SCONE’S FALLEN ANZACs

During the Great War of 1914-1918, I believe that more than five hundred men and women from the district, driven by a heart-felt obligation to God, King and Country, volunteered for service.  In December 1915, Sydney newspapers reported that every eligible man in the Scone district had enlisted.  The district bounded by Bunnan, Blandford, Aberdeen, Rouchel and Ellerston, saw a third of this number volunteer from Moonan Flat, Rouchel and Stewarts Brook area.

Three families had five sons in uniform another had four.  One hundred and six men died.  Nine families lost two sons, one lost three.  Four men, first cousins, the sons of four sisters were among those who died.  An equal number to those killed during the war died as the result of their war service within ten years of the Armistice being signed.

In 1914, Australia had less than a quarter of its 2005 population with the majority having been born in England.  Although this was reflected in the national recruiting figures it was not the case in Scone where two thirds of those who enlisted had been born in the Scone district, only 8% were born outside of Australia.

The casualty rate among those from the Scone district was above the national average.  This may be attributed to the number of men from this district that fought on Gallipoli and in many of the badly-planned and disastrous battles on the Western Front.  Scone lost 18 men on Gallipoli, 35 in France with 12 of the 25 lost in Belgium dying at Passchendaele.  11 lost their lives in the Middle East, a sometimes forgotten theatre of the war.

On 25 April 1915 as the Australians landed on Gallipoli, several small groups, which included men from Scone, advanced inland until halted by the Turks. They fought for three days without sleep before reluctantly withdrawing from their positions, which were further inland than allied troops would again achieve during the entire Gallipoli Campaign.

The 2^nd Division’s first casualty on the Western Front was a Scone man.  14 men from Scone took part in the suicidal attack on Dead Man’s Ridge on Gallipoli, five were killed and four wounded.  The remaining five were amongst the 42 men who survived this battle physically unscathed; the percentage of Australian casualties during this battle was the highest recorded in any battle on Gallipoli.

Many from Scone enlisted, fought and died together.  A light horseman, who had previously travelled the world as a merchant seaman, was assigned to duty on a transport taking supplies to Gallipoli.  Seeing his mates arrive at Anzac Cove he, without hesitation, jumped ship and joined them.  48 hours later, he and his mates died together.

Two mates, who rode from Moonan to Scone together to enlist, remained inseparable until one was chosen to go to Gallipoli.  His mate, ordered to remain in Egypt, was smuggled aboard the transport that took his mate to Gallipoli.  One was killed on their second day on the peninsular, the second two weeks later.  Despite the large number killed during these two weeks in August, these two mates lie side by side in a Gallipoli cemetery.

The appalling conditions on Gallipoli also caused many casualties.  With nowhere to rest, the men were constantly under fire, food and water were scarce and typhoid, dysentery and other illnesses affected almost every man.  During the last month before the evacuation, more Australians died from disease on Gallipoli than were killed or wounded by the Turks.

In France, as the 1000 strong 34^th Battalion prepared for their first major engagement, the enemy raided their trenches inflicting four casualties.  Three of these casualties were from Scone; two died and now lay side by side in a well-kept French cemetery, while the third, a brother of one of those killed was returned to Australia following the amputation of his leg.

Despite automatic exemptions being granted to school teachers and railway employees, a station master, several train drivers and many schoolteachers were among those who enlisted.  The high rate of teacher enlistments resulted in the closing of some of the district schools including Scone’s oldest school, St Luke’s Grammar School.  In New South Wales alone 755 public school teachers enlisted, 153 were killed in action.

Scone recruits included shire clerks, dentists, barbers, house painters, shearers and labourers.  Some only fifteen years old, others almost ten years older than the upper age limit.

Many, who were initially rejected as unfit for service continued to volunteer as the physical requirements were lowered.  One man told he was seriously ill and likely to die within six months toured the country unsuccessfully volunteering four times.  He succeeded when a doctor in Goulburn passed him fit for service on 6 January 1916.  He was killed at Passchendaele in October 1917, six months after being awarded a Military Medal for bravery.

Another, who had four brothers serving overseas, was rejected three times.  He twice entered Scone hospital for surgery to correct the medical conditions that had caused Dr Scott to reject him.  Scott finally passed him as ‘Fit for Service’.  A week later he was again rejected when re-examined by the camp doctor at Maitland, this man died a short time later.

John Vivian Fortescue Gregg-Macgregor, the 40 year old newly appointed curate at St Luke’s Church, arrived in Scone from West Maitland on the Friday following the declaration of the war.  He preached at the Sunday service then enlisted on the Monday.  He served on Gallipoli for four months as a stretcher bearer and was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal.  When Scone’s Private Manson White received shrapnel wounds at Lone Pine, he was treated by Gregg-MacGreggor who carried him to the beach casualty station.  When Gregg-Macgregor’s health failed in September he was hospitalised in Malta before returning to Australia and being discharged unfit for further service.  He re-joined the AIF as a Chaplain and served on the Western Front until the Armistice.

My project was encouraged by the words of Alderman Edward John Sherwood, who as Mayor of Scone in 1916, proposed the erection of a monument to the fallen men from the Scone district. He said, “It must be something worthy of the sacrifices these brave men have made-something that will stand as a monument for our children’s children to point to, and recall the record of which this district is so proud.”

In August 1917 Mayor Sherwood, a prominent speaker at anti-conscription rallies with one hundred and fifty volunteers increased Scone’s contribution to the war effort, when they volunteered to work to break the railway strike, which was disrupting the war effort.   

When I commenced this sad but worthwhile task there were 100 names on the memorial.  In April 2003, four more were added.  There are still others that I believe should be included.  Like, David Campbell a single man, who lived and worked in Scone until he enlisted, he was twice wounded before he was killed in action on 8 August 1918.  His widowed mother died in Scone prior to his death leaving no one to submit his name.

Another was English born William John Green who came to Australia and worked as a stockman at Satur for three years before enlisting, invalided to England after two months on Gallipoli he re-joined his unit on the Western Front and died from wounds he received on 10 November 1917.

Over the past five years, I have done my best to include all the relevant information available that would do justice to the memory of the 109 men from this district that gave their lives for God, King and Country.

LEST WE FORGET.