Letter from Mr Reg. Johnson

Reginald Campbell Johnson (1895-1984), known as Reg or Rege, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 August 1914. He was a farrier, aged 19. On 19 October 1914 he sailed with F Company of the 8th Infantry Battalion on HMAT Benalla. A number of other men from Avoca were in the same Company and also on board the Benalla.

The camp at Mena near Cairo, Egypt, photographed 1915. Photograph in the collection of the Australian War Memorial ID A02741.

On 30 January 1915 the Avoca Free Press published a letter from Reg to his parents  dated 13 December 1914. In his letter Johnson mentions:

• Watty, probably his brother Walter Henry Clarence Johnson (1888-1953), who enlisted at the same time and was also serving with the 8th Battalion
• Dave, probably Dave Summers (1893-1916), who had played with Johnson in the Avoca Brass Band.
• Billy French's accident to his knee; French was repatriated early in 1915 because of it.
• camping near Cairo only about half a mile from the great pyramids pyramids at Giza. Johnson mentions the Sphinx, an Indian wounded by Arabs, two New Zealanders being stabbed, and two men who died falling from the pyramids.

THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE. (1915, January 30). Avoca Free Press and Farmers' and Miners' Journal (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 2. Retrieved January 4, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151623763

Johnson fought at Gallipoli and was wounded on 25 April 1915 with gunshot injuries to his face. He spent five months in a Manchester hospital and returned to Australia later in 1915. (National Archives of Australia: Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920; Johnson Reginald Campbell : SERN 679 : POB Avoca VIC : POE Surrey Hills VIC : NOK Johnson Henry, page 12)

Related posts:

• First enlistments
• William Henry French (1885-1972)
• First volunteers in Broadmeadows camp

First volunteers in Broadmeadows camp

MARYBOROUGH'S PART. 

DEPARTURE OF VOLUNTEERS. 

The second batch of volunteers for the Expeditionary Force for Europe from the Maryborough district left by the 10.25 a.m. train yesterday for Broadmeadows. They numbered slightly over 20, this tally bringing the district's total up to 45, which must be regarded as a fine contribution. Capt. Raitt saw this second detachment to their train, and they went off amid the hearty cheers of a large crowd that had assembled, and the playing of the West State school boys' bugle band. As was the case last week, the school boys paraded to the station along the principal streets, and all marched very creditably. From letters received by friends of the men in camp, it appears that they are doing well, though leading a strenuous life. Writing to a friend at Avoca, Lieut. Gus Ebeling says:-

" We got down to town all right, and are quite settled in camp. They are a splendid lot of men; the Avoca and Maryborough men who travelled together were the best behaved lot of young soldiers that I have had anything to do with, and I feel sure they will do credit to their respective districts. They are all well and happy, although they have had a very rough time."

(MARYBOROUGH'S PART. (1914, August 26). Maryborough and Dunolly Advertiser (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 3. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90601418)

Broadmeadows was a military camp established on 19 August 1914 at Broadmeadows, sixteen kilometres north of Melbourne city. Land for the camp was lent to the government by Mr R. G. Wilson. The government later bought it.

From the Embarkation rolls of October 1914, it appears that most of the men who enlisted from Avoca served together. There was a deliberate policy of keeping locals together. Gus Ebeling, Matthew Rafferty, Arthur Summerfield, William French, Dave Summers and Rege Johnson were all in the 8th Infantry Battalion, F Company. Ebeling was Lieutenant, the officer-in-charge of this company. Alfred Golder was assigned to 8th Infantry Battalion Headquarters.

Charles Willmott was assigned to the 7th Battalion and Ike Webster to the 6th.

The 8th Battalion was recruited from rural Victoria within the first two weeks of war being declared. The 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions were recruited from Victoria and formed the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Australian Imperial Force.

Group portrait of members of F Company, 8th Battalion. Although it is not possible to give names to faces, the Embarkation Roll for the 8th lists all the members of the company at time of departure from Melbourne. It is very likely that the three officers are: Lieutenant Gus Eberling , aged 43, a farmer and grazier from Avoca, Victoria, and a veteran of the Boer War (centre) and Lieutenant William Thomas Yates, aged 29, Dairyman of Newminster Park, Camperdown, Victoria, and 2nd Lieutenant Maurice Leslie McLeod, aged 20, a tailor of 405 Gregory Street, Ballarat, Victoria, on either side of him. McLeod was later killed in action at the landing at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.The F company embarkation roll lists the two buglers in the front row, far left as 635 Bugler David Summers from Moonambel, VIC and 636 Bugler Phillip Joseph Palmer from Mildura, VIC however it is not known which man is which. Summers was killed in action at Fleurbaix (Pozieres), France on 19 July 1916 and Palmer returned to Australia on 4 August 1915. AWM ID number DAX2563; Photographer Darge Photographic Company; Place made Australia: Victoria, Melbourne, Broadmeadows; Date made c 1914. Retrieved from http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/DAX2563/

William Henry French (1885-1972)

William Henry French (1885-1972) was one of the first men from Avoca to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 August 1914. He was a miner, 29 years 10 months old, and unmarried.  Born in Avoca, French had never served in the military.

He was assigned to the 8th battalion and given the number 670.

National Archives of Australia: Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920; French William Henry : SERN 670 : POB Avoca VIC : POE Surrey Hills VIC : NOK French James Henry. Page 1

William French was five foot six inches tall and weighed ten stone six pounds. He had blue eyes and his hair and complexion were described as "between".  He had a scar on the back of his head.

On 19 October 1914 he embarked for Egypt on HMAT Benalla at Melbourne. He had the rank of Lance Corporal.

Men of the 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade walking down the Port Melbourne pier to embark on HMAT Benalla (A24) (right), and HMAT Hororata (A20) (left), for service overseas. 19 October 1914. Australian War Memorial ID number C02793 retrieved from http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C02793/

On 10 November 1914, less than a month later, he was discharged as medically unfit. On 28 November 1914 he was admitted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital at Mena House Cairo with the cause listed as "accident knee".

The front entrance to the Mena House Hotel at Mena, ten miles from Cairo, which was taken over for use as 2 Australian General Hospital (2 AGH) photographed early in 1915. Retrieved from http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2010/03/02/tuesday-2nd-march-1915-diary-of-hv-reynolds/

The accident to his knee happened while he was on board the Benalla; a board of inquiry found he was "skylarking" on deck.

Two soldiers wrestling on board a ship. (World War 1) Australian War Memorial ID number  PS0089 retrieved from http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/PS0089/

The cause of hospitalisation is later described as "synovitis of knee". French was discharged from hospital on 1 February 1915, and spent three days with the Number 1 Australian Field Ambulance Hospital at the Pyramids at Mena.

NAA, B2455, French WH, page 25

French returned to Australia on the Kyarra from 5 February 1915. He disembarked at Melbourne on 11 March and was discharged as permanently unfit on 1 April 1915.

In 1923 ex-Cpl French was issued with the Victory medal and the British War medal.

On 10 July 1915 the Avoca Free Press reported that  French was present at a recruiting meeting at Avoca. Although he had been severely injured "at camp in Egypt", he stated he wished to return to his comrades at the front.

The name William Henry French is listed on the Avoca Soldiers' Memorial.