Privates Reilly, Dyett, Jacob, Russell Cpl Hosking

Private William Reilly Service No 3259A

Private William Dyett Service No 5018

Private John G Jacob Service No 1694

permission for John Jacob to go overseas by his parents:
"I hereby give my consent for my son John Gilbert Jacob to enlist for active service in parts beyond the seas"
H Jacob (father), witnessed by E Jacobs (mother)
His father died in 1916 while he was at war.

 Details of John Jacob's death sent to his mother:

Private John Pengilly Hosking Service No 4989


South Australian photo honor roll 

Private James Russell Service No 2973

Private Bargmann, Private Gosden, Corporal Ritchie & Private Cheney

This post is as much for me as a reference point as it is to share. Previous diary entries have referred to these three soldiers so I decided to paste some info that is online about them here. I may end up coming back to add more if I find more.

Private Anders Bargmann (Bargey) Service No 4997

It seems a Miss J Cameron wanted to know more about the death of Bargey... The army couldn't provide her with much information except "Killed in Action"

Private Thomas Gosden Service No 2656

It seems that Gosey died from wounds a few months after sharing a trench funk hole with Bert. Bert had mentioned that he wondered what had happened to him so I gather he was separated from him after they left the trenches in June 1918.
I found this list of his effects on the AWM digitised records site and had to smile that one of the items was his pipe.

Corporal Thomas Ritchie  Service No 729 More


Private Sidney Cheney Service No 5011

Pte William (Billy) Lilley AIF 5051 late of 29th Battalion

Reading about Billy Lilley and the amazing cooincidence with Uncle Bert's new penpal (link) made me decide to check into Billy's story. Sadly, he was killed in action a few months after that story was noted by Uncle Bert. I decided to record some of the information I found on the National Archives site here. I would be interested to know if his brother had children or if there are any other family links back to him. He was a young kid, an orphan and only 18 years old, and he died in the fields of France during war, while serving his country.

His name is on the War memorial and on his gravestone, but I wanted to add this little bit more here. As we remember the fallen on ANZAC day I want to remember Billy Lilley this ANZAC Day 2014. RIP Billy... Lest we Forget.

William John Lilley, known as Billy to Uncle Bert enlisted in the AIF on 23/8/1917 and was killed in action on 29/8/1918.
Details of his enlistment show he was born on February 12, 1899, and presented as 5' 2 1/2", 130 lbs, fresh complexion, blue eyes and auburn hair. He was a Gas dept employee when he enlisted.

A copy of the confirmation that he was killed in action:

Correspondence between his friend Mrs D'Altera and the AIF about details of his enlistment and a photograph of his grave. Her enquiries about the date he signed up and the date he departed Australia make me suspect that perhaps he was under age, but I have no evidence of that, just a feeling.

Details about his burial:

The inventory of Billy's effects which were forwarded to his brother, Charles J Lilley

Billy was an orphan with one brother, Charles, who it seems was in the care of their aunt, Mrs Elizabeth Slack.

The following information was also found, which pretty much details much more than I have:
Service Record - William Lilley

This is the cemetary where Billy lies; the Assevillers New British Cemetery, may he RIP.

Alexandria Egypt in 1918...and Capos cigarettes

Alexandria, Egypt 1918

I thought it might be interesting to find some pictures of the places mentioned by Uncle Bert in Alexandria, Egypt circa 1918 when he was there... I found a great source of photos at a flickr account of the Cultural Collections of University of Newcastle. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/  
There are links back to their account for the photos I have placed here.

Other sources include:
http://from-egypt-with-love.blogspot.com.au
http://mistersaly.blogspot.com.au
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil-seaford/

Link is attached to the name.



Mohammad Aly monument

Post office Street and Cherif Pacha Street

The Nouzha Garden

The Garden and Monument to Nubar Pacha

Sidi Gaber

Sidi Kayed Bay Fortress

Malimoudieh Canal

In the most recent post by Uncle Bert he refers to a fight among the young Egyptians for his Capos cigarettes...I believe this is what the tin would have looked like:

Bert's tent mates on January 18, 1918

I am constantly amazed by the information on the internet... a few searches and I have been able to locate documents related to Bert's tent mates as listed on January 18, 1918...


First is Reggie Gluyas, Reginald Reseigh Gluyas 5029

There are 50 pages of original documents scanned into the National Archives. Sadly, Reggie didn't make it home and died in France later in 1918, aged only 19... When Reggie signed up he was 18 years and 9 months old, weighed 123lbs and was 5 foot 7 inches...

Next we have Don Tobin Donald Vincent Tobin 5090

There are 40 pages of original documents scanned into the National Archives. Don was an apprenticed fitter and turner when he applied to enlist in the Australian Imperial Forces in 1917. He was discharged on 21/9/19. Every soldier has a story and it would be fascinating to piece together the story of them all but I am afraid it will waylay me from my task.

Frank Watson Frederick William Watson 5124

These blokes who go by different names make future historians jobs much more difficult. Pretty sure Frederick is Frank... Details on his file confirm he was on the Ulysses with Bert and also that he disembarked at Suez on 16/1/18. I love finding information that correlates with the diary. It seems that Frank signed up in 1915 but did not travel overseas until 22/12/17 when he was over 21 years. I guess his parents didn't provide a letter allowing him to.

* Could Frank Watson also be: William Isaac Watson 5098 ??? (keeping this link here to see if future references reveal more...)

Frank Riley Francis Angas Riley 5079

Frank was a labourer whose father had died 5 years prior to his enlistment. His mother agreed that he could sign up and travel abroad after he had turned 19. It seems that Frank was subject to a Court Martial and sentenced to 3 years PS. (penal servitude)  Not much information appears to be on the site but it looks like I can request a copy here. The file does note desertion on 1/8/18 - 2/8/18 and also that the sentence was perhaps suspended in October of 1918. It also states the Court Martial was conducted in the field.
He was discharged 31/1/20 after returning to Australia in February 1919.
As with all these men, there is so much more to know.

Jack McEgan Lawrence John McEgan 5066

Uncle Bert thought Mac's name was Jack, when in fact it was Lawrence John McEgan. Earlier in the diary he mostly refers to him as Mac but occasionally as Jack McEgan. He listed his service number 5066 so it was easy to confirm I had the right record.
It seems he was discharged on 22/12/19...exactly 2 years after setting sale on the Ulysses (and the same date as Bert) Prior to signing up he was a jeweller. It also seems that there is documentation showing that his parents were advised at some stage that he was wounded in action and they had to follow up with letters for more news... I can't even imagine how terrible that time must have been for them. Jack/Mack/Mac is also referred to in the forward of the diary...a long lasting friend of Bert's.

Archie Trimming Archibald Ernest Trimming

Archie seemed to have a lot of medical issues and was returned home to Australia on the Port Lyttledon . He boarded on 10/6/19 and disembarked in Australia on 5/8/19 and was eventually discharged on 30/8/19. Below is a picture of medals awarded to him

Jobson Edwin Henry Jobson

I'm not sure which christian name he went by but Bert obviously refers to him as 'Jobson'. I found these records by confirming he was on the Ulysses. I have seen several copies of letters from parents giving their consent for their under 21 year old son to sign up. On September 1917 Jobson's parents gave their consent for him to sign up and less than 12 months later they received advice he was wounded in action (gassed).  He was later discharged on 4/3/1919. It notes 'underage' and family history  information about Jobson suggests he signed up with a false date of birth...but his parents 'blessing'.  His date of birth is noted as 1900 rather than 1899. He lived until 1980. He married on his return and his wife lived until 1997.

I hope that if ever any of these blokes descendants are searching for information about them they might stumble across this blog and read about encounters they had with Bert. It's yet to be revealed if there are future mentions in the diary, but it is highly possible.

Port Tewfik, Egypt and a sapper named Ray

As I type away I sometimes find things that I'd like to know more about. Today, Great Uncle Bert reached Egypt...actually he reached Egypt on January 16, 1918 but today I typed those pages into this blog...
As he mentioned Port Tewfik I decided to have a bit of a google and see what it might have looked like when he first saw it... I came across several versions of postcards from the period, including quite a few copies of this one:

I am posting it as a picture as I found this on an ebay site and I gather when it is sold it will disappear. Here is the link in any case and perhaps it may still be there for a little while. The interesting thing is that the seller also posted the reverse side of the postcard, which was written on:

I was amazed to have found a postcard that was written on February 9, 1918 by Ray Lipman...just a few weeks after Uncle Bert was in Port Tewfik. The words on the post card, addressed to:

Mrs Ray Lipman

Roker

398 Cleveland St

Surry Hills

NSW

Australia

9.2.18 On active service

My Darling Dolly and boy

I have seen this 

place as it is where 

we disembarked   

The hill in the back 

ground is the only 

hill to been seen.  

In fact we are 

forgetting what a 

hill is as it is a long 

time since we seen 

one. God love you and 

Phillip xxxxxx Ray

Raymond Moss Lipman, sapper, was pretty easy to find on the first World War Embarkation list.

I also found some family history information here.

Anyway, I'm a little sidetracked and need to get back to the diary...but the postcard above no doubt represents how Port Tewfik would have appeared to Uncle Bert.

Personal Sketches - some links

While re-typing the on board newspaper 'The Innocents Afloat' I thought I would google a few of the people featured in the Personal Sketches section. I am no expert googler so the results are pretty hit and miss:

The Ship's Commandant: Colonel Frederick William Hurcombe

The Ship's Adjutant: Lieutenant Jack Andrew Robertson

The Quartermaster: Lieutenant Louis Joseph Butler

Senior Medical Officer: Captain Herbert William Franklands

Church of England Chaplain: Captain William Edmund Moorhouse

Roman Catholic Chaplain: Captain Matthias Joseph Smith

Presbyterian Chaplain: Captain William John Gray

The Matron: Matron Matilda McNeill

Nursing Sisters: Sister Hilda Clapp, Sister Elenor Jeffries, Sister Wilson, Sister Cowley, Sister Kelly

Ship's Sergeant-Major: Warrent Officer Gerald Mack

YMCA Secretary: Rev. H.A.Brewer (Article in WA newspaper about his service)

I have found links to a school in Uganda that had a Rev H.A. Brewer as headmaster from 1920 - 1931... given the article refers to his previous work in Uganda I am confident it is him

Australian Comforts Commissioner: Mr. Ivo Whiston Kerr

I am now able to return to Uncle Bert's first hand account of his experiences... Chapter 5 about to begin....

Moving from Chapter 2 to 3, and we're about to meet 'Bargey'

I am now onto Chapter 3! I found it very amusing typing the final pages of chapter 2 as Uncle Bert received more and more socks! But, of course the chapter ends on a very sobering note with his duties as a pall bearer at the funeral for an Anzac and the packing of his bags to leave for "over there".

He's used the term "over there" on another occasion and it reminds me of the way some people refer to cancer as the 'C' word... perhaps if you don't say it out loud it wont be real? or it's a way of distancing ourselves from something unpleasant, like 'war'!

Get ready to meet Bargey in Chapter 3. Well, I'm pretty sure it's Bargey - Uncle Bert refers to a man with the name Bargmann and as Australians are known for turning surnames into nicknames I am betting that Bargmann is the Bargey to whom this book is dedicated. I now know that Uncle Bert believes that Bargey (Bargmann) is of Swedish heritage... But a quick search of the web reveals an A.Bargmann who matches perfectly and is of Danish heritage. Don't click on the link if you don't like spoilers in books because it does reveal the fate of Private Bargmann.

Explaining a few things & what not to post

Okay - I've had a flurry of typing tonight and have quite a few pages of the diary to publish, which is exciting, but I feel like I need to add a few links first and explain a section I plan to omit from the online section.

Checking the facts

Firstly, in the section just published, Uncle Bert refers to Australia Day 1917. When I was typing it I thought 'Uh-oh, he's made a mistake here' He joined up in April 1917 yet refers to forming the Guard of Honor for the Governor of South Australia, Sir Henry Galway on Australia Day, 1917.

.

.

As most Australians know Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 to commemorate the arrival of the first fleet to our country in 1788. It is a national holiday. But it wasn't until 1946 that all states in Australia celebrated January 26 as "Australia day" and during the world war 1 years Australia Day was held on different dates in different states, with it being on July 27 in 1917 in South Australia, and therefore, of course, Uncle Bert did not make a mistake... and he has again led me to research an element of the history of my country!

From the Australian War Memorial website:

"From 1915-1918 in South Australia, however, a different 'Australia Day' was celebrated. It was held to celebrate the anniversary of Australia's entry into WWI, and was used as a means of raising money for soldiers and their dependents, with proceeds going to 'The South Australian Soldiers' Fund'. "

Now for the ommission.

As I was typing the section where he was at the "Bombing School" I realised he was describing how to make a bomb. Even though it was quite an antiquated bomb it rang alarm bells in my head that I was potentially about to publish a 'how to' guide on the internet. After discussions with my husband I have decided that I wont publish those paragraphs... One day if the book is ever published you can read that section :) I can assure it doesn't really take anything away from the diary itself, but only further demonstrates how meticulous Uncle Bert has been in his recollections!

Lessons along the way

Am really enjoying re-reading Uncle Bert's diary - I've read ahead a couple of paragraphs... The next part I will type starts April 25, 1917 and Bert will talk about Anzac day and marching through Adelaide to commemorate the Gallipoli landing! I'm amazed that Anzac day & the ill fated Gallipoli landing was commemorated so soon after it happening. I had assumed (wrongly!) that it would have come to being acknowledged and honoured after the War was over... I'm learning as I go :) Here's a link to a wikipedia entry about the Gallipoli Campaign

Links to items referred to in Uncle Bert's diary

As I said earlier, re-typing this diary has roused my interest in this book all over again and as I re-type certain passages I am curious to search for some of the things that Uncle Bert references. I found this picture of the camp hut at Mitcham Army camp (circa 1914-1918).

I also found a reference to the German Zeppelin's referred to by Uncle Bert, when describing the nickname given to camp sausages.

I'm not the best googler, but hopefully my skills in this regard will improve :)


Michelle x

What have I done?

Okay - I have made the commitment to this project and am now wondering at the scale of it!! The 'diary' is about 690 pages!! It is organised into 25 chapters! Tonight I have typed and uploaded the foreword and chapter 1! I'm up to page 5!! (the foreword wasn't included in the page numbering) Each page is double spaced. Some pages are difficult to read as there has been some water damage when the diary was transported between Australia and Hawaii. Also, the diary was typed in 1924... it is in reasonable condition for something that old but the paper is thin and some of the type has bled through to the other side of the paper... However, I am determined to succeed at this! I have noticed that there is the odd news cutting pasted onto pages; as I come to those pages I will scan the cutting to include here as well. I last read this work many years ago (approx late 1980's) when I was studying a uni history subject called 'Australians at War'. Already I am intrigued by this book all over again. I want to know who 'Bargey' is and if he has family or descendants... Perhaps they would like to know about their great, great grand father, or uncle or cousin who fought in World War 1 and made the ultimate sacrifice. I now think there might be others who might be interested in a copy of this book. It makes me more determined to do it!!
Michelle x