Samuel Albert (Bert) Hamill (Chapter 13) Another Beech Forest boy who Ernest Alfred Hall knew very well. They enlisted in Melbourne on the same day, their enlistment numbers are only two digits different and their military records mirror each other with the exception that Bert survived the war unscathed. He returned to Australia in May 1919 and to the Beech Forest farm his father owned.
Walter Fredrick Longstaff (Chapter 15) Joined the AIF as a mature aged gentleman (44 years old) in November 1915. Due to his age he was given relative light duties and had been working as a waiter in the Officers cook house at Marquise Camp. When “D” Company walked out of the camp on October 3rd, 1917, Walter chose to join them. It would be the first and last time he would step foot in a front-line trench. Witness statements all have his death as KIA, 4th October 1917, dying alongside Ernest Alfred Hall, however his headstone at the Belgium Battery Corner Cemetery has recorded the date as being the 3rd October.
BEECH FOREST HONOUR ROLL
1914-1918 WAR
FALLEN -
BELLCHAMBERS, A (Harry)
BOWEN, JA (John)
BROOKES, WN
FISK, AM (Gus)
GROVE, FJ (Fred)
HALL, EA (Ernest)
HUTCHINSON, J (James)
KELLY, R (Richard)
LINDSAY, H (Harry)
McCRICKARD, F (Francis)
McINNES, S (Samuel)
MILLINGTON, HS (Hassef)
MINCHINTON, E (Ernest)
NEIGHBOUR, J (James)
O'DOWD, WK (William)
O'SULLIVAN, P (Patrick)
PETTETT, W (William)
QUINN, V (Victor)
RAWLE, BM (Ben)
ROSS, E (Edward)
SCOULLER, A (Arthur)
SCOULLER, L (Leslie)
TULLOCH, ES (Stanley)
RETURNED -
BARRETT, J (James)
BELLCHAMBERS, C (Charles)
BINNS, WC (William)
BLOMELEY, P (Patrick)
BLOMELEY, S (Sylvester)
BOLGER, J (Ernest)
BOLGER, WF, (William)
BOORMAN, AH (Arthur)
BOWEN, D (Daniel)
BROOKS, RD
BUCHANAN, C (Charles)
BULL, RJ (Robert)
BUNTING, W (William)
BUNTING, WE
CHARITY, E (Ernest)
CLARKE, CG (Charles)
CLOSE, GA (George)
DEPPELER, PA (Peter)
DEW, OE (Edwin)
DIMENT, W (Walter)
DONALDSON, ME (Mark)
DUNOON, D (Donald)
EVANS, M (Martin)
FISK, AE (Alfred)
FISK, AH (Arthur)
FISK, GA (George)
FRY, AH (Albert)
FRY, EA (Edward)
GARD, SM (Sam)
GARDNER, JC (John)
GURRIE, P (Patrick)
HALL, AJ
HALL, GF (George)
HALL, W (Walter)
HAMILL, A (Alexander)
HAMILL, SA (Samuel)
HANSEN, HT
HOUSTEN, C
JOINER, J (James)
LAMB, MB (Martin)
LAMB, P (Peter)
LEWIS, SC (Samuel)
LINDSAY, GE (George)
LINDSAY, RH
McCRICKARD, RF (Robert)
McMINN, RH (Henry)
MARKS, A
MILKINS, A (Abner)
MILKINS, BV (Barry)
MOORE, RD (John)
MORROW, D (David)
OSBORNE, J (James)
PEARCE, AE (Albert)
PEARCE, GH (George)
RAGATZ, AL (Albert)
REID, W (Willie)
RICHARDSON, J (John)
ROBERTSON, EG (Ernest)
ROBERTSON, JC (John)
ROBERTSON, RJ
ROSS, N
SCHEFFER, WT (Thomas)
SCOULLER, P (Percy)
SHILLITO, T (Thomas)
SMEDLEY, E (Ernest)
SPARKS, PL (Patrick)
TIPPINS, J (John)
TOMKINS, E
TROY, J (John)
WILLIAMS, A
WILSON, G
YOUNG, R (Robert)
ZAPPELLI, S (Stephen)
"They Shall Grow Not Old, As We That Are Left Grow Old;
Age Shall Not Weary Them, Nor The Years Condemn.
At The Going Down Of The Sun And In The Morning
We Will Remember Them."8
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE DECISION TO write this book was easy.
The process to do so was a different matter. For many months I thought through the stepping stones that would be required to record this story. Family history, research on the primary individual, personal army records, Battalion intelligence reports, historical archives, land title records and site visits to venues sixteen thousand kilometres apart.
The first day I sat in front of the laptop keyboard I made a promise to myself that the end result would be as accurate a record of one man’s journey, albeit one hundred years ago, as would be humanly possible. Solid research would be required into subjects that were outside of my expertise, so I would be reliant on others. I would need help.
From the outset I learnt to assume nothing and check everything. For example, I found out the hard way that family folklore might offer up a warm and fuzzy story, but it was not necessarily fact. Even the occasional military record or document would offer a conflicting point of view. It just meant digging deeper or asking someone more knowledgeable for their opinion.
Nic Haygarth, a research officer with Heritage Tasmania was extremely generous with his time and support, helping me to confirm or reject several myths regarding my ancestors, their lives, deaths, and land holdings.
I was most fortunate to receive invaluable support from ex-Beech Forest resident, historian and researcher, Barbara Minchinton. Her expertise in the Otway’s historical land holdings and the sharing of her knowledge was critically important to my research.
Two of the loveliest people I have ever met, Anthony and Jackie Zappelli, Beech Forest farmers and resident historians with the Otway Districts Historical Society. Their enthusiasm to share a mountain of information that would paint the picture of a small town in the 1900’s was truly magnificent. The hospitality they offered in inviting my family and me into their home, feeding us and walking us around my great-grandfather’s farm land went far beyond my expectations. When I stood on the property, the hair on the back of my neck standing up and mist in my eyes, I just wanted to hug them in gratitude. Not in another hundred years could you expect to meet more salt-of-the-earth Aussie farmers.
Good friends, New Zealand cattle and sheep farmers, Keith and Claire Middlemiss shared with me an extensive historical knowledge of the difficulties and expectations of being a farmer. I am extremely grateful for their input.
The AIF records kept by the Australian Government are nothing short of outstanding but sometimes an amateur, like me, requires assistance in knowing where to look. In the early stages of my research, while investigating the venue of where a specific photo had been taken, I was extremely fortunate to cross paths with Alison McCallum BA DipEd (Macq). I cannot count the number of times I received email replies from Alison at ten or eleven o’clock at night with pages of bullet point references, web links, contact details and personnel knowledge of this nation’s World War 1 history. I cannot thank her enough for willingly sharing her passion and guidance to ensure historical accuracy.
The assistance I received from the Director of Passchendaele Museum, Steven Vandenbussche and his dedicated researchers, Annemie Morisse, Simon Augustyn, Lee Ingelbrecht and Karen Derycke was breath taking. I hounded them relentlessly for information on trench maps, map coordinates, Red Cross records, Battalion camps and a hundred other related points that required clarification. They never faulted.
On one occasion they helped me locate three months of missing intelligence reports for the 2nd Austra
lian Tunnelling Company, a major part of this story. The Australian Government did not have these records. Passchendaele Museum located them within British held archives and gave me contact details. On receipt of these records I forwarded the information onto the Australian Government and have a letter of thanks from them for the archival tidy up.
It gave me enormous pleasure to walk into the research office of Passchendaele Museum in October 2017 and personally shake the hands of those magnificent people.
To the elderly Belgian farmer who owns a property on the west side of Broodseinde Ridge (Beselarestraat), thank you for allowing me to walk onto your property and for showing me around your shed full of WW1 memorabilia that your tractors have dragged to the surface. The lead shrapnel balls you gave me sit with heartfelt pride on my desk with full knowledge of where they were found.
Neville Browning (OAM), author of numerous WW1 books guided me through the early stages of being a first-time author and the minefield known as “publishing”.
To prepare a manuscript for publishing is an art form in its own right. The person required will have outstanding computer skills, patience and a genuine passion for someone else’s work. Ian Andrew, Executive Director of “The Book Reality Experience” is that person. From the first contact, Ian’s drive and enthusiasm was inspirational. His work ethics and attention to detail took an enormous workload off my shoulders, it allowed me to relax and breathe through a difficult and complicated process.
We struck a common cord, a carryover from his own military service I suspect. This became evident in his editing skills and desire to ensure history is accurately recorded and given the respect it deserves. I am greatly indebted to him for his dedication to my work.
The Commonwealth of Australia, Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia can hold their heads very high. This country’s dedication to have recorded and archived our history and to make those archives accessible to the general public is outstanding. It is a legacy that we can all be extremely proud of.
Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to my dear wife, Tracey. She endured five years of family history and war stories. Constantly being asked to proof read or offer an unbiased opinion on work as it progressed. Never afraid to tell me to add detail, rephrase, delete or if I was having a good day, the occasional pat on the head. Her computer skills are also far better than mine!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Murray Ernest Hall is the great nephew of Ernest Alfred Hall.
Raised in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Mentone, during the 1950s and ‘60s, Murray was, by his own admission, an average student who muddled through thirteen years of schooling whilst maintaining his primary passion of riding a push bike. At eighteen years of age he packed a bag and his bike and went to Europe where, “all the best bike riders were”.
A wonderful career in the sport of Cycling followed. Riding professionally for sixteen years, he competed at the highest levels of the European Circuit, winning a prestigious championship of Berlin and on two occasions was crowned British National Champion. A multiple Australian Champion, he represented his country on many occasions including in 1974, when he was a double Commonwealth Games’ Silver Medallist.
The sport allowed him to travel the world extensively and he was based out of Belgium and Denmark for long periods. It was during his time in Belgium, living in and around the major battlefields of the First World War, that he also developed an interest in the life of his forbear, Ernest Alfred.
On retiring from competition, he went on to serve as a highly respected and regarded administrator of the sport, including being the State Chairman for Western Australia for more than a decade and a national track selector and track commissioner for Cycling Australia. He still maintains ties to the sport in an advisory capacity.
His later working life was spent in the manufacturing, building construction and mining industries.
Now retired from work, Murray shares a semi-rural property south-east of Perth, Western Australia with his wife Tracey and a few furry friends.
Walk a War in My Shoes is his writing debut.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Front Cover: Original timber cross, Belgium Battery Corner Cemetery
Front Piece: Private Ernest Alfred Hall – AIF
Following Pages:
Hall brothers, Wal, Frank, and Ernest. Beech Forest 1914
Parent’s letter of consent
HMAT 64 Demosthenes post card dated January 1916
Field service post card, 25th May 1916 (front)
Field service post card, 25th May 1916 (rear)
Handwritten note. “Rumours”. (above)
Postcard destroyed by censor’s crayon, 6th June 1916 (below)
Photograph post card taken in Estaires (France) June 1916. EAH standing right hand side. The identity of the other two soldiers is unknown.
Letter dated 27th October 1916. Section torn out and crayon used by censors (Front)
Letter dated 27th October 1916. Section torn out and crayon used by censors (Rear)
Lace post card, 14th January 1917
Photograph post card taken in Amines (France) 16th June 1917. Soldier standing is identified as Arthur Howell.
Ernest’s La Fidèle fob watch which he was carrying on the
afternoon of his death
Family death notice, Colac Reformer 24th November 1917
Australian War Memorial, Canberra. Panel 171
Copyright & Footnotes
Copyright © Murray Hall, 2018
Published: 9 August 2018 by
The Book Reality Experience
www.bookreality.com – [email protected]
ISBN: 978-0-6482222-7-9
E-Book Edition
All rights reserved.
The right of Murray Ernest Hall to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This book is a fictionalised retelling of a historical memoir, reflecting the author’s research into historical events that may be the recounting of third party memories. Some names and characteristics may have been changed, some events may have been compressed, and some dialogue may have been recreated. Memory can be a fickle thing, so the Author trusts that any minor errors in times, dates and details of particular events will be understood.
Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Please be aware, that when these accounts were written, language that is no longer acceptable now, was mainstream. It is included for accuracy and not for offense.
Copyright of all illustrations and imagery used within remains solely with their originator. No breach of copyright is implied or intended and all material is believed to be used with permission. Should you feel that your copyright has been impinged, please contact the publisher to ensure appropriate acknowledgment may be made.
Cover Design concept by Chris Boone
Cover Design by Luke Buxton - www.lukebuxton.com
Notes
[←1]
Also buried with George and Selina is their first-born child, Harry Maunsell Hall who died in 1944 aged 90.
[←2]
Hall’s Falls would later be renamed Hopetoun Falls.
[←3]
Only 20 of the 313-acre Cloverdale property was ever cleared by the Hall family.
[←4]
162cm, 61kg
[←5]
Please remember that when these accounts were written, language that is no longer acceptable now, was mainstream. It is included for accuracy and not for offense.
[←6]
See footnote 5.
[←7]
Unskilled manual labour
ing.
[←8]
From, ‘For the Fallen’, by Laurence Binyon, published in the Winnowing Fan; Poems of the Great War, London, 1914
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