimated 80,000 men who suffered from shell shock during the war. It was late afternoon before Harry was finally noticed and rescued. The long awaited stretcher bearers removed his near lifeless form from the battle ground to the nearest Casualty Clearing Station. He was found to have severe, multiple gunshot wounds. The staff dressed his wounds as best they could before placing him in a queue for further treatment. Harry was then lifted onto the ambulance train along with many other men, for the long trip to hospital. He slipped in and out of consciousness in his groggy state. He imagined he was back on the horse drawn wagon, rocking back and forth as he headed for Darwin to be seen by Doctor Strangman. He thought of the trouble he would be in with his Mother and Father for getting himself injured. “Please forgive me, Dad. I didn’t mean to get in the way of the rifle fire….I’ll be more careful next time.” Harry drifted back to nothingness.

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75. Hospital 3 August 1916 Harry arrived at the 13th Stationary Hospital in Boulogne, France, the next day. An Australian doctor considered how best to treat Harry’s injuries. He knew Harry was gravely ill; he was burning with fever, paralysed from his injuries and his abdominal wounds had become infected. He looked around at the other 400 beds. Every one of them was occupied with wounded and dying soldiers, like Harry. There were still more men lying on blankets on the floor. More men were arriving as the night wore on. The young doctor shook his head at the enormity of the work ahead of him. The war had created horrific injuries that he had never seen before. There were too few doctors and no specialised equipment to deal with injuries such as Harry’s. The doctor did what he could. He cleaned Harry’s wounds and stitched them closed. He thought to himself, “Maybe he could survive. The lad’s made it this far. The next few days would tell.” The doctor administered a dose of morphine and moved to the next patient. 128

76. Death 10 August 1916 Despite the best efforts of the nurses and medics, Harry remained critically ill. He fought the infection and fever for another week. At times, it seemed that Harry may have recovered just enough to be posted to a larger hospital with more facilities in England. Then he would slip back and the fever would take hold. He would momentarily open his eyes and seemed to be imploring for help. He tried to speak but no sound came. He was just too weak. Just as quickly as his eyes would open, they would close and he would slip into unconsciousness again.

Leslies Giles was badly injured at Pozieres and sent to England for treatment. Leslie wrote:

“It is not a place that insurance companies would like to see their policy holders.

considered myself lucky when I had to drop out early in the advance with a shrapnel wound in my right thigh. It missed the bone and so I could walk and make my way back as best I could through about two miles of ‘Hell let loose’, which however, was nothing compared to what the boys were facing in the advance –

Harry died from his wounds. He was 24 years and ten months. He was one of 1,026 Australian soldier killed and 2,821 wounded, including those who were gassed. Charles Yeadon was also killed. Sergeant Borella was wounded.

and they had a long way to go… I expected to be killed every moment by the big shells when making my way back but luckily managed to reach the dressing station.”

Boulogne Hospital, France

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77. Burial The fierce battle at Pozieres, continued after Harry was evacuated. During this seven week offensive, the casualties from the three Divisions at Pozieres included 8,837 killed in action, 2,842 who died of wounds, 936 other deaths, 477 who were taken prisoner, 37,936 wounded, a total of 51,028 men. The count would continue to mount for another two more years. There were many more battles that Australians participated in. Many more men were to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;casualtiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of war before the war stopped.

12 August 1916 Harry was buried in Boulogne Cemetery in France by Reverend T.S. Goudge. His ceremony was humble and respectful, but there was no family or friends present. There were no flowers to mark his final resting place. Eventually, he would have a headstone but not for now. His mates who were left were still fighting in the trenches. Harry was always to stay in France and never to return to Darwin.

Above: Boulogne Cemetery Opposite page, right: Boulogne Cemetery today; Eulogy to Harry in the NT News & Gazette.

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131

132

Part 4

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78. Back in Australia Mrs Pott received a telegram from Base Records in Melbourne. They had written that Harry was seriously ill and suffering from multiple wounds.

Adelaide, Tuesday 15 August 1916 Mrs Pott was so very worried. She hoped he would recover but the telegram was infuriatingly lacking in information. Maybe he could come home now. 16 August Mrs Pott asked her son, Eric, to write to Base Records in Melbourne to find out what had happened to Harry. She couldn’t sleep because she was so worried. She needed to know how Harry was faring.

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18 August Mrs Pott received a telegram - the telegram that informed her that Harry had died in France from his wounds. Her grief was inconsolable. She thought to herself, “How could this have happened? He was such a good rifle man, such a good soldier, such a good son and brother. How could he have died? Why has he gone?” There were no answers.

79. Waiting 21 August 1916 Another letter arrived, addressed to Eric.

Darwin, 24 August 1916 Harry had many friends in Darwin. Word quickly spread that he had been killed in France. The words in the newspaper were some comfort to his brothers and sister but they were still far from coping with his death.

Dear Sir, Detailed circumstances of his death will not, it is anticipated be known here,

We all loved Harry. He was very bright, happy, cheerful and kind.

until the receipt at a later

He was one of the first to volunteer for the front. His skill with rifle

date of the final official

shooting

made

him

especially

valuable in Gallipoli. He continued

confirming document from

to be a great shooter in France. After his Mother and family have grieved, they must find consolation in that Harry died a noble death fighting for a great cause. NT News and Gazette

Mrs Pott wondered what they were trying to say. All their confusing words had not made Harry’s death any easier. Her precious son was gone and they couldn’t tell her what happened to him. According to the next official information received, Mrs Pott was classed as a widowed mother with an unmarried son who was now entitled to a pension of two pounds per fortnight. It seemed an insult to benefit from her son’s death. Yet, without her husband, Mrs Pott found herself in the position that many other wives and mothers were in. There was no longer a breadwinner in the family and the financial strain was great. Mrs Pott realised that a pension would be a big help but she would much rather have given it up for the safe return of her son. She would have given anything for that.

Mrs Pott kept trying find out about her son. Without a funeral, without goodbyes, there was no closure. Instead, there were many loose ends and unanswered questions. Mrs Pott could not rest until she knew more about what happened to her treasured son. She needed to connect with Harry by having his personal possessions sent home, even if he physically couldn’t come home. She thought that maybe belongings that he had last touched would be possessions that she could cherish. What seemed to be small and insignificant things were actually very important to his grieving Mother.

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80. Still Waiting 25 June 1917 Harry’s first parcel of personal effects was finally sent to his Mother in Adelaide, nearly one year after his death.

February 1917 Leslie Giles had just heard the news of Harry after a prolonged period in hospital himself. “I have just heard the news about Harry. Sid Lauder told me that he died the same night that I was hit. I am very sorry indeed. I never expected it as I heard that he was wounded but not seriously. It will be a terrible blow to his Mother and a great loss to us, as he was always keen and so well liked by us all. I never hear any Darwin news now; I expect they have forgotten me as it is nearly two years since I left.”

As his next of kin, Mrs Pott received his bed socks, playing cards, three military books, scarves, mittens and two pieces of shell bands. The shell bands were the items that he had written to Flo about in his last letter to her. Mrs Pott was inwardly disappointed at the impersonal nature of the items that had been sent. She expected more important things. Consequently, she wrote:

Harry’s first parcel of personal effects.

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81. One Year On 10 July 1917 Finally, a second package was sent to Mrs Pott. In this parcel, Mrs Pott received the significant items that she had long been awaiting. At last, Mrs Pott had the things that mattered. She now had possession of Harry’s identity disc, notebook, diary, two writing books, his metal watch, leather watch guard, pipe, wrist watch strap, wrist watch (damaged), a coin pendant, a ring, his pouch, two wallets, a stud, photos, cards, letters, a religious symbol, three coins, a badge, his unit colours and his linen bag.

15 August 1917 Mrs Pott decided to reveal Harry’s final letters to his friends in Darwin. The NT News & Gazette published the letters and also wrote:

We all knew bright brave Harry Pott, killed on the Western front just a year ago. He scribbled these notes as he lay wounded and alone in No Man's Land. He died a few days after being found. He, who can read these pathetic simple lines without emotion, is no loyal Britisher. They typify the manly of spirit cheerful ice. self-sacrif uncomplaining, C. J. KIRKLAND, Darwin.

The most significant items in this parcel were his letters. Mrs Pott was finally able to find out what had happened to Harry. As heartbreaking as it was, Mrs Pott was able read his last words, his last letter to her. 10 August 1917 The first commemoration of Harry’s death was a painful time for all the family. There were tears and heartbreak. The pain was still raw, especially after having recently read his final letters. Harry’s friends, the Young family from Darwin, commemorated the anniversary of his death with the tribute: “In loving memory of our dear soldier friend, Harry, killed in France, August 10 1916. His duty nobly done.”

25 October 1917 The Darwin Red Cross Committee continued to fund raise even though Mrs Pott had been absent for the past year. They had now raised 6,096 pounds. The National Red Cross organisation again wrote to express appreciation for the continuing efforts of the people from Darwin who obviously still cared about the sons and husbands overseas.

137

Below: Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second parcel of personal effects. Right: Roll of Honour at RSL, Darwin. Below right: Memorial Plaque.

138

82. Two Years Later 13 July 1918 Despite Mrs Pott’s terrible loss, she resumed her support of the Red Cross war effort in Darwin. Her motivation had dwindled but that didn’t stop her generously helping others. Sergeant Leslie Giles wrote: “I often hear from Mrs Pott; she has been very good sending most welcome parcels. I tried to find Harry’s grave the other day when in Boulogne, but could not locate the Eastern Cemetery in the time at my disposal.” 17 August 1918 Many other men and women in Darwin also needed comfort. They too, had lost their sons. Mr and Mrs Byrne, Mr and Mrs Spain, Mrs Budgen, Judge and Mrs Herbert, Mr and Mrs Lanyon, Mr and Mrs Cain, Mr Gar and Mr and Mrs Lauder were all grieving. Mrs Pott was among people who had known each other’s sons and could understand each other’s pain. But there were other men who had just vanished from Darwin, never to return. There was no family to mourn them, only work mates who might remember. What had happened to Bob Butters, John Scales, Frank Termansen, Sid Greenwood, Patrick Holmes? They had all been part of Darwin’s community only a few short years before, but in due course may be forgotten. The Darwin City Council planned a ‘Roll of Honour’ to remember those men permanently. It was unveiled on Friday afternoon by the Mayoress, Mrs. D. C. Watts. Harry’s brother, William was in attendance. It was a moving tribute to Harry and the many other men from Darwin like him.

139

83. Time Passes January 1920 Mrs Pott and her family would never be able to travel overseas to visit Harry’s grave. There was no burial site in Australia to visit or to lay flowers upon. There was no place to visit and talk to their boy about the family or about their private thoughts. There was no site to sit and cry. There was only the solemn and very public ceremony each year at Anzac Day. There was only the cenotaph – an empty tomb – with which to remember the sons, brothers, husbands and uncles - those who were forever gone.

It took another four years before Mrs Pott received the complete set of the medals and awards that were owed to Harry. They were not sent all at once, but one by one, year by year. First came Harry’s Defence Star, then his British War Medal. Next the family was issued a Memorial Scroll, then the following year, a Memorial Plaque. Finally, in 1923, Mrs Pott received Harry’s Victory Medal. His awards were finally complete.

Three and a half years later, in 1920, a photo of Harry’s grave in France was sent to Gertrude. It would be the closest any of the family could get to visiting Harry’s grave site. Below: Darwin Cenotaph, 1936. Right: WW1 Medals. Opposite Page: Memorial Scroll; memorial notices for Harry.

wreaths

and

140

141

84. Never Ending Grief From 1916, and for the next 16 years, friends and family continued to remember Harry each year. In some ways, as the years of the war went on, it became more tragic. There was a whole town full of young men who never came home. It was repeated in every town, in every state of Australia, every year. These were mainly young men - who never had a girlfriend, who never married or had children. Their parents were never to know the joy of their grandchildren. They never saw their brothers and sisters get married or have their children. They were not there to be with their parents as they got older. They never grew older. Now the words made sense. They were the uncles that their nieces and nephews knew about but had never met. They were the names on the monument that weathered over time. When Mrs Pott died in 1951, her heartache and memories died with her. She left only the stories of a cherished man in history and a few mementos. A man who was good at shooting rifles, a man who was caring and loving. A man who was her precious son.

142

Darwin Cenotaph inscriptions.

143

144

85. Brisbane

Right: Memorial to the 25th Battalion at Brisbane Town Hall. Below: Anzac Square War Memorial, Brisbane. 1940 Anzac Day Commemorations. Opposite page: Christ Church Cathedral stained glass windows and memorials, Darwin.

145

86. Canberra

Above: Australian War Memorial opening, 1941. Below: Australian War Memorial, Wall of Honour where all the NT men are remembered.

146

87. Gallipoli

Above: Gallipoli War Memorial at Lone Pine, early days, where Patrick Holmes is commemorated. Below: Gallipoli Dawn Service, modern days.

147

88. Pozieres

148

89. Villers Bretonneux

Above: Memorial at Villers Bretonneux to soldiers with no known grave, where Sidney Greenwood, Frank Termansen, Monte Byrne and Will Budgen are commemorated. Below: Menin Gate Memorial, Belgium, commemorative site for Matthew Gar, Alexander McKinnon and John Linde. Opposite page: Pozieres windmill during the war; Commemorative site of Pozieres windmill today.

149

90. Belgium

Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendale, Belgium

150

91. Darwin

Commemorations, Darwin Cenotaph today.

151

92. Moil

Above: Street names in Moil, Darwin, commemorate soldiers from World War 1. Left: Students from Moil Primary School participate in commemorative services.

152

ON ANZAC DAY. They have come back! They wandered here and there, They saw the alterations Time had made, And smiled to see How few and scant they were. It scarcely seemed they e'er had gone away. They gazed across the bay, They climbed Fort Hill, They journeyed to East Point, as before, They looked across to where the Lighthouse lifts, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s welcome gleam across the rocks and shoals. So short a while Has passed since last they visited the place, It scarcely seems they've an hour away. They gathered in the school ground, Walked the streets, Sauntered along the jetty, Watched the boats, Or home return in sunset's golden glow. Nothing is gone from them, They are the same, Only their dress is purged and purified, Purged in the fiery furnace of the war. They have come back, for they have never died, But shall abide with us for evermore. Jessie S. Litchfield.

References Part 1: From Darwin Darwin Life Before the War: http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/white1918/ Carment, D. Looking at Darwin’s Past. North Australia Research Unit, ANU, Darwin. 1996 De La Rue, K. The Evolution of Darwin, 1869-1911 A History of the Northern Territory’s capital city during the years of South Australian administration. CDU Press, 2004. Harvey, J.Y. The Never-Never Line – The Story of the North Australia Railway. Hyland Press, Melbourne. 1987. Kettle, E.S. A Brief History of Royal Darwin Hospital. 1986. Rosenzweig, P.A. Adventurous Roving Natures: Northern Territory Volunteers of 1914. Historical Society of the NT, 2007. https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 – 1927: 1885.11.20 arrival; 1887.5.7 new school; 1887.11.12 arrival; 1889.1.12 arrival; 1889.6.1 W. Pott arrival; 1890.10.31 Mrs. Pott; 1891.7.3 arrival; 1891.7.3 Mrs. Pott one child leave; 1892.2.12 Mrs. Pott arrive 2 children; 1897.3.5 parents want school; 1897.5.14 school opens; 1897.5.21 new school building; 1898.4.1 arrival Mrs. Pott; 1900.9.14 cricket; 1900.9.14 cricket; 1902.3.28 exhibition; 1902.5.16 L. Giles speech; 1902.10.31 W. Budgen; 1903.10.30 rifle club; 1904.8.5 two rifle clubs; 1904.8.19 show prizes; 1904.12.30 Christmas fete; 1905.5.5 Fort Hill Baths; 1905.5.12 Fort Hill Baths; 1905.6.23 fancy dress; 1906.4.6 Alfred heads rifle club; 1906.8.3 Darwin show; 1906.8.10 Byrne show prize; 1907 5th show Mrs Pett & Pott; 1907.8.16 Darwin show; 1907.11.15 W. Pott rifles; 1908.5.13 cricket; 1909.7.16 show; 1909.8.07 Darwin Show; 1909.11.19 rifle prizes; 1910.4.1 rifle prize; 1910.5.12 rifle club prize; 1910.9.16 Harry’s accident; 1910.9.16 kangaroo accident; 1910.10.28 Byrne meeting; 1910.11.18 rifle wins; 1911.4.28b cricket; 1911.7.14 cricket; 1911.8.05 Darwin show; 1911.9.15 cricket fancy dress; 1911.9.22 athletics; 1911.10.20 rifle awards; 1911.11.12 Lauder; 1912.1.26 rifle award; 1912.5.17 cricket; 1912.5.24 cricket; 1912.6.21 W. Budgen; 1912.8.10 Budgen; 1913.7.17 cricket; 1913.7.24 cricket; 1913.8.14 certificate; 1913.10.2 storekeepers licence; 1913.10.23 Private Louis Williams; 1914.4.9 rifle club ad; 1914.4.23 shooting comp; 1916.4.27 Easter fair; 1914.5.14 Greenwood boxing. Alfred Pott: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927: 1890.7.11 Belle docked; 1890.7.11 ship repaired; 1891.12.30 history; 1892 Club Hotel; 1892.5.27 get hotel; 1892.7.8 hotel; 1893.7.28 retire from hotel; 1893.9.22 hotel transfer; 1893.10.27 pearling; 1893.10.27 pearling; 1894.4.6 Sisto; 1896.2.21 join customs; 1896.8.28 customs work; 1896.10.9 imports; 1904.2.5 illegal immigrants; 1907.3.8 assistant health officer; 1909.11.26 opium seizure flying machine; 1914.6.18 Pott clerk; 1914.9.22 Alfred funeral; 1914 9.24 Alfred death. Gertrude & Flo Pott:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 1880.1.14 Cooke to Darwin; 1884.2.7 weather at sea; 1875.3.4 Gothenburg; 1875.4.24 Gothenburg 2; 1888.9.15 Gertrude arrival in Darwin; 1888.9.22 Gertrude wedding; 1891.8.10 journey description; 1891.10.23 journey description; 1895.4.1 franchise vote; 1895.6.5 S.A. vote; 1895.7.12 vote; 1896.2.12 NT numbers; 1896.4.29; 1896.5.1 vote notice; 1896.5.7 vote results; 1896.5.8 elections; 1915.6.16 Flo wedding; 1891.12.1; 1918.5.26 Gertrude returns. Cable Guard: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927: 12.2.16 forming cable guard; 12.2.29 cable guard; 12.3.22; 13.1.23 meeting cable guard; 13.2.6 signal class; 1913.1.30 cable guard ad; 13.3.13 cg smoke night; 13.3.20 muster parade; 13.3.27 comp; 13.4.24 night attack; 1913.4.10 Corporal Pott; 1913.4.24 cable guard; 13.6.5 camp; 13.6.5 drill order; 13.6.12 interesting event; 1913.7.3; 1913.7.10; 1913.10.23 cable guard comp; 1914.4.16; 14.4.30 dance; 14.5.14 visit; 1914.7.2; 14.8.13 shoot German ship; 14.9.10 can’t go; 14.10.15 grievances; 14.10.29 letter; 14.11.5 building; 14.11.12 donations; 14.11.19 use of cg building; 14.12.31 pay & conditions; 15.1.14 Mr Hay; 15.2.18 horse

Part 2: To the Dardanelles 25th Battalion Military Records: https://www.awm.gov.au/unit/U51465/ Donely, B. Black Over Blue – The 25th Battalion at War. 1914 – 1919. USQ Press, 1997. Individual Military Records: http://naa12.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScre ens/BasicSearch.aspx http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/handle/10070/217054 https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/index.html Holmes: http://www.coventrydg.co.uk/index.php/greatwar/228-holmes Darwin Red Cross: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 15.8.5 Australia Day celebration fund raiser; 1915.8.26 Red Cross races; 1914.9.24; 1915.9.23 jumble sale; 1916.1.6; 1916.4.27 Easter Red Cross show; 1916.5.4; 1916.8.17; 16.4.27 Easter stall; 1916.7.6 Red Cross work; 16.9.28 Red Cross; 1916.9.8; 1918.7.13; 17.10.25 @f Red Cross, Edwards. War Declared 1914: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 1914.8.6 war; 1914.8.13 war; 1914.8.20 Holmes leaves; 1914.8.20 Holmes, Rochefort; 1914.10.1 Wilson letter; 1914.10.8 Courtney; 1914.10.15 enlisting; 1914.10.22 enlistment letter; 1914.11.12 reply to letter; 1914.12.3 McPherson & Cable Guard.

References Part 2: To the Dardanelles Gallipoli: http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-Cant.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli http://www.gallipoli.gov.au/ http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/History-in-Focus/WWIGallipoli https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/gallipoli/ http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/overview_gf.htm The Word Anzac: The West Australian (Perth, WA: 1879 - 1954), Thursday 3 June 1915, p8 Sunday Times (Perth, WA: 1902 - 1954), Sunday 6 June 1915, p28 The Argus (Melbourne, Vic: 1848 - 1957), Monday 7 June 1915, p9 The West Australian (Perth, WA: 1879 - 1954), Thursday 17 June 1915, page 3 The Casterton News and the Merino and Sandford Record (Vic: 1914 - 1918), Thursday 1 July 1915, p4 The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 - 1954), Friday 18 June 1915, p10 The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic: 1864 - 1946), Saturday 19 June 1915, p26 National Advocate (Bathurst, NSW: 1889 - 1954), Wednesday 30 June 1915, p7 Darwin Men Overseas: 1915: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 15.2.11 men required Townsville; 15.2.18 Mrs. Sutcliffe, Thompson horse stray 25 volunteers; 15.2.25 ask minister for medical facilities; 15.2.25 men should stay in Darwin; 15.2.25 men want to join; 15.3.4 enlist part 2; 15.3.4 enlist proposal; 15.3.11 unofficial 1st group go; 15.3.11 volunteer contingent; 15.3.15 Dardanelles; 15.3.15 Dardanelles; 15.3.25 12 more men wanted; 15.3.25 12 more recruits; 15.3.25 30 approved to leave; 15.3.25 refund public money; 15.4.1 C.L. Herbert leaves business; 15.4.1 send off for volunteers; 15.4.8 MacDonald & 1st contingent; 15.4.8 reduce entry restrictions; 15.4.15 Greenwood, Butters, Jones, MacDonald; 15.4.22 juggling for 3rd contingent; 15.4.29 Dardanelles attack; 15.4.29 farewell speech Captain Lewis; 15.4.29; 15.4.29 farewell; 15.5.6 Dardanelles kia; 15.5.13 farewell committee; 15.5.20 Dardanelles wounded; 15.5.20 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan goes; 15.5.20b Gallipoli casualty list; 15.5.27 farewell at Vic Hotel; 15.6.10 NT public service; 15.6.17 camp life Brisbane; 15.7.8 Gallipoli atrocities; 15.7.12 Yeadon gas; 15.7.29 notice to enlist; 15.8.5 feather poem; 15.8.5 Lauder departs; 15.8.5 only 2 accepted; 15.8.19 1915 contingent; 15.8.26 call for 5th contingent; 15.9.9 enlistment poem; 15.9.9 not enough for 3rd contingent; 15.9.16 enlist ad; 15.9.23 enlistment meeting; 15.9.23 women recruit to PC; 15.9.30 4th contingent; 15.10.7 4th contingent; 15.10.7 4th contingent list; 15.10.7 4th group; 15.10.7 farewell organised; 15.10.14 4th farewell; 15.10.21 mail; 15.10.21 recruit; 15.10.28 4th group thanks; 15.10.28

cleanliness discipline; 15.11.4 contingent committee; 15.11.11 @f wind, sand, flies, Gurkhas; 15.11.11 Christmas fund, Pine Creek, Linde; 15.11.18 description Egypt; 15.11.25 daily life, capture, Yeadon; 15.11.25 soldiers turned down 4 x; 15.11.25 Yeadon gas; 15.12.2 @f injured from Dardanelles, Borella camel knees; 15.12.9 Rochefort -France description; 15.12.16 trenches, Pott news; 15.12.30 Barker,

Part 3: The Western Front Pozieres: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res https://www.awm.gov.au/military-event/E72/ http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/pozieres-australianmemorial/visiting-pozieres/capture-of-pozieres-23-july1916.php http://www.diggerhistory.info/pagesbattles/ww1/france/somme-1916.htm 1916.7.25 Kerang New Times, Victoria, p2; 1916.7.17, 1916.7.24 The Daily News, Perth p5; The Ballarat Star, p1; 1916.7.24 The Daily News, Perth, p5; 1916.7.25 The Sydney Morning Herald, p7; 1916.7.25 The Border Morning Mail & Riverina Times, p2; 1916.7.27 Qld Times, p5; 1916.7.27 Punch, Melbourne, p4; 1916.7.27 Kyneton Guardian, p3; 1916.7.28 Kalgoorlie Miner, p5; 1916.7.29 Leader Melbourne, p32,33; 1916.7.29 Bendigo Advertiser, p9; 1916.12.2 Malvern Standard, Victoria p5. Darwin Men Overseas: 1916 https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 16.1.20 recruit information; 16.2.10 Byrne; 16.2.10 Linde; 16.2.10 Linde; 16.3.2 recruiting; 16.3.16 Lewis; 16.3.16 list of Darwin enlistees, Pott; 16.3.23 Gallipoli, weight loss; 16.4.6 @f Dowsett, hospital, Gallipoli landing, dead in paper; 16.4.13 Vesteys farewell; 16.4.13 war heroes poem, 1st Anzac day; 16.4.20 Butters; 16.4.20 Giles & Felix; 16.5.4 Byrne; 16.5.11 @f many including Olive Lauder, Kate; 16.5.11 Yeadon; 16.5.20 @f Miller, Vesteys, Bassett; 16.6.1 @f Joe King enlisted south; 16.6.1 Europe war headlines; 16.6.15 @f Marseilles, snow; 16.6.29 Murphy 1; 16.7.13 recruitment age; 16.7.20 Holmes; 16.7.20 Treminson; 16.7.27 @f Lauder wounded; 16.7.27b @f Giles; 16.8.3 sandstorms; 16.8.10 Dunkley, description Cairo; 16.8.24 Haigh, Lewis funeral; 16.8.31 @f; 16.8.31 thanks for parcel; 16.9.7 @f Yeadon & others; 16.9.21 injured; 16.9.28 poppies; 16.10.5 Felix, Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letters; 16.10.5 war updates; 16.10.12 overview of NT men; 16.10.19 Pozieres attack; 16.10.26 @f Yeadon; 16.11.2 Byrne; 16.11.2a @f Lauder hospital letter; 16.11.2c tourist France & England; 16.11.23 McDonald, Giles; 16.11.30 Dymock; 16.12.7 Egypt description; 16.12.14 McDonald, squib tunnels; 16.12.28 Sunter et al. The Western Front 1917: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927 17.1.4 Byrne; 17.1.11 Murphy; 17.1.25 Fahey; 17.2.1 Gar; 17.2.15 recruit; 17.2.22 Giles; 17.2.22 McDonald; 17.3.8

References Part 3: The Western Front Pozieres: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Pozi%C3%A8res https://www.awm.gov.au/military-event/E72/ http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/pozieres-australianmemorial/visiting-pozieres/capture-of-pozieres-23-july1916.php http://www.diggerhistory.info/pagesbattles/ww1/france/somme-1916.htm 1916.7.25 Kerang New Times, Victoria, p2; 1916.7.17, 1916.7.24 The Daily News, Perth p5; The Ballarat Star, p1; 1916.7.24 The Daily News, Perth, p5; 1916.7.25 The Sydney Morning Herald, p7; 1916.7.25 The Border Morning Mail & Riverina Times, p2; 1916.7.27 Qld Times, p5; 1916.7.27 Punch, Melbourne, p4; 1916.7.27 Kyneton Guardian, p3; 1916.7.28 Kalgoorlie Miner, p5; 1916.7.29 Leader Melbourne, p32,33; 1916.7.29 Bendigo Advertiser, p9; 1916.12.2 Malvern Standard, Victoria p5. Darwin Men Overseas: 1916 https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927: 16.1.20 recruit information; 16.2.10 Byrne; 16.2.10 Linde; 16.2.10 Linde; 16.3.2 recruiting; 16.3.16 Lewis; 16.3.16 list of Darwin enlistees, Pott; 16.3.23 Gallipoli, weight loss; 16.4.6 @f Dowsett, hospital, Gallipoli landing, dead in paper; 16.4.13 Vesteys farewell; 16.4.13 war heroes poem, 1st Anzac day; 16.4.20 Butters; 16.4.20 Giles & Felix; 16.5.4 Byrne; 16.5.11 @f many including Olive Lauder, Kate; 16.5.11 Yeadon; 16.5.20 @f Miller, Vesteys, Bassett; 16.6.1 @f Joe King enlisted south; 16.6.1 Europe war headlines; 16.6.15 @f Marseilles, snow; 16.6.29 Murphy 1; 16.7.13 recruitment age; 16.7.20 Holmes; 16.7.20 Treminson; 16.7.27 @f Lauder wounded; 16.7.27b @f Giles; 16.8.3 sandstorms; 16.8.10 Dunkley, description Cairo; 16.8.24 Haigh, Lewis funeral; 16.8.31 @f; 16.8.31 thanks for parcel; 16.9.7 @f Yeadon & others; 16.9.21 injured; 16.9.28 poppies; 16.10.5 Felix, Harry’s letters; 16.10.5 war updates; 16.10.12 overview of NT men; 16.10.19 Pozieres attack; 16.10.26 @f Yeadon; 16.11.2 Byrne; 16.11.2a @f Lauder hospital letter; 16.11.2c tourist France & England; 16.11.23 McDonald, Giles; 16.11.30 Dymock; 16.12.7 Egypt description; 16.12.14 McDonald, squib tunnels; 16.12.28 Sunter et al. The Western Front 1917: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927: 17.1.4 Byrne; 17.1.11 Murphy; 17.1.25 Fahey; 17.2.1 Gar; 17.2.15 recruit; 17.2.22 Giles; 17.2.22 McDonald; 17.3.8 Dummer; 17.3.15 Lauder; 17.3.29 Carey & Scales; 17.4.5 Kilian; 17.4.19 King; 17.4.26 Henry; 17.5.10 @f Murphy; 17.5.17 Young & Phillips; 17.5.24 @f Giles; 17.5.31 @f L Giles; 17.6.7 @f recruitment; 17.6.7 Monte Byrne; 17.6.14 Mayhew; 17.6.21 Fannon, Cummings; 17.6.28 Newton returns; 17.6.28b L Giles; 17.7.19 Wilson; 17.7.27 Giles; 17.8.20 Hill; 17.8.30 Fannon; 17.8.30 Hill, Yeadon; 17.9.6 L Giles; 17.9.20 Hoskins. The Western Front 1918:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 – 1927: 18.1.18 Snell et al; 18.1.19 King; 18.2.23 Giles 2; 18.4.6 L Giles Christmas; 18.5.11 Byrne; 18.5.25 MacDonald; 18.6.15 W. Budgen; 18.6.22 Herbert; 18.7.5 Yeadon; 18.7.13 @f L Giles; 18.7.20 @f King; 18.7.20 Butters; 18.7.20 letter; 18.8.10 @f L Giles; 18.8.10 Lauder; 18.8.10 Pott; 18.8.17b Lauder; 18.8.31 Burton; 18.8.31 McDonald gas; 18.9.21 @f Cummings; 18.9.28 Hare, Braithwaite; 18.10.19 returning; 18.10.26 @f McDonald; 18.11.2 Lauder; 18.11.16 Hare. Shellshock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/shellshock_ 01.shtml Gas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_weapons_in_World_ War_I http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm http://www.wwvets.com/gaswarfare.html Medical Intervention: http://www.anzacday.org.au/digging/hospitals.html https://sites.google.com/site/archoevidence/home/ww1austral ianwomen https://www.awm.gov.au/research/infosheets/ww1_nurses/ https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/nurses/ww1/ http://www.anzacday.org.au/history/ww1/overview/nurses .html 1917.8.20 The Advertiser, SA, p8. Missing Matunga. 1918.2.28 Barrier Miner, Broken Hill, NSW, p4. The German Raider Wolf. The Trenches: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3kgjxs Harry overseas: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 - 1927: 16.8.17 Mrs. Pott telegram; 16.8.23 Pott memoriam; 1916.8.24 notice; 1916.8.24 words condolences; 1924.8.16 Harry eulogy, 17.8.16 Pott letters in field; 17.11.8 @f Martin MacDonald; 17.11.15 @f Cummings; 17.11.22 Holmes & Lewis; 17.11.22 Lauder Connolly kia; 17.11.29 @f L Giles; 17.12.13b conscription Wilson; 17.12.29 @f Burton Darwin Commemorations: https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/title/9 NT News & Gazette, Darwin, NT: 1873 – 1927: 1916.8.24; 1916.8.31 poem; 1917.1.2 List of Honours; 1917.4.26 Anzac Day; 1917.8.9; 17.11.1 Roll of Honour; 18.1.19 Roll of Honour; 1918.8.10; 18.8.17 permanent memorial; 1918.8.18; 1919.8.16; 1919.8.23 memorial; 1920.4.1 cenotaphs; 21.5.26 incomplete list NT; 22.4.25 Anzac Day; 1928.4.27 remembering 13 years on; 1929.4.26; 1929.4.26; 1930.4.25; 1931.4.28; 1932.4.26.

Photo Credits Important note: The following photos used from the Northern Territory Library and the Australian War Memorial are public domain / open access, where copyright has expired. NTL: Northern Territory Library AWM: Australian War Memorial

Part 1: From Darwin PAGE i Fort Hill and the Residency 1887 NTL: Peter Spillett. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/12117 iv Wreath in front of war memorial on Anzac Day 1927. NTL: Marylyn Nichols. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/30209 v Unveiling the Soldiers monument, cenotaph on the Esplanade near to Government House. Barnes, W.J. NTL: Peter Spillett. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/70415 v People gathered for Anzac Day at the War Memorial 1935. NTL: Marylyn Nichols. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/31932 v Cenotaph War Memorial on the Esplanade with, left to right, the Darwin Police Station and courthouse buildings damaged in the first Japanese air raid of 19 February 1942, in the background. NTL: Don Clegg. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/33676 vi Smith Street, Darwin, 1915 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/16121 1 View of Palmerston from Fort Hill. 1887 NTL: Foelsche http://hdl.handle.net/10070/7717 2,3 Map: Town of Darwin 1915. http://www.is.nt.gov.au/imfPublic/historicMapImf.jsp 4 Menmuir http://www.findboatpics.com.au/spea.html 5 Darwin Jetty, c1917-1918. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/10521 6 The old jetty, Port Darwin, 1900s. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/18193 6 The old jetty at Port Darwin with Chingtu (left) & another ship at the jetty, 1901-1904. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/16776 6 View of jetty from Stokes Hill, a steam ship is anchored at the jetty and railway carriage on the rail leading to the jetty.1915 NTL: Darwin 1914-1916 Collection. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/3896 7 Tropical dwelling, Hilary Rowe. NTL: http://hdl.handle.net/10070/27588 8 House, 1930, stood between Manny (Emanuel) Brown's (now known as Brown's Mart) and the "tin bank" (the English Scottish and Australian Bank) in Smith Street. NTL: Harold Snell. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/13310 8 Mabel Harmer and Hilda Yarrington, 1932. NTL: Ann McEvoy. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/5671 9 Chinese shops at the north west end of Cavenagh Street, Man Fong Lau in foreground. 1915. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net/10070/19391 9 Zapopan Gold Mine, Brocks Creek. 1911 NTL: Federal Parliamentary Party Visit 1912 Collection http://hdl.handle.net/10070/4725 9 Chinese panning at Pine Creek.http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/522079/chineseminers-in-pine-creek-nt 10 Landing the sub-marine telegraph cable from the Hibernia, coming from Java to Port Darwin. The cable was landed near Goyder's Camp, Lameroo (Cable Beach) clear of mangroves. 7.11.1871 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/10127

10 Testing submarine cable near BAT office. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/10171 11 Belle of South Esk. State Library of South Australia, PRG 1373/10/4. http://www.findboatpics.net/zpdc.html 12 Pearl diver, shows diver ready to be lowered, workmen standing around on platform. Believed to be diver working on construction of wharf, Darwin. 1930 NTL: Roger Nott http://hdl.handle.net/10070/12085 12 Pearl diver entering water, side of boat https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryqueensland/3208042875 13 Alfred Pott Family photo 13 Pearl Diver on land. NTL: Robert Coppock Hoath http://hdl.handle.net/10070/32931 13 Customs Stamp Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927), Friday 9 October 1896, page 3 14 Women voters poster http://womenintheworkplace2012.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/suffragephoto-analysis.html 15 Election day in Adelaide, 25 April 1896 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first Australian election and referendum in which women could cast a vote. http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/defining_moments/featured/w omens_suffrage 15 Victory poster: They dont want husbands only votes Western Mail September 1 1899 http://womenshistory.net.au/2013/02/28/westernaustralia/ 15 Gertrude Pott Family photo 16 Victoria Hotel after cyclone NTL: Price http://hdl.handle.net/10070/28260 17 Cyclone 6th/7th January 1897. Port Darwin Mining Agency Store. Stone building unroofed and structurally damaged. Now (2014) Brown's Mart. 7-Jan-1897 NTL: Marie & Lindsay Perry http://hdl.handle.net/10070/9330 17 P. R. Allen & Co.'s private residence, located behind the store on Smith Street, shows cyclone damage. NTL: Marie & Lindsay Perry. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/5032 17 P. R. Allen & Co.'s private residence showing damage NTL: Marie & Lindsay Perry http://hdl.handle.net/10070/5437 18 School children in fancy dress, c.1905, with Judge Herbert, Administrator, taken at the Residency. Back row: ?; Miss Elliott; C. Budgen; Mabel Brown; Alf Stretton; Mona Furness; ?; ?; W. Pott. 2nd row: Jack Cain; ?; ?; ?; ?; Dorothy Stretton; Pauline Herbert; Dolly Marsh; Dorothy Andrews; ?; ?; Paul Stretton. 3rd row: ? Marsh; Pett; Barnes; ?; ?; Ian Cameron; ?; Harry Pott. 4th row: Olga Foster; Rita Andrews; Queenie Cameron; ? Cleland; Linda Kelsey; Myra Lorgan; ?; ?; Mo Pott?. Bottom row: Ellis Foster; Gordon Cameron; ?; ?; ?; ?; ?; ?; ?; Alan Keely; ?; ?; ?; ?. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/67876 19 Pupils of Darwin Public School. Teacher: Mrs Catherine Pett Back row L-R: Ron (Cheeky) Pett,?. Second row (boys) standing L-R: ? , ? , ? , Felix Spain, ? , ? , ? , ? , ? , Chin Fong. Third row (girls) seated LR: Maude Brown, Olga Foster (later Olga Pott), ? , ? ,Doris Stretton, Flo and Liz Goodman , ? , ?. Front row (boys) seated L-R: Roy Budgen, Chin Gong, Podencia Spain, Joe Spain, ? , ? 1905 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/13168 19 Darwin Public School, from Cavenagh Street, 2.11.1930 NTL: Cowan http://hdl.handle.net/10070/30467 20 Women in swimsuits, 1905. http://fuzzylizzie.com/middy.html 21 Lameroo Baths NTL: Bill Bovard http://hdl.handle.net/10070/60376 21 Swimming poster http://www.consumingcultures.net/2012/08/24/when-culture-kills-ahistory-of-drowning-in-america/

Photo Credits Part 1: From Darwin 21 People sitting and leaning on fences watching a swimming carnival in progress. Fort Hill baths. 9.10.1915. NTL: http://hdl.handle.net/10070/9145 21 Swimming carnival, NTL: http://hdl.handle.net/10070/1156 20 Group of men with rifles / Robert Monteith. 1920 NTL: Robert Monteith http://hdl.handle.net/10070/238894 23 Port Darwin cricket team. 25 men & 1 child. 1930 NTL: Marie & Lindsay Perry http://hdl.handle.net/10070/4079 23 Group of men with rifles, 1920 NTL: Christa Roderick http://hdl.handle.net/10070/238894 24 Horse and carriage NTL: Christa Roderick http://hdl.handle.net/10070/17440 24 Justice and Mrs Mitchell with hospital staff, 1911 NTL: Mitchell http://hdl.handle.net/10070/33627 25 Government Resident Gilruth and staff of Darwin Hospital, at Government House. Dr J. A. Gilruth (seated). Back row: Dr Cecil Strangman NTL: Mitchell http://hdl.handle.net/10070/15439 25 The Northern Territory's first hospital with water tanks in foreground, Doctor's Gully, Larrakeyah, Palmerston, NT, September 1878. NTL: Foelsche http://hdl.handle.net/10070/61181 26 A. E. Jolly & Co. General store of Alfred Edward Jolly, Darwin. 1930 NTL: Gunn http://hdl.handle.net/10070/7344 26 Paraparap Station, 1917 NTL: Bradshaw http://hdl.handle.net/10070/244945 27 Palmerston Club Hotel, a popular Darwin hotel. Located corner Mitchell and Herbert Streets. 1920 NTL: Christa Roderick http://hdl.handle.net/10070/619 27 Inside of Jolly and Co., Bennett Street, Smith Street, Darwin. Jolly's full name: Alfred Edward Jolly. Shows people at shop counter and general view of store interior. NTL: E. J. Nielson http://hdl.handle.net/10070/18796 27 Vestey’s Meatworks. NTL: http://hdl.handle.net/10070/30412 28 Workshop at the Public Works Department. 1914. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net/10070/12894 28 Federal Parliamentary Party Visit 1912. Brocks Creek Station, Duplicate with PH0100/0099. 31-Mar-1912 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/70530 29 Darwin Railway Station. NTL: Northern Territory Government Photographer http://hdl.handle.net/10070/67648 29 J. C. Buscall workshop, in Cavenagh Street, Darwin, February 1915. "My shop as it was before World War I. Four of the men went to the front, 3 men returned." Jack Buscall, May 1920. NTL: Buscall http://hdl.handle.net/10070/72227 30 Captain Lewis NT Volunteers, 1914 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/71122 31 Captured Crocodiles NTL: Peter Spillett http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/handle/10070/47752 32 Darwin Rifle Club, 1920 NTL: Buscall http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/handle/10070/70484 32, 33 NT Volunteers, 1914 AIF, originally the Cable Guard, guarding the BAT (Lyons Cottage), Knuckey Street. Back row: 1st left J E Fawcett; 5th left Arthur Lauder; 12th left Willie Barnes; 15th left David Whiteford. Front row: 1st left Tony Xuereb; 2nd left Fred Askins; 4th left Les A. Giles; 5th left Will Hare, 6th left Harry Bunce Pott. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/71122 32 March past of WW1 soldiers. PO on right. NTL: Freda Manski http://hdl.handle.net/10070/25738 33 Medal http://www.downies.com/aca/auction309/Catalogue_021.html 34 Newspaper headlines: War Declared http://www.thegreatwargazette.com/posts/2014/Aug/01/1914080101.h tml

35 Canterbury Infantry Badge. 1st (Canterbury) Regiment Formed 17 March 1911 http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/nzinf.htm 37 Administrator Gilruth, 1912 NTL: Federal Parliamentary Party Visit 1912 Collection http://hdl.handle.net/handle/10070/787 37 Government House, Darwin, 1910 NTL: Gilruth http://hdl.handle.net/10070/13398 38 The Town Hall building used by Palmerston Institute, taken from Smith Street, Port Darwin, 1888 NTL: William C. J. Tracey http://hdl.handle.net/10070/19500 39 The 1st and 2nd contingent of Northern Territory volunteers for the front. The SS 'Aldenham' left on Monday the 8th with the next contingent consisting of: J. L. Cain; J. Park; A. Borella; Frank Thompson and Sergt. R. Butters, late of the Royal Scots Greys. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net /10070/12637 40 Sailing from Darwin to Townsville on SS Alderham to enlist in the First World War. Five of the first 15 Territorians who volunteered for active service. Standing L-R : Lieutenant Albert Borella (Bert Borrelli [sic]) 275 26th Infantry Battalion VC MM ; Lieutenant Robert Dingwall Buttercase (Bob Butters) 1376 41st Battery KIA 05 April 1918 ; Private James Park, 658 (also 53A) 13th Light Horse, 1st reinforcements ; Private James Lawrence Cain (Jimmie Cain) 2060 9th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement KIA 20 April 1916 ; Private Frank Thomson 2057 9th Battalion, 5th Reinforcement. 8.3.1915 NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net /10070/10834 41 The 1st and 2nd contingent of Northern Territory volunteers for the front, leaving on the ‘Taiyuan’. The contingent consisted of Neil Boyle; J. T. Johnson; L. P. Weatherbv; R. W. Stirling; P. C. Reaby; C. B Dickason; Jas. M. McDonald; G. Classen; J. Buckley; J. Beattie. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net/10070/18133 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3270044 41 The 'Taiyuan' sailing from Darwin. The Taiyuan may have been carrying the 10 recruits from the Northern Territory to the First World War. The ship sailed often between Hong Kong and Sydney. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net/10070/18631 42 Australians enlisting at Victoria Barracks, 1914. The men faced some of the toughest physical criteria of any army in WW1, including strict chest measurements. NTL: Christa Roderick https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A03616/ 43 Captioned: "First contingent to leave Darwin". Gilruth on left with Chief Justice Major Bevan; 24 men in contingent; in grounds of Government House. NTL: Christa Roderick http://hdl.handle.net/10070/4069 44 Enlistment form http://naa12.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx? B=8019612 45 Sidney Lauder AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P05138.001 45 Leslie Giles, 1933 NT Volunteers, 1914 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/71122 45 Tony Xuereb NT Volunteers, 1914 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/71122 46 The First Contingent photographed at dinner at the Angels' Retreat restaurant (Smith Street), on the day before they left for the front. The Angels' Retreat was demolished in 1918. NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/69471 46 Victoria Hotel, Darwin 1915 NTL: http://hdl.handle.net /10070/3633 47 Smoke Social Invitation Family property 48 Picnic Private photo

Photo Credits Part 1: From Darwin 48 Head of the procession for the Easter Sports. Drum Major is Charles Lister. NTL: Ronald Lister http://hdl.handle.net/10070/14535 49 25th Battalion A.I.F. Left Darwin on the 'ChangSha' and were marched out of town with a brass band. NTL: Jean A. Austin http://hdl.handle.net /10070/33931 49 NT volunteers, 21.4.1915 NTL: Northern Territory Government Photographer Collection http://hdl.handle.net /10070/32238 50 March past of WW1 soldiers. PO on right. NTL: Freda Manski http://hdl.handle.net/10070/25738 50 Northern Territory volunteers embarking from the Darwin Jetty on to SS Changsha on their way to the First World War. 26-Apr1915 NTL: Peter Spillett http://hdl.handle.net/10070/72030 51 Harry Pott. Family photo

Part 2: To the Dardanelles 52,53 First Contingent 26.4.1915 NTL: Jean A. Austin http://hdl.handle.net/10070/33459 54 Map of travels to Europe. Google Maps 54 Map of Dardanelles http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/maps/gre ece_turkey.htm 55 View of ships in the Aegean Sea http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/wwisea/ 56,57 Map of Gallipoli. Google Maps 58,59 Troops of the 1st Brigade row to the beach and empty boats return from the shore to the destroyers at about 9.45 a.m., on the morning of the Australians landing at Anzac Cove. Those landed in the morning first rushed the small outstanding plateau, afterwards called Plugge's Plateau and then went over the skyline into Shrapnel Valley. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/G00900/ 60 Troops of an Australian Battalion on the deck of the battleship Prince of Wales in Mudros Harbour just before the landing. This ship was part of the fleet which transported Australian troops to the Gallipoli landing at Anzac Cove. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A01829/ 61 800px-Lancashire_Fusiliers_boat_Gallipoli_May_1915 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_at_Cape_Helles 62 Australian troops being towed ashore in lighters to land at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli. In the background is the transport ship. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C01890/ 63 Exiting row boats for the shore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli_(miniseries) 64 Troops of the 2nd Brigade landing at Anzac Beach, Gallipoli on the morning of 25 April 1915. The cruiser HMS Bacchante can be seen in the distance. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10140.004/ 64 Troops of the 2nd Brigade landing at Anzac Beach, Gallipoli on the morning of 25 April 1915. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10140.008/ 65 Walkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ridge, Gallipoli, 1919. Table Top from No 1 Outpost looking north east, showing rough broken country in centre foreground. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/G01810A/ 66 Walter Styles was a third generation Territorian and the oldest and only son of Thomas (Tom) and Eleanor nee Tuckwell. http://hdl.handle.net /10070/214542 66 Rewa http://msptv.co.uk/index.php/programmes/deep-wreckmysteries-series-one/red-cross-outrage/

67 Enoggera training camp, Brisbane 1915. This part of the camp was known as White City. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H02175 68 Soldiers, Gympie Road, Chermside, 1915 http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details. asp?ID=293 69 Hints for soldiers booklethttp://digital.slv.vic.gov.au/view/action/singleViewer.do?dvs= 1434132360376~898&locale=en_US&metadata_object_ratio=10&sh ow_metadata=true&VIEWER_URL=/view/action/singleViewer.do?& preferred_usage_type=VIEW_MAIN&DELIVERY_RULE_ID=10&f rameId=1&usePid1=true&usePid2=true 69 Members of the Australian Army Rifle Team on range.AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P09135.002/ 70 Drilling with rifles and satchels but no uniforms at Chermside. There were no permanent buildings in the camp, the men lived in small tents while kitchens, toilets and mess huts were all temporary structures. They paraded on the grass among the gum trees; there was no parade ground. This reflected the Australian solier's attitude to the army; it was part time. (Kath Ballard Archive) http://www.chermsidedistrict.org.au/chermsidedistrict/01_cms/details. asp?ID=293 70 Marching through Brisbane, 1915. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25341/25341-h/25341-h.htm 70 25th Battalion Badge. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2014/07/31/australian-imperial-forceaif-badges-1914-1918/ 70 Battalion Colour Patch. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM13307.085/ 71 HMAT Aeneas (A60) is farewelled by well-wishers on the wharf. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PB0001/ 72 Hororata Departure from Port Melbourne 1916. http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/history/princes-pier/ Pictures Collection, State Library Victoria 73 V.A.D.s Red Cross Jumble Sale. Front: Mrs Edwards Snr, (Roy Edwards' mother) - wife of Skipper Edwards. Back: Dolores Flynn, Myrtle Styles, Lilla Bell, Mrs Wells (judge's wife), Ivy Bell, Topsy Finniss. Northern Territory Library. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/PH0237/0001 74 Map of Suez Canal http://antonioluis.pozuelo.org/391-cruzandoel-canal-de-suez/ 74 Members of the 1st Battalion carrying out musketry training in a trench in the desert near Mena, their camp outside Cairo. On the far right are two Egyptian onlookers. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C01989/ 75 Tents at Mena Camp, under the pyramids in Egypt. http://www.nzmr.org/archive/updates2011_nov1.html Photograph: Roger Shephard Collection, Auckland. - duotone treatment NZMRA 2011 76 "A 'charge' of Australians at Anzac, arranged by the Official Photographer. (Admiralty Official Photograph)". AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/G00635/ 76 New Zealand troops first setting foot at Gallipoli taken by Joseph McBride. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Zealand_troops_first_setting_ foot_at_Gallipoli_taken_by_Joseph_McBride.jpg 77 Informal outdoor portrait of allied Prisoners of War held at Afyonkarahissar camp in Turkey. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P09605.001/ 78 Map of Lemnos https://www.strongspace.com/pacific/public/TTL/mapdata/LemnosA.G.Butler-p334.png

Photo Credits Part 2: To the Dardanelles 78 Map of trip from Lemnos to Gallipoli Google Maps 79 French arrive at Gallipoli. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6908985j/ 80 Directed by sailors from a destroyer, a tie line is secured so troops can disembark on the beach. A steady stream of soldiers were transported to shore during the day. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A05292/ 81 Gallipoli, turkey. Soldiers waiting to fill water carriers to take back to their respective areas. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H03939/ 81 Two unidentified soldiers are standing on the beach at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. They are flanked by boxes of corned beef, known as bully beef, the main source of protein in the soldier's diet. The cans in the foreground were used for carrying kerosene or water. All the rations for the soldiers at Gallipoli were AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H03951/ 82 Lining up for water https://curio.artpro.net.au/tour/13/3?on_display=false 82 Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915. AIF infantrymen at Anzac warming food in mess tins which are supported on used shell cases. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H16903/ 83 The dugouts of the 2nd and 3rd Australian Field Ambulance Brigades at Anzac Cove. Standing in the foreground and flanked by two unidentified colleagues is Dr Henry Kenneth Fry, a Captain with the 3rd Field Ambulance. 1915. AWM https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C01734 84 Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 25 July 1915. This photograph depicts one of the many difficulties with which our troops were confronted on Gallipoli. Before bringing in troops for the big battle of August, it was necessary to provide stores of water. A great platform was levelled for tanks above Anzac Cove, and troops are seen slewing a tank into position after having dragged it up the hill. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/G01120/ 85 Supplies on shore at Anzac Cove, 1915 AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/5623438 86 Judge Bevan. Jean A. Austin. NTL. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/26996 86 Reverend Gsell / Jessie Litchfield. NTL. http://hdl.handle.net/10070/7988 88 Studio portrait of an Aboriginal serviceman, 50246 Trooper William (Willie) Allen, 11th Light Horse Regiment. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00889.021/ 88 Alexander McKinnon was the only indigenous serviceman from the Territory to die in combat in the Great War. http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/handle/10070/214497 88 Studio portrait of an indigenous soldier, probably 2597 Private (Pte) Frederick Prentice, 12th Battalion, and later 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10966.001/ 89 Melbourne office http://www.bbc.com/mundo/lg/cultura_sociedad/2009/09/090917_140 1_galeria_crisis_moda_mr.shtml 89 NT News front page. NT News & Gazette 89 Returned letters http://www.mikewhiteuk.com/results.php?s=582 90 Sniper 1 AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H10324/ 90 Sniper 2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article2594762/Deadly-art-sniper-After-British-sharpshooter-kills-sixTaliban-single-shot-lone-wolves-war-went-hate-figures-heroes.html

91 Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 1915. An Australian officer visiting a comrade's grave at Lancashire Landing Cemetery. The graves are marked with a wooden cross. Left front is the grave of Seaman F Fairweather, HMT Karoa, who died on Saturday 28 August 1915. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/G00419/ 91 View through a periscope http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/news/parapet-view-of-warsunseen-world/story-e6frg6no-1111115219230 92 Magpie Geese http://karumba.qld.au/karumba-birds---photos 92 Private John Hector Croft, 3rd Battalion, Gallipoli. Collection consists of a pocket book pierced by a Turkish bullet at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PR03842/ 93 Group of soldiers amid the snow covered landscape of the Gallipoli Peninsula. This was the first snow seen by many Australian soldiers; it gave an indication of the bitter weather to follow. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C00751 93 Rugged up in warm greatcoats, two unidentified Australian soldiers stand in the snow outsidea dugout on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This was the first time many of the Australian soldiers had seen snow. Nov 1915 AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C00783 94 Dug out Officers of D Company, 10th Battalion eating a meal in their dugout mess. Captain Felix Gordon Giles, DSO, Officer Commanding; 2nd from right. AWM https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A00715 94 A group of unidentified staff at the 4th Field Ambulance Hospital on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On the ground are several metal vessels, which would probably be used for cooking or for carrying water. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C00680/ 95 Jaundiced hands http://diyhealth.com/9-symptoms-liverdiseases.html 95 Medical staff of 3rd Australian General Hospital (3AGH) sleep outdoors on their first night at West Mudros. Their equipment did not arrive until three weeks later. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/J01366/ 96 A flat bottomed barge transporting wounded soldiers from Anzac Cove alongside the Hospital Ship Gascon. Injured on boat AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A02740 96 Lemnos Hospital http://www.gallipoli.gov.au/nurses-atgallipoli/nurses-experience.php 97 Two nursing sisters and officer in the tent ward lines with patients at No 3 Australian General Hospital (3AGH). AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/J01446/ 97 Heliopolis, Egypt. c. 1915. The interior of the Hospital (1AGH), in Heliopolis Palace Hotel. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H18510 99 Ruby Wilson http://nurses.ww1anzac.com/wi.html 99 Jessie Tomlins. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00153.057 99 Philip Maplestone AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A03397/ 99 Cecil StrangmanThe Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) 20.8.1917 p8 99 Henry Fry. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A03397/ 100 Christmas billy, www.awm.gov.au/collection/P09871.001 100 Australian Red Cross Christmas Box. www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL32973 100 Lemnos, 1915-12-?. A group of six Australian soldiers unpack the contents of their Christmas billies on a blanket spread out near their tent lines. G. Hoare) https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P01296.002

Photo Credits Part 3: The Western Front

Part 4: Darwin

102 Map of Gallipoli to France Google Maps 103 Western Front http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article2695644/The-horror-war-youve-never-seen-Reproduced-breathtakingcolour-dramatic-photographs-WW1-carnage-courage.html 104-5 Trenches https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I 106 Map of travels through France Google Maps 106 Morbeque http://www.hazebrouckautrefois.com/?pid=2&mots=morbecque 107 Steenwerck http://mvr.chez-alice.fr/steenwer/economie.htm 108 Human gas mask http://makingmaps.net/2013/02/11/mapreading-intelligence-training-1917/ 108 Dog gas mask. http://www.vlib.us/medical/gaswar/gasmasks.htm 109 French postcard Author 110 Armentieres trenches http://www.delcampe.net/page/item/id,138322775,var,WWI-Germantrench-Armentieres-RP-ppccpa-unused,language,E.html 111 Letter. Family photo. 112 Red Cross Supplies http://library.unimelb.edu.au/red_cross/red_cross_gallery 113 Anzac Day card Front Cover, “Citizens’ celebration”: Exhibition Hall, Tuesday April 25, 1916. Anzac Day Program, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Australia. http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/ww1/2014/03/17/digitisedslq-anzac-dayprogram-1916/ 113 Christchurch, Darwin. Author 114 Unidentified Australian soldiers walking along a duckboard track on their way to the front line trenches in Northern France. Breastworks reinforced with timber and sandbags can be seen behind the line of men. The first Australian battalions moved into the front line on the Western Front on 7 April 1916. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/EZ0048/ 115 Captain Lewis Black Over Blue, p11 115 Flo Pott’s wedding. Family photo 116 Bi-plane, Sopwith Camel http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/aerial-arms-race.html 117 Pozieres Landscape http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/westernfront1/ 118 Bombed buildingshttp://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/westernfron t2/ 120-27 Wire in trenches. Stills from: http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/pozieres-australianmemorial/visiting-pozieres/australians-in-france-movie.php https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F00047/ 121 Map of front https://connectingspirits2012.wordpress.com/mapof-the-western-front/ 126 Shell shocked soldier http://io9.com/5898560/from-irritableheart-to-shellshock-how-post-traumatic-stress-became-a-disease 127 Wire and trenches. AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F00047/ 128 Diagram trenches. http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3kgjxs 128 System of medical evacuation. http://www.anzacday.org.au/digging/hospitals.html 129 Boulogne Hospital AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E02129/ 130 Bolougne Cemetery AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H12666/ 131 Bolougne Cemetery modern day. http://www.webmatters.net/cwgc/boulogne_east.htm

131 Headstone. Family photo. 131 Bolougne Cemetery, modern day. Family photo. 132 Darwin Harbour. Author 132 Darwin map. Author 133 Darwin cenotaph. Author 134-7 Telegrams, letters http://naa12.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx? B=8019612 136 Kit bag 1. Author 137 Letters, postcards http://www.mohistory.org/node/6504; http://www.kafkhanesque.com/help.html 138 Kit bag 2. Author 139 Darwin Roll of Honour. Author 139 Plaque. Author 140 Medals. Author 140 Darwin Cenotaph Anzac Day, 1936, NTL: Clive Keetley http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/handle/10070/29117 141 Commemorative scroll AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/memorial_scroll/ 142 Harry Pott kneeling. Source unknown. 143 Darwin Cenotaph details. Author 144 Christchurch window, plaques. Author 145 25th Battalion plaque http://www.qldwarmemorials.com.au/memorial/?id=34 145 Anzac Day in Brisbane http://www.mustdobrisbane.com/archives/anzac-day-2015-brisbane 146 Australian War Memorial http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-0827/a-history-of-canberra-from-the-air/5700498 146 Walls of Remembrance, AWM, Canberra. Author 147 Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, 1936 AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00604.041/ 147 Gallipoli Dawn Service http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-0425/they-died-so-that-we-could-be-free-said-one/190584 148 Pozieres windmill http://www.gutenberg.org/files/48592/48592h/images/ 148 Pozieres windmill damaged http://19141918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154554 148 Plaque at Pozieres http://members.iinet.net.au/~abermail/pozieres.html 148 Pozieres Memorial http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/pozieres-windmill/ 149 Villers Bretonneux Memorial http://centenaire.org/en/dans-lemonde/commonwealth-war-graves-commission-getting-readycentenary-great-war 149 Menin Gate Memorial AWM: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H16916/ 150 Tyne Cot Cemetery,Belgium. https://twitter.com/airwaysfoodie/status/523193342830854144 151 Darwin Memorial Service. Author 151 Wreaths at Darwin Cenotaph, Author 152 Moil street map. Google Maps 153 Moil Primary School service, Author 154 Mindil Beach sunset, Darwin. Author Cover The Sphinx, Gallipoli. Author

Index 25 25 April, 63, 93, 113, 114 25th Battalion, 45, 68, 71, 80, 91, 95, 114, 126, 145 A Aegean Sea, 58, 92 aeroplanes, 4, 116 Alfred, 4, 6, 11, 13, 17, 22, 30, 43, 45, 73, 88 Ambulance, 85, 99, 127 Anzac Cove, 61-62, 64-65, 80, 81, 84, 97 Anzac Day, 113, 140, 145 Armentieres, 110, 114 Australian Imperial Forces, 116 B band, 30, 45, 46, 48-50, 107, 111, 112 Battalion, 35, 45, 52, 63, 65-68, 71, 74-76, 79-80, 88, 91, 93, 95, 101, 107, 108, 110, 114-115, 117, 119, 120, Belgium, 34, 88, 114, 149 Belle of South Esk, 11 Birdwood, 101 Boer War, 30, 34 Borella, 39, 40 Bousfield, 63 boxing, 35, 72 Brisbane, 4, 39, 48, 67-68, 70-71, 73, 112, 145 Brockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creek, 66, 86 Brown, 13, 26 Buckley, 36, 39, 41, 113 Budgen, 22, 73, 139, 149 bullet, 92-93 bullseye, 33 Butters, 36, 38-40, 68, 101, 139 Byrne, 22, 26, 101, 139, 149 C cable guard, 31 Cable Guard, 30-34, 37, 39, 42, 45-46, 88, 114 Cain, 22, 36, 39, 68, 101, 139 Cairo, 74-75, 88, 99 Canterbury, 65 Captain Gay, 11 Captain Mugg, 11 Casualty Clearing Station, 127 Cenotaph, 140, 143 Charles Lloyd Herbert, 22

Charlie Allen, 42, 92 Chinese, 9, 13-14, 31, 34, 46 Christ Church, 113, 145 Christmas, 112 Club Hotel, 11, 27 commemoration, 137 Commonwealth, 30, 34, 37 contingent, 36, 41-43, 45-47, 49, 52, 67, 91, 113 cricket, 22, 23, 30, 67 crocodile, 31 cyclone, 4, 16-18 D Dardanelles, 55, 58, 87 Darwin, 1, 4-6, 9, 11-13, 17-19, 21-26, 28-32, 34-39, 42-43, 45-50, 63, 65-67, 73, 75, 76, 86, 88-89, 91-92, 99, 111-116, 120, 124, 127, 130, 133, 135-140, 143, 145, 151-152 divers, 11, 12 Doctor Maplestone, 39, 99 Doctor Strangman, 24, 99, 127 Downing, 42, 43, 91, 113 Dowsett, 101 Dymock, 107, 118 dysentery, 17, 85 E Edwin Luxton and Company, 26 Egypt, 74-76, 79, 89, 97, 99, 101 England, 11, 34-35, 63, 75, 98, 99, 129 enlist, 37-39, 86, 88 enlistment, 36, 42, 67, 88, 99 Enoggera, 42, 48, 67-68 Ethel Freeman, 20 F Fancy Dress, 18 flies, 82, 85 Flo, 18, 73, 111, 112, 115, 136 food, 81-82, 85, 92, 94, 110, 125 Fort Hill Baths, 20, 124 France, 34, 75, 107, 110, 117, 128-130, 134-135, 137 Fred Finniss, 14 Fred Thornton, 26 French, 34, 58, 79, 107-108, 110, 114

Index G Gallipoli, 58, 60, 64-66, 75-76, 79-83, 85, 90, 92-95, 98, 99, 101, 110, 111, 113, 135, 147 Gar, 86, 139 gas, 108, 114 gassed, 99, 108, 129 geese, 92 German, 30-31, 107, 114, 116, 119 Germans, 34, 58, 88, 99, 108, 110, 119, 126 Germany, 34 Gertrude, 4, 6, 14-15, 17, 30, 71, 73, 140 Giles, 30, 43, 45, 95, 101, 129 Gilruth, 25, 31, 37-38, 43, 46 gold mining, 45, 114 Gothenburg, 4 Greenwood, 26, 36, 68, 139, 149 H Hannah Trenam, 20 Harry, 4, 6, 16-18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32-33, 37, 42-43, 45-46, 48, 50, 67-68, 71, 73, 75-76, 79-80, 82, 84-85, 88, 90-92, 94-95, 99, 107-108, 111, 114-116, 120, 122, 124-125, 127-130, 134-137, 140, 142 Heliopolis, 75, 97 Herbert, 26, 88, 139 Holmes, 35, 65, 139, 147 hospital, 4, 14, 25, 30, 45, 66, 75, 76, 79, 94, 95, 97, 99, 112, 127-129, 136 I

Lemnos, 58, 59, 79, 95, 97, 111 Leslie Giles, 30, 42, 45, 48, 89, 92, 94, 107, 118, 136, 139 letters, 71, 82, 89, 112, 116, 137 Levy, 42, 43 Lewis, 30, 34, 42, 46, 68, 84, 94, 114-116 Llewellyn Selwyn Downing, 42, 43, 113 Lone Pine, 147 Louis Williams, 22, 24 M MacDonald, 39, 68, 100, 101, 155, 156 Marseilles, 107 Mataram, 35 McKercher, 42 McKinnon, 88 medals, 88, 140 Memorial, 113, 138, 140, 145-147, 149 Memorial Plaque, 138 Memorial Scroll, 140 Menin Gate, 149 Menmuir, 4, 6 Mitchell Street, 11, 26 Moil, 152 Monte Byrne, 22, 26, 149 Morbecque, 108, 110 Mrs Pett, 18-19 Munster Fusiliers, 35 N

New Zealand, 58, 76, 77, 80 newspaper, 14, 18, 20, 33, 73, 86, 89, 135 No Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Land, 119-120, 122, 124 Northern Territory, vi, 13-14, 37-38, 41, 42, 50, 66-67, 72, 75, 76, 86, 115 notebook, 92, 122, 137 NT News and Gazette, 89, 113 O

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan, 30, 101, 155 opium, 13 Overland Telegraph Line, 9, 14, 30, 45 P

Iliffe, 22 Indigenous, 14, 88 James Park, 36, 39 Jaundice, 94-95 jetty, 6, 17, 50, 80 John Scales, 139 Justice Dashwood, 12 Katherine, 30 killed, 4, 17, 24, 60, 65, 76, 80, 88, 89, 91, 94, 107, 114, 116, 120, 126, 129-130, 135, 137 L Lameroo Baths, 21 Lanyon, 22, 30, 76, 113, 139 Lauder, 26, 30, 45, 46, 112, 136, 139

Palmerston, vi, 4, 11, 14, 16-18, 20, 22, 23, 27 Paraparap, 26 Parkhouse, 42, 43 pearling boats, 9 personal effects, 136, 138

Index Philpott, 114 Pine Creek, 9, 26, 37, 39, 42, 45, 86, 99 Pinkenba, 71 Pott, 4, 9, 11-14, 17-18, 22, 30, 32, 43, 50, 73, 92, 99, 112, 115, 123, 134-137, 139-140, 142 Pozieres, 88, 116-119, 129-130, 148 Prentice, 88 R railways, 4, 26, 34 ration, 82 recruiting, 37, 86 Red Cross, 73, 100, 112, 137, 139 Rewa, 66 rifle, 23, 24, 32, 33, 37, 69, 80, 90, 108, 111, 113, 124, 134, 135 Ruby Wilson, 99 S Sam Dick, 42 school, 18-19, 22, 26, 48, 152 shark, 12, 31 shell shock, 45, 126, 127 ship, 11, 13, 35, 48, 59, 62, 65, 66, 70-72, 76, 79, 80, 95, 99, 107, 111 ships, 4, 13, 58, 79, 95, 107 shooting, 22, 24, 33, 67, 108, 112, 114, 135, 142 shrapnel, 65, 76, 87, 91, 111, 124, 129 Sisto, 11-12 Smoke Social, 46, 47 sniper, 90, 95, 114 snow, 92, 93, 95, 107 Somme, 116, 118 Spain, 22, 26, 86, 139 Springvale, 30 Stokes Hill, 26 stowaways, 13 stretcher bearers, 95, 99, 123, 127 Styles, 66, 73, 113 submarines, 107 Suez, 72, 74, 101 Sydney, 36, 72, 112

T Taiyuan, 41 telegram, 30, 37, 39, 112, 115, 134 Termansen, 42, 101, 139, 149 Thompson, 39, 68 Tomlins, 99 torpedo mollusc, 6 Townsville, 4, 39, 66 Trade and Customs Office, 13 training, 67, 75, 76, 108, 114 trenches, 80, 83-85, 87, 89-90, 94, 95, 109-110, 112, 114, 118-119, 126, 130 Turkish, 60, 76, 77, 80, 89-90, 93, 111 Turks, 58, 77, 84, 87, 95 V Vaiben Solomon, 14 Vernon Lanyon, 22, 30, 42, 76, 113 Vesteyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 26, 27 Victoria Hotel, 16, 35, 47 Villers Bretonneux, 149 volunteers, 31, 32, 36, 41, 46, 49, 50, 66, 73, 76 Volunteers, 40 vote, 14, 38 W Walter Griffiths, 14 war, 34-35, 37, 39, 42, 45, 48, 73, 80, 88, 98-99, 107, 110, 112, 116, 120, 127, 128, 130, 142, 153 War, vi, 34, 36, 39, 79, 139, 140, 145-147, 152 Waratahs, 22 weather, 5, 33, 84, 92, 98, 112 Wetherby, 39, 76 White Australia Policy, 34 William Stiles, 42, 43 Willie Allen, 22, 26, 30, 88 Wilson, 36, 99, 101, 152, 154, 156, 161 wounded, 60, 65, 66, 77, 79, 95, 97, 116, 118, 120, 122, 126, 128-130, 136, 137 wounds, 95, 127-130, 134 X Xuereb, 43, 45 Y Yeadon, 38, 101, 108