100 years on, four more 'unknown' Diggers get a name | theage.com.au

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End of the War

Thomas’ military records reveal that on the 4th October 1918 he was transferred from England and “proceeded overseas France from Southampton”. On the 8th October 1918 he arrived at Rouen, a town approximately 130km northwest of Paris, where the allies had established camps and hospital stations. According to his military records Thomas was stationed with the Australian Corps Headquarters in mid October 1918. 

On the 26th October 1918 he was 'detached for duty' to a small town called Longpré-les-Corps-Saints.  Approximately 100 km to the south east of Longpré-les-Corps-Saints is another town called Compiegne.  It was at Compiegne on the 11 November 1918 that the Germans and allies signed the Armistice that ended the war.

On the 10th February 1919 Thomas was promoted to the rank of corporal. In May 1919 a note in one of Thomas' medical reports reveals he had crossed into Belgium for an unspecified period of time. According to Thomas' military records he was granted ‘disembarkment leave’ on the 31st July 1919.  On the 17th August 1919 he arrived at Folkestone, England, where he was assigned to escort duties at the AIF Headquarters in London. Thomas' records also reveal that he had leave from the 30th September 1919.  On the 18th October 1919, Thomas returned to France for further duties.  In early 1920 he returned to England and was based at the AIF headquarters at Warwick Square, London.

Thomas and the Spanish Flu

Thomas was assigned to the Bhurtpore Barracks at Tidworth, England to undergo military police training. In February 1918 he was assigned to the AIF Detention Barracks, which was located at HM Prison Lewes near the Sussex coast.

On the 18 March 1918 Thomas was admitted to a Brighton Hospital near Lewes. His medical records indicate he was admitted to hospital because of a ‘lung infection’. Remarkably, he spent 34 days in hospital recovering from his illness.

Thomas' admission to hospital remains a mystery. His illness may have been related to the chest wound he suffered from artillery fire September 2016. It is also possible that Thomas developed a chest infection from the first wave of the deadly influenza epidemic (the Spanish Flu). The epidemic was targeting mostly healthy young men, causing them to develop lung infections (pneumonia). Thomas’ military police work would have exposed him to overcrowded barracks, police cells and prisons; environments that increased the risk of contagion.

As the world remained in the grip of war, the 'Spanish Flu' entered a second, more deadly phase in the second half of 1918. During this period, millions of people had become infected with influenza. The allies and the Germanys placed a censorship on reporting mortality and morbidity rates to prevent their enemy from gaining a military advantage. Spain, which was a neutral country during WW1, did not support censorship of data and was transparent with information about its country's mortality rates.  Accordingly, Spain's reporting of mortality rates gave the impression that the influenza pandemic only inflicted Spanish people.

Of course the flu pandemic did not just single out Spanish people. It is estimated that one third of the world’s population became infected by the flu and between 10-20% of infected people died. In Britain 250,000 people alone were killed by influenza. Statistically, the Spanish Flu killed more people than WW1 and is known as the most dangerous epidemic in recorded world history.

If Thomas' admission to hospital in early 1918 was caused by the first wave of the Spanish Flu, he was likely to have developed an immune response to the more serious strain of the flu, which developed during the second half of 1918.  It is remarkable that Thomas survived both the Battle of Fromelles and the Spanish Flu.

Australian Provost Corp

On 29 September 1916, Thomas arrived in England and was admitted to the Chatham Military Hospital for surgery on his wounds. On 3 October 1916 he was transferred to the Dunsdale Hospital at Westerham. His medical records reveal that the wound on his back had not healed and he required ‘formentation’.   Ten days later he was discharged from the Dunsdale Hospital; ironically, the day his father received a telegram that informed him of his son's injuries.

Thomas was assigned to the No 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs.  Between 31 October 1916 and 1 November 1916 Thomas was found to be ‘absent without leave'. His punishment was the forfeiture of two days pay and confinement to camp for seven days.

On 16 December 1916 Thomas was assigned lighter duties during his recovery period, which included working at the Military Post Office at Perham Downs.

On the 28 April 1917 Thomas was transferred to the Windmill Hill Camp, located at Perham Downs.  He had recovered from his wounds and was physically fit to return to the frontline.  He was assigned to the newly formed 6^th Division, which was disbanded a few months later.

After the disbandment of the 6th Division, Thomas applied to join the Australian Provost Corps (Military Police). The selection process was based on strict criteria (see advertisement below).  On 29 September 1917 Thomas was ‘taken on strength’ into the Australian Provost Corps, where he remained until the end of the war.

Sunday 24 September 1916: Another Casualty of War

Thomas remained in the frontline for two months after the battle at Fromelles.  In August 1916 there was a lull in combat activity for several weeks.  Thomas' cousin, William Lynch, wrote an essay on Thomas' WW1 experience in the early 2000s.  William believes that during this relatively quiet period on the Western front Thomas wrote to his younger brother, Frank. William recalled that Thomas wrote, ‘it was hell over here' and urged his younger brother not to enlist.  Frank was under 21 years and required his parents consent to enlist. As fate would have it, his parents refused to provide their written consent and consequently Frank was was prevented from enlisting during the the early stages of the war.

On the 22 September 1916 Thomas marched 2 hours to Armentieres, arriving at 10.40am. On 23 September 1916 Thomas moved into the trenches, which were in very bad condition.  Soldiers were organised to patrol No Man’s Land at night and to undertake dangerous raids on the enemy.

On the 24 September 1916 Thomas became a casualty of war. It is not clear if he was in the trenches or patrolling No Man’s Land when he was injured by shrapnel from an artillery shell. His pay book only records that he was ‘in the field’. Official war records only listed the names of senior officers who were injured in battle. William Lynch did an amazing piece of research and this is his description of what happened when Thomas was wounded.

'From what can be ascertained the shrapnel entered his back below the left shoulder-blade, and pieces of metal went through his body and came out of his chest. This metal was hot. Thomas would have suffered some pain as well as been in a state of shock. A medical report written later in England mentions that he was spitting blood, so we know he was conscious soon after being wounded.’

Thomas’ official records state he became a casualty of war by GSW (gun shot wound). However GSW was a description used in WW1 to refer to injuries from both artillery fire or bullet. According to the chest x-rays (see below), Thomas' medical notes also record that 'shrapnel' from artillery was the cause of Thomas' injury.

On the 28 September 1916 Thomas boarded HS Patrick at Boulogne and taken to England, where he was admitted to the Chatham Military hospital for treatment.

# William Lynch was Thomas’ cousin.  In the early 2000s he wrote an untitled essay on Thomas’ WW1 experience. We are indebited to William for his research on Thomas. 

Battle of Fromelles Part 4 - "Armistice denied"

On Thursday 20 July 1916 the morning ushered in a sunny summer’s day as if to mock the slaughter and carnage that lay in the narrow space between the two forces.  Thousands of wounded men sheltered in shell holes or in the grass; many were calling out to their comrades for help.  Others who had survived the battle bled to death; their shattered bodies unable to cling to life. The beckoning hands and cries from no man's land tormented young men like Thomas, who had been ordered to remain in the frontline. Behind the relative safety of his parapet, Thomas would have struggled to reconcile his own fate with that of the many wounded and dead lying only a few metres in front of him. This surreal image must have itched an indelible mark into his psyche and tormented him for the rest of his life. 

At around 10am on 20 July 1916 a request was made for a volunteer to venture into no man's land to rescue the highly respected Captain Mortimer, who was believed to be lying injured. This was a dangerous assignment.  Only a few hours earlier, seven messengers were shot in succession during ill-fated attempts to deliver a message to the stranded 14^th Brigade to retreat to their front line.

Incredibly, Thomas' section mate, private Will Miles, volunteered for this assignment.  Carrying several water bottles, Miles hopped over the parapet in search for Mortimer.  During this futile search for Mortimer, Miles attended to many wounded who had suffered serious shrapnel and bullet wounds.  In 1926 Miles wrote to the Australian War Historian, Charles Bean, and described how during this venture he assisted one soldier who had been shot in the stomach and another who had been shot in the testicles.

During Miles' search for Mortimer, he became hostage to an English speaking German officer, who had taken aim at his head with a pistol. With arms raised, Miles was interrogated by the officer and was also photographed by a German soldier. As the conversation between Miles and the German officer became friendly, the officer understood that Miles' only intention was to assist the wounded.  The officer asked Miles to go to his frontline and return with an Australian officer, as he wanted to negotiate an armistice that would guarantee the safety for each side to retrieve their wounded soldiers lying in no man’s land.  

Miles returned with Major Murdoch (2) of the 29th Battalion, 'D' Company.  The English speaking German officer spoke to Murdoch about the conditions of the armistice, which included blindfolding and holding Murdoch hostage during the period of the armistice.  Unfortunately, the British High Command believed that the German's had ulterior motives for proposing this armistice and vetoed this initiative. This decision by high command caused many soldiers like Thomas to feel angry and resentful as they were prevented from rescuing many hundreds of injured soldiers.  Despite this setback, many soldiers like Thomas used the cover of night to risk their lives rescuing the wounded in no man’s land.

(1)  I have read many of Will Miles' letters and he was truly a remarkable man. It is difficult to imagine Thomas not having an affinity with this man.

(2)   Ambition and mispresentation had wrongly credited Major Murdoch for arranging an armistice with the German's in earlier accounts of the history of the Battle of Fromelles.  Further research and anaylsis by the astute war historian Charles Bean in 1926 revealed that it was Will Miles bravery that primarily lead to the chance meeting with the Germans and subsequently Bean edited later additions in his writings of WW1 to reflect the truth.   Despite having been acknowledged in dispatches and recorded in the 29th Battalion's award book, Miles was never formally decorated for his act of bravery, which is arguably one of the most incredibly untold stories of WW1. 

Battle of Fromelles Part 3 - "Defeat"

20 July 1916

At 1.00am on 20 July 1916, the battle between the Australians and the German armies intensified.  Machine gun fire was constant and grenades were thrown around like confetti. One account estimated that up to 12 grenades were in the air at any one time (Corfield, 2000).  With rifle and bayonet, Thomas and his ten mates from his section were engaged in this bloodbath, some of which was hand to hand combat.  During this stage of the battle, Thomas' corporal, George Spooner (AKA 'Bubbles') was killed in action.

In the early hours on 20 July 1916, the Germans began to move stealthily along their old front line towards the Australians. Aside from the flash of artillery or the odd flare, the night was pitch black. Eerily, as the German's advanced along the line they sang their national anthem in assist with differentiating themselves from their enemy. The German's began to regain the ground they had lost only a few hours earlier.

At 3am the Germans army had begun attacking the Australians from both flanks as well as directly in front.  Thomas heard the Commanding Officer of the 31st Battalion yell out: “well men, no one could ask you to do more - get back to our lines, but don’t bunch up”.  Hearing this command, Thomas ran across no man's land and returned to the Australian front line. On this day he avoided becoming a casualty of war. However, many men from his battalion were injured or killed. According to Austin (1997), most of the men captured by the Germans and became prisoners of war were from Thomas' D company.

Despite the Australian retreat, the German artillery continued and many continued to be killed. At 7am on 20 July 1916, Private Cheshire was killed instantly in his trench when he was hit by a German artillery shell.  Thomas' section mate, Will Miles, poignantly described what happened: "Poor Cheshire was killed instantly, just after reaching our own trench.  He was sitting behind our parapet, when a small shell came through and seemed to catch him full in the chest.  He never moved.  I was within five feet of him and sent stretcher bearers to take his disc and belt off”.  Private Torbitt's description of Private Cheshire's death was more to the point: “head blown to pieces". Thomas knew Private Cheshire and it is very likely that he was near him when he was killed.

In late 1916 and early 1917 an official red cross inquiry into Corporal Spooner's death was conducted. As part of the inquiry process, several soldiers from Thomas' D Company, 29th Battalion were interviewed. The following soldiers' account of the battle, and the circumstances in which Spooner was killed, enlightens us to the trench warfare that Thomas experienced:

1. Private A.D Cameron of the 29^th  Battalion was interviewed on the 5th December 1916 at Boulogne. Cameron said “He (Spooner) was in the first German Line... killed close to Captain Livingstone”
2. Private Sydney Hall was interviewed on the 25 January 1917 and reported that "Spooner had been killed by a bomb in the German lines. We could not hold ground. Sgt Miller was wounded at the same time”
3. Sgt Miller wrote on 26 February 1917 that "Cpl Spooner was killed probably by shell or machine gun fire, both of which were very intense on both 19^th and 20^th July".

Australian soldiers killed at the Battle of Fromelle

Battle of Fromelles Part 2 - "Hop the Bags"

A PREAMBLE

The following account of our (Grand) father's role in the Battle of Fromelles has been sourced from several history books. I am particularly indebted to Corfield's book, Fromelles: Don't Forget Me Cobber, which forensically investigates and analyses the Battle of Fromelles.

Private Will Miles, who was a member of Thomas' section, also provided Charles Beans, the official Australian war historian, with a detailed account of the Battle of Fromelles after the war.  Miles was the only section member to have battle experience, having fought in the Boer War.  Red Cross transcripts also detail the events that led to the tragic death of Thomas' section leader, 22 year old Corporal Spooner (see here). Remembering that Thomas went into battle with the 11 men from his section, these transcripts provide valuable information as to Thomas' role and location during the different phases of the battle.

Cpl Spooner (Top)
Pt Mile (kneeling)

Thomas was fighting the German Bavarian Reserve, an experienced group of soldiers.  A 27 year old German corporal by the name of Adolf Hitler was in the trenches opposite Thomas. It has been widely reported that the Battle of Fromelles was very significance to Hitler and that after the German occupation of Paris in 1940, he toured the battle ground. 

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HOP THE BAGS

At 5.54pm, the 31st and 32nd Battalions were ordered to “hop the bags”.  With rifle and bayonet in hand, this first wave of soldiers scaled the trench ladders and jumped from the parapet into no man’s land.  They were ordered to stay 1.8 metres a part as they scurried across the long grass towards the German's front line. A further 4 waves of soldiers from these two battalions followed at 5 minute intervals.  Within a few minutes, a third of these soldiers had become casualties to German machine fire.

At the bottom of this aerial photograph you can see the helmets of soldiers from the 31st Battalion in a German Trench. Within 2 hours, Thomas would crossed this same stretch of No Man's Land to take cover in this German trench.

During this early stage of battle, Thomas and his 29th Battalion remained in reserve approximately 650 metres behind the front line.  However, he was still vulnerable to German artillery shelling and from the thousands of bullets that sprayed from the enemy's concrete fortresses. Thomas also had to survive the ill-prepared Australian artillery (as discussed previously here), which occasionally mis-fired shells that landed short on Australian soldiers.

Pink = German Front Line
Yellow = Australian Front Line
Blue = Cellar Farm Road/Mine Ave
Thomas crossed No Man's Land where the word MAN'S is on this map

At around 6.00pm the 1000lb ammonal bomb, which has been planted by tunnellers beneath the German defences, was detonated. Thomas would have heard the thunderous explosion that shook the ground and created a massive shell crater.

Shortly after 6.00pm the 31st and 32nd Battalions had reached the German front line and quickly took control of this section of the German trench. The German soldiers in these trenches were either killed, escaped or taken prisoner. The Australians went forward to search for German support trenches, however no such trenches existed. At 7.15pm, the Australians retreated back to the relative safety of the German front line, which was now occupied by the allies.  Colonel Toll, the commanding officer of the 31st Battalion, sent a pigeon back with a message to "send ammunition across urgently" (Corfield, 2000, p.117)

At around 8.00pm, Thomas was ordered to move from the reserve trench to the Australian front line trench.  A sunken road known as Cellar Farm Ally (see above map) was used to get to the Australian front line.  However, the intersection of Cellar Road Ally and Mine Ave had been damaged by artillery fire. To proceed to the front line, Thomas climbed above this sunken road, which exposed himself to enemy machine gun fire.  Many soldiers in Thomas' 29th Battalion became casualties during this dangerous manoeuvre. Around 8.00pm the German artillery destroyed a 8^th Brigade’s ammunition dump which caused thick smoke and poor visibility across the battle field.

At 8.30pm the enemy launched a counterattacked to repel the 31st and 32nd Battalions from the captured German trenches.  A request was made by Colonel Toll to deploy more Australian soldiers to support the 31st and 32nd Battalions position. At around 9.00pm Thomas' was ordered to "hop the bags". Facing into the sun, he launched himself from the parapet into no man's land carrying supplies of grenades for his comrades who were under German counterattack. Thomas was met with a spray of enemy machine gun fire. The German machine gunners' shot low across no man's land. Soldiers were often first shot in the legs and as they fell suffered secondary critical injuries to their upper bodies. Thomas made this short but treacherous journey across no man's land by jumping into shell holes to avoid enemy artillery and machine gun fire.  Thomas past the wounded and dead; men who had suffered a different fate to Thomas on this day. 

Thomas jumped into the trenches and delivered his much needed supply of grenades and ammunition to his fellow soldiers. Will Miles, a member of Thomas' section, provided a statement to the Red Cross (circa Nov 1916) in which he described the battle as 'strenuous' and that he 'crossed No Man's Land repeatedly, carrying bombs".  For a period of time, Thomas and his section undertook the dangerous task of crisscrossing no man's land to supply grenades and ammunition to their comrades.  Colonel Toll later wrote that two platoons from the 29th Battalion got through and were described as "a welcome and useful addition to our small garrison" (Corfield, 2000, p.117).

By late evening Thomas ceased carrying supplies and became absorbed in the attack. At 11.35pm no soldiers from the 29th Battalion were left in the Australian front line trenches.  Corfield (2000) described this as a serious breach of procedure by the Commanding Officer:  “Mackay sent every available man into the front line”.

_______________________________________________________________

A letter written in February 1917 by Sergeant Miller of Thomas' D Company, 29^th Battalion is further evidence that Thomas and the 29th Battalion played an important role in the Battle of Fromelles:
“On the 19^th July last our Brigade attacked the German position at Fromelles, near Armentieres.  Our battalion was in reserve and we advanced from our front line to the enemy’s front line about nine o’clock at night”.

Written by Thomas' Sergeant Miller in Feb 1917

References

Corfield, R (2000), Don’t Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles, Corfield and Company, Vic.
Austin, R (2008), Black and Gold: History of the 29th Battalion, Slouchhat Pub, Vic.

Battle of Fromelles Part 1: "Artillery Bombardment"

In mid July 1916, Thomas was based near the town of Fromelles. Away from the rank and file, senior commanding officers of the 5th Division, met to prepare a major offensive against the Germans.  This offensive, which was initially scheduled for 17 July 1916, would involve Thomas' 8th Brigade.  Thomas' commanding officer, Brigadier General Tivey, protested against the decision to use his troops from the 8th Brigade.  Tivey believed men like Thomas, though well trained and fit, were too inexperienced to lead a major assault against a heavily defended and seasoned enemy.  Though Tivey's concerns were supported by fellow brigadier generals from the 14th and 15th Brigades, their protestations were dismissed by senior command.

The purpose of the battle was to distract the Germans from sending military reinforcements to the 'Battle of the Somme', which continued to rage 80kms south of Fromelles.  Though the battle plan changed several times, the final orders included a 7 hour artillery bombardment, followed by a military assault. 

On the morning of 17 July 1916, the battlefield was shrouded in fog.  Because of poor visibility, the attack was rescheduled for 19 July 1916.  On the morning of 19 July 1916 there was a hive of activity and feverish haste as Thomas and his comrades prepared for battle.  The soldiers were ordered to wear full battle uniform.  Thomas was equipped with rucksack (including pay book), rifle and bayonet, 12 rounds of ammunition, two grenades, two sandbags and a slouch hat (only the 31st and 32nd Battalions of the 8th Brigade were provided with metal helmets).  Every third soldier carried a pick and shovel.

This map is sourced from Laffin (1987) and shows the location of the 8th Brigade along the front line.

The 8th Brigade occupied less than 1km of the frontline (see map). The 31st and 32nd Battalions were ordered to position themselves along the front line trench, just 100 metres from the German trenches.  The 31st and 32nd were chosen to be the first wave of soldiers to go over the top of the trenches into no man's land.  The 30th Battalion was positioned in the reserve trenches, which were located 300 metres behind the front line trench.  Once the battle was under way, the 30th  Battalion would move into the front line trench.  Thomas and his 29th Battalion, which were positioned in the reserve section approximately 650 metres behind the front line, would then move into the reserve trench after the battle commenced.

The German's were strategically positioned on slightly elevated land and used this vantage point to look down on the Australian's preparing for trench warfare.  Thomas would have observed in the sky German aircraft gathering intelligence. As the day unfolded, the weather conditions and visibility were recorded as excellent.  Despite the pleasant conditions, the heavy rains in early July had made the ground soggy.

A few kilometers behind the ally’s front line, the Australian artillery assault began sharply at 11am on the morning of 19 July 1916 and continued for 7 hours.  At first the German’s responded with rifle fire. However, by late morning their heavy artillery, located behind the rise of the land and out of sight from the allies, inflicted ferocious and deadly carnage on the allies.  For instance, by midday the German’s had destroyed the 8^th Battalion's headquarters, killing all signallers and medical staff, bar one.

The screaming sound of shells, exploding phosphorus, flames and pieces of deadly hot metal flying through the year would have frightened Thomas. Nothing prepared Thomas for this carnage and additionally for the death that would follow over the next several hours. Through the day, the German shelling intensified and with accuracy as they had the ally’s range. 

The allies reciprocated by returning heavy artillery shelling. At around 1pm they aimed their artillery at the German wire that had been placed in front of the enemy’s trenches.  It was important that the razor-sharp wire was cut by the shelling so advancing Australian soldiers would gain access to German front line trenches.  

At around 2pm the Germans targeted their big guns behind the 8^th Brigade’s lines, near where Thomas was positioned.   The German artillery was accurate and destroyed the 8^th Brigade’s ammunition dump, killing and injuring many men.  The ammunition site bellowed smoke across no man’s land throughout the afternoon.  Many soldiers from the 8^th Brigade were also killed or injured by their own artillery fire that fell short of German targets. 

Whilst the artillery bombardment continued, a tunnelling division was busy digging a tunnel from the ally’s front line to the German’s front line.  When the tunnellers reached their underground destination, a 1200lb bomb of ammonal explosives was positioned underneath the German’s defensive position, near a section of the line called Sugarloaf.  The bomb would be detonated the moment the order was given for the soldiers to 'hop the bags' into no man's land. 

The 7 hour artillery bombardment was ferocious and it had some believing that the German defences had been annihilated and therefore the allies would not be met with resistance.  However, this was wishful thinking.  The German defensive positions were deep and reinforced with concrete. 

.  

At around 4pm, Thomas and other soldiers from the 8^th Brigade had been given orders to take up their positions. Thomas saw soldiers from the 31^st and 32^nd Battalion slip into a communication trench, which was a sunken road known as Cellar Farm Avenue.  He watched them make their way along a series of breastworks, to eventually arrive in the front line trenches, located about 100 metres from the German trenches. Similarly, soldiers from the 30^th Battalion positioned themselves in the support trench. With the 29^th Battalion, Thomas stayed in reserve with his Section.

At around 4PM the allies artillery began shelling behind the German's defensive. This prompted the German’s to increase their firepower and aim directly at the 8^th Brigade’s frontline trenches. The 31^st and 32^nd Battalions suffered heavy casualties. At around 4.30pm the enemy shelled the stretcher bearers and medical staff who were attending to the wounded soldiers from the 31^st and 32^nd, killing them outright.   The war records reveal that the 8th Brigade suffered the most number of casualties than the other brigades during the pre-battle artillery fire.

At 5.55pm, the remaining able-bodied soldiers of the 31^st and 32^nd stood nervously in their trenches to await their fate.  The ladders were propped up and would soon be scaled when the order, “hop the bags” was given.  As they steadied their nerves awaiting the order, an eerie silence fell across the battle ground.

This photo was taken moments before the battle and  shows soldiers from the 14th Brigade, which was located next to the 8th Brigade (see map).  Only three soldiers pictured would survived the battle.  Unlike these soldiers, Thomas was not issued with a metal helmet as there was an inadequate supply of them.  Instead he went into battle wearing only his slouch hat.  

References
Austin, R (1997) Black and Gold: The History of the 29th Battalion, 1915-18. Slouch Hat Publications
Corfield, R (2000), Don't Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles, Corfield and Co, Vic
Lindsay, P (2007) Fromelles. Hardie Grant Books, Vic.
Wilkinson, C (2011), Fromelles: Australia's Bloodiest Day at War. Black Dog Books, Vic.

Thomas' relatives enlisted in WW1

Book of Rememberance
Photo by Matthew Carrucan, Grandson of Thomas
double click to enlarge

Thomas enlisted early in the war. He was the first of seven men from the Carrucan clan to enlisted in the Australian Infantry Force. The other five men were:

• Thomas' 1st cousin, 25 year old Charles Carrucan, who enlisted on 12th February 1916 and survived after being gassed in France on the 7th June 1917;
• Thomas' uncle, 44 year old John Carrucan, lied about his age and enlisted in a tunnelling company on the 25th March 1916;
• Thomas' cousin, Reg Carrucan, enlisted a few weeks before his father, John Carrucan.  He was gassed but survived the war.
• Thomas' 3rd cousin, 22 year old William Carrucan, enlisted on the 20th February 1916 and was killed in action on the 3rd March 1917;
• William's brother, 18 year old Michael Carrucan enlisted into the Australian Army on the 24th January 1918, after receiving his mother's written consent;
• William and Michael's father, Patrick Carrucan enlisted in July 1915 but was discharged medically unfit in Sept 1915 and his name does not appear in the Book of Remembrance

Most of these men listed their occupations as driver, labourer or boot maker. Patrick was the warden at the Kew Asylum.  They were all volunteers, unlike their British counterparts.

Melbourne Shrine
Photo by Matthew Carrucan

Melbourne Shrine
Photo by Matthew Carrucan

Melbourne Shrine garden
Photo by Matthew Carrucan

Monday 10th July 1916 - The Changing of the Guard

On Monday 26^th June 1916, Thomas arrived in the region of Blaringhem.  He was based in the town of Morbecque, which was located 20 kms from the front line.  As he familiarised himself with the French countryside and cobblestoned villages, Thomas would have noticed the local women and children going about their daily lives in a manner that seemed counter-intuitive to how one ought to behave in a war-zone.  He would have experienced these French townsfolk as friendly and hospitable.  However, Thomas and his mates were warned by their commanding officer to be cautious when interacting with the local people as there were rumours some were German spies attempting to gather intelligence from loose lip soldiers frequenting the local taverns. 

 “Even the farm where we were billeted in had a girl who we understood was under observation as a suspected spy” (Captain W H Zander, 30^th battalion, cited in Corfield 2000, p.93)

The red dot shows the region where Thomas was located when he arrived at the front line.

On Saturday 8 July 1916, Thomas marched for two days along “beautiful woods and peaceful villages” (Lindsay, 2007) to the town of Estuaries.  During this march, the new English boots provided to him when he landed at Marseilles are likely to have cause severe blistering on his feet. During this long march, many soldiers had to withdraw to receive medical treatment.

The order was given that Thomas' 5^th AIF Division was to relieve the 4^th Division from front line duties. The ground in the area had a very high water table.  As trenches could not be dug more than one metre in depth, sandbags were needed to raise the height. The heavy rain in early July 1916 made the ground sodden, which also caused conditions to be difficult.

Here is an example of trench conditions similar to what Thomas would have experienced.   Notice too how the sandbags created the breastwork that raised the height of the trench.

On the night of 10 July 1916 Thomas walked quietly along the communication trenched to position himself behind sandbags.  As he completed this task he would have been confronted by the smell of decay and urine.  When dawn arrived he would have gazed at the carnage in no man's land and also seen the intimidating sight of five enemy balloons hovering overhead that day.  Thomas may have also fired his first shot in anger during his stint at the frontline.

A German balloon used in WW1 to spy on the allies up to a height of 4000mt.  The Balloon was connected to a wrench on the ground so it could be wound down.  

The sharp pungent smell of cordite from exploding artillery shells was inescapable. So too the ominous ‘wizzzz bang!’ noise of artillery fire, which caused many soldiers to hold their breath and hope the shell was not going to land on them (Wilkinson, 2011). Sadly, Thomas witnessed the fate of some of his fellow soldiers when they were killed or injured by artillery fire, some of which had come from ally artillery fire that had fallen short.   

“The 29^th (Battalion) had been in the line for a few days at the beginning and taken some losses, not a few due to shorts from the Australian artillery” (Corfield, 2000, p113). 

On Thursday 13 July, 1916, Thomas and his battalion left the frontline, marched through Erquinghem then on to Bois Granier, where he was billeted.  At Bois Granier he had several accommodation choices available to him: stable, pigpen or cowshed.  

Little did our (Grand) father know that in less than a week he would be involved in the AIF's first major battle at the Western Front that stands as Australia's bloodiest 24 hour period in history.

bibliography

Corfield, R (2000), Don’t Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles, Corfield and Company, Vic.

Wilkinson, C (2011), Fromelles:  Australia’s Bloodiest Day at War. Black Dog Books, Vic.

Lindsay, P (2007) Fromelles. Hardie Grant Books, Vic.

The Australian 5th Division

double click to enlarge

Thomas was a member of the 29th Battalion, D Company, 13th Platoon, No. 8 Section.  The 29th Battalion was assigned to the 8th Brigade.

Thursday, 22nd June 1916: Journey to the Front

On the 16th June 1916 the troop ship Tunisian embarked from the Egyptian port of Alexandria with the 29th Battalion on board.  It sailed across the Mediterranean Sea with 13 other troop ships and a battleship escort.  During the six days at sea there were submarine alerts and some ships in the armada were diverted to Malta to escape the threat of being torpedoed. 

After six days at sea Thomas disembarked at the French sea port of Marseilles on the 22^nd June 1916. Within 24 hours he was on board a train to the Western Front.  The train was very crowded and he was required to share his compartment with seven other men, who were probably from his section.

During the 3 days and 3 nights journey, Thomas saw many wonderful sights that few men of his generation ever imagined they would see in their lifetime.  Thomas must have become enchanted by the beautiful French countryside that he passed; a stark contrast to the dry, sandy deserts of Egypt.  Along the journey he saw palaces, cathedrals and cheering crowds of women shouting “vive l’ Australie” on the outskirts of Paris.  One highlight for Thomas was the magnificent Palace of Versailles, which was located close to the railway line and thus provided a good view for soldiers, come tourists. Many soldiers wrote letters describing France as being like a “garden of Eden” (Corfield, 2000). 



Train from Marseilles transporting Australian Troops to the Western Front in 1916.  This is a similar train which transported Thomas to the Western Front.

 

In her book 'Fromelles: Australia's Bloodiest Day at War', Carol Wilkinson's (2011) fictional character, Private Walter McAlister, sums up the troops' mood during the train journey through France”

“On the train from Marseilles I felt like I was in a storybook myself.  The country was so beautiful, like a fairyland.  The trees are a different sort of green to the trees at home, a brilliant green.  And the fields are full of waving wheat and barley, sprinkled with the red of poppies and the blue of cornflowers.  It’s such a relief after the glaring light and blast-furnace heat of Egypt with its endless sand and flies.”  (p23-24)

Thomas would have been forgiven to think he was on some kind of adventure. After all, having never experienced battle, let alone fire a shot in anger, it was not in his imagination to anticipate the perils of trench warfare. However, two days into his train journey, he must have contemplated the job ahead of him and his battalion.  On the 24^th June, as if by rude awakening from the flickering beauty outside his carriage window, Thomas heard the thump! thump! sound of the preliminary bombardment at the Somme approximately 150km away.  The bombardment sent shock waves around the region, even rattling the windows of London. This artillery bombardment continued, day and night, until the official military Battle of the Somme began on the 1^st July, 1916 and concluded on the 18^th November, 1916 with around one million men losing their lives.

The train travelled to a section of the Western Front called Armentieres, which the English referred to as the ‘nursery’ section, as it was considered a quiet section of the front that provided an opportunity to ‘blood’ new soldiers to the war. The historian, Corfield (2000) criticised the use of the word ‘nursery’ arguing that during the preceding 12 months there had been many battles over this same land that claimed tens of thousands of lives.   The New Zealand soldier, Anthony Wilding, who was the Wimbledon Tennis Champion from 1910-1914, was one such soldier who perished in this region during 1915 (Lindsay, 2007).  These previous attempts by the British to take ground only made the Germans reinforce their defences, including constructing concrete bunkers and installing shrapnel resistant wire (Lindsay, 2007).

References

Corfield, R (2000), Don’t Forget Me, Cobber: The Battle of Fromelles, Corfield and Company, Vic.

Wilkinson, C (2011), Fromelles:  Australia’s Bloodiest Day at War. Black Dog Books, Vic.

Lindsay, P (2007) Fromelles. Hardie Grant Books, Vic.

Egypt - April to June 1916

Thomas continued with his military training during his last few months in Egypt. On Saturday 15th April 1916, his battalion was issued with new high velocity rifles.  The older type machine guns were also replaced with the newer Lewis machine guns. On Sunday 16th April, Thomas and the 29th Battalion were inspected by the Prince of Wales (22 year old Prince Edward would later become King of England). A couple of weeks later, Thomas commemorated the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landing with a church service, sports event and concert in the evening. 

In late May 1916 Thomas marched with the 29th Battalion from Ferry Post to Moascar (see map).  According to the literature, the commander of the 5th Division, General McCay, had observed the battalion marching past English troops and was "disgusted" with the way they marched past the English soldiers. As punishment, he ordered that the 29th Battalion be roused at 3am for 3 consecutive mornings to undertake route marches. Thomas, along with the rest of his battalion mates, detested this treatment from McCay.   

"Without any spell we reached Moascar and had to set to work pitching tents, but the job didn't take very long so we had the rest of the day to ourselves.  Monday morning we were roused at 3am... the order came along the line to fall in, with full marching order.  When we fell in we were told that McCay was disgusted at the way the Brigade marched past the Tommies yesterday and we were to be punished by having to do three route marches... if he only knew what the men said about him... they had no time for him... and for three mornings we were up at 3am, did our route marches through the sand and were back in camp tired out by 9am" (Private W C Barry of the 29th Battalion cited in Corfield, R 2009, p.82)
  

On Tuesday 6th June 1916, Thomas and the 29th Battalion travelled by train from Moascar to the sea port of Alexandria. On Friday 16th June, Thomas boarded the troopship Tunisian, which steamed its way to France.  Thomas had no idea that within a few weeks hundred of soldiers from his battalion would become causalities or prisoners of war. 

Egypt - February/March 1916

On Wednesday 23rd February 1916, Thomas and his battalion were based at Serapeum when they were ordered to decamp.  Thomas and his battalion spent many hours dismantling their tents and packing equipment.  This continued throughout the night and into the early hours of the following morning.  At 4am the following day, Thomas marched to the rail siding and boarded a train that transported him to Tel el Kebir. They arrived at Tel el Kebir later that afternoon and set up camp.

 


Picture of the 29th Battalion's tents (Egyptian location is unknown)

 

On Saturday 26th February 1916, the 29th Battalion's commander, Colonel Tivey (later promoted to Brigadier General), inspected the battalion at Tel el Kebir. Whilst at Tel el Kebir, the 29th Battalion continued to strengthen military defences (there was still the threat that the Turks would attack the Canal) until they were relieved from duty on Sunday 4th March. 

On Wednesday 22nd March, General McCay arrived in Egypt to take command of the 5th Division. His appointment as commander of the 5th Division was contentious within the AIF as it was commonly thought that his political influence (he was once Federal Defence Minister) and high society connections scored him the role.  It is unlikely that Thomas would have liked or respected McCay, who, as you will soon read, demonstrated a poor regard for the troops.  

On Thursday 23rd March 1916, the 5th Division was ordered to relocate from Tel-el-Kebir to the canal at a base camp called Ferry Post (see map).   The 29th Battalion (along with the other three battalions of the 8th Brigade) were assign the role of advance party for the Division and were transported to Ferry Post  by a 'train' (see picture below).  The remaining brigades of the 5th Division were ordered on a 3 day march from Tel el Kebir to Ferry Post in temperatures that exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.  Incredibly, McCay gave full marching orders, which meant soldiers had to carry full packs (42kg), and wear their full uniform, including helmet.  Hundreds of soldiers dropped out of the march and there were unconfirmed rumours that some soldiers died of heat stress.  When these soldiers eventually arrived at their destination exhausted and obviously not in any fit state, McCay gave them a tirade and told them their poor performance was "no excuse". 

As luck would have it, Thomas and his battalion were spared this 3 day march.  For the troops that endured this cruelty, it was a demoralising experience and contributed to tensions among the brigades. A perception had crystalised that the 8th Brigade, which included Thomas' 29th Battalion, was receiving special treatment.   The 8th Brigade became known as the "Tivey Chocs" (Austin 1997), or "chocolate soldiers", a derogative term for that era. 

"They received this nickname because they were the most complete equipped unit that every left Australia. They were commanded by a well known public mad (Tivey), and the woman folk had seen that lacked nothing in sweaters or bed socks.  They had a band for every battalion..." (RH Knyvett, ‘Over there with the Australians’, cited in Cornfield, R., Don't Forget Me, Cobber!, Melbourne University Publishing Ltd., Melbourne, 2009)

 Tel el Kebir, Egypt. c. 1916. This troop 'train' is likely to be the train Thomas boarded for Suez Canal Zone. (Donor Mrs C. Chapman) [Australian War Memorial: H12866] In late March 1916, the I ANZAC Corp departed for France.  The II ANZAC Corp, which included Thomas' 29th Battalion remained in Egypt and continued military training and defending the Suez Canal.  During this period, the 5th Division's artillery was being reorganised with speed in readiness for the Western Front.  This included four hours of lectures followed by eight hours of practice each day. (Lindsay, P., Fromelles, Hardy Grant Books, Victoria, 2007).  Though the artillery units were well trained they lacked one crucial ingredient: battlefield experience.   A report on the 5th Division's artillery on page 294 of the official history of the II ANZAC Corp in Egypt 1916 has an eerie prescience about it :  "The artillery is not coming on as fast as General Godley had anticipated, and I do not think it will be ready for service in France until the end of June. . . . "  (Australian War Memorial, Arrival Of ANZAC II, p.294).  The artillery's lack of battlefield experience would result in many bombs falling short, killing and injuring many soldiers from Thomas 29th Battalion just prior to and during the Battle of Fromelles. 

Egypt - January 1916

Thomas was stationed at a dry, sandy Egyptian outpost called Serepeum when he saw in 1916.  In early 1916, the ANZACs from the Gallipoli campaign were being evacuated to Egypt to join the Australian Infantry Force (AIF).  To manage the swell in ranks, a major re-organisation of the AIF army occurred.  Thomas and his battalion, which had already been assigned to the Victorian 8th Brigade, became part of a new 5th Division, which fell under the command of General McCay. The reorganisation of the Australian and New Zealand armies blended the seasoned soldiers from the Gallipoli campaign with soldiers like Thomas who had yet to fight in a battle.  As you will soon read, the 5th AIF Division would go to France and fight the Germans on the Western Front in a battle that has become known as the Battle of Fromelles. 

Here is the 8th Brigade Insigma.  Thomas's 29th Battalion was assigned to the 8th Brigade.  The commander of the 8th Brigade was Colonel Tivey (later Brigadier General), a well-liked and caring leader who promoted strong mateship amongst his troops. Colonel Tivey would have personally selected Thomas to the 29th Battalion when he enlisted in July 1915.

On New Years day 1916, Thomas watched on as his section's Corporal Spooner tore off his stripes and threw them at the company commander, Major Murdoch.  Murdoch had earlier admonished Spooner for dropping his rifle.   Thomas and members of no.8 Section would have been dismay by their corporal's actions as Spooner had effectively demoted himself to the rank of private.
 

On Monday 3rd January, Thomas and the 29th Battalion were relieved from their Serepeum duty.  Two days later he marched to the remote dessert post of Gebel Habeta, 9 miles east of Serapeum (see map here). The photo of Thomas and his No. 8 Section was taken at this location. 

According to Austin (1997), several incidents occurred whilst Thomas' was on duty at Gebel Habeta.   Two men from his battalion were caught sleeping on sentry duty and were tried by Court martial.  In a separate incident the popular Sergeant Dixon was tragically struck by a train at Gebel Habeta on 22nd January 1916, killing him instantly. 

On the 27th January 1916, the 29th Battalion at Gebel Habeita was relieved of their duty and returned to Serapeum.  Whilst at Serapeum, Thomas worked along the banks of the Suez Canal and occasionally swam in the canal to escape the heat of the day.  One day in mid February, while Thomas and other members of his battalion were working along the canal, two British ships past and “sneered and jeered at us telling us we were in our right place... not much love lost between us and the tommies".(Letter written by the George Spooner to his family, cited in Austin 1997, p 23)


Austin, R (1997) Black and Gold:  The History of the 29th Battalion, 1915-18. Slouch Hat Publications.

Egypt - December 1915

Thomas arrived at Port Suez (1) on Tuesday 7th December 1915 on the troopship Ascanius (codenane A11).  He went ashore with the 29^th Battalion and boarded a train to the Aerodrome Camp at Heliopolis (2), just outside Cairo.  In Heliopolis, The Palace Hotel (see photo) became a large military hospital for injured ANZACs from the Gallipoli campaign who required medical treatment. 

After arriving at Heliopolis, Thomas was given a few days recreational leave. Thomas visited Cairo, which was only 9kms from Heliopolis. Thomas and other members of his section visited many famous sights in and around Cairo and for a young working class man from Melbourne, some of the attractions would have been confronting.    Thomas' Section Corporal, George Spooner wrote,  "we went to see the dance (Can Can) and this was truly the vilest thing I have ever seen or wish to see".  



From the Australian War Memorial archives  Thomas probably used the opportunity to visit the 4500 year old Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, which are located near the Nile river and only 19kms from Cairo. .     The photo shows members of the 29th Battalion with pyramid and Great Sphinx in background. (Corporal Spooner from No 8 section second from left).  

On Tuesday 13th December 1915, Thomas travelled by train to Ismailia.  From there he boarded a barge with his battalion, which was towed by a steamer along the Suez Canal to Serepeum (3).  

In late 1915, the Australian command was concerned that the Turks would attack the Suez.  The 29th Battalion became responsible for guarding the central sector of the Suez defence line.  Specifically, Thomas' 29th Battalion, 'D' Company was assigned to Serapeum West where he worked to strengthen defence structures and maintained the railway lines.

On Christmas day, Thomas received a special food issue of plum pudding and can of fruit, which was small comfort for the harsh desert conditions he had to endure.  During the day, temperatures were extremely hot whilst at night it was very cold.  Sand permeated every aspect of his living conditions.   Water was scarce in the outer sentry posts and soldiers were only allowed one bottle of water per day.