Gold Museum, Ballarat ~ Showcasing Ballarat's history

Nina Valentine recounts her father’s Gallipoli experience

Nina’s father Charles Reakes joined the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) in August 1914. He was sent to Anzac Cove, which he recalled was ‘beautiful though it rained a bit in the afternoon’.

He arrived with an ammunition column delivering vital supplies up the perilous Shrapnel Gully.

Upon his evacuation from Gallipoli, Charles was transferred to the 103^rd Howitzer Battery in France where he had been gassed during battles in October 1918.

He left the battlefields when the Armistice was signed in November 1918.

The Gold Museum collection includes Charles’ dog tag which he wore as part of his military uniform.

Credits

Film produced by Wind & Sky Productions, Jary Nemo (Director) and Lucinda Horrocks (Interviewer and Researcher).

The Memories of War film project was supported by the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council.

Yvonne Horsfield on her family’s Chinese Anzac connections

Hedley and Sam [Tong-Way] were committed to showing their loyalty to Australia. Their enlistment was a demonstration of their commitment to their country of birth (Yvonne Horsfield, 2017)

Yvonne’s grandfather Hedley Tong-Way and his brother Samuel were one of many Chinese Australians who enlisted with the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) during World War One.

The Ballarat-born brothers were sons of Mary and Rev. John Tong-Way who migrated from China to the goldfields in the 1880s-1890s.

Samuel and Hedley’s enlistment applications were initially rejected due to their Chinese background. They were finally accepted into the AIF in 1917. They served in the 5th Divisional Signal Company in France.

Upon their return to Australia in 1920, Samuel and Hedley became active and respected members of their community. Hedley settled at Lake Goldsmith as part of the Soldier Settlement Scheme and became a public servant.

Samuel worked as a teacher in various regional high schools and was an active member of the Returns Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the Masonic Lodge and management of the Presbyterian Church.

The Gold Museum’s Tong-Way family collection includes a signalers’ trumpet from World War One which belonged to Samuel.

Yvonne discusses the brothers’ commitment to Australia and their community, despite the challenges that they faced.

Credits

Film produced by Wind & Sky Productions, Jary Nemo (Director) and Lucinda Horrocks (Interviewer and Researcher)

The Memories of War film project was supported by the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council.

Les Holloway reflects on his father’s World War One experiences

I never asked my dad about his war experiences. Returned servicemen didn’t talk about those days. I’ve got my theories why – one of the things, it was just too terrible (Les Holloway, 2017)

Roy Victor Holloway’s enlistment portrait

Les Holloway’s father Roy was just 17 years of age when he joined the Australian Imperial Force during World War One. After falsifying his father’s signature on his enlistment documents, Roy joined the 14th Battalion.

Following his departure from Australia, Roy trained at Egypt’s Heliopolis Camp before taking part in the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April, 1915.  He became sick after several weeks and recuperated in Gibraltar. He was sent back to Gallipoli, where he remained until the evacuation.

The battalion returned to Egypt, where Roy began keeping a detailed diary. In 1917, he was sent to the Western Front where he was wounded twice; on the second occasion he was taken prisoner by the Germans. Roy was sent to Germany’s Soltau prisoner-of-war camp where he was held captive for 20 months. While there, he worked in the boiler house and electricity plant.

Roy was released in 1919 and returned home where he was given a hero’s welcome.

Amongst the Gold Museum’s collection of Roy Holloway’s personal artefacts, are his razor and photograph album from the Soltau camp.

Using these objects, Les reflects on his memories of his father and his wartime experience.

Credits

Film produced by Wind & Sky Productions, Jary Nemo (Director) and Lucinda Horrocks (Interviewer and Researcher).

Additional research provided by Herr Horst Meyer, Soltau Camp Memorial.

The Memories of War film project was supported by the Victorian Government and the Victorian Veterans Council.

Three Hammon brothers served together during World War One

The Gold Museum holds a special collection of postcards from the Hammon brothers, revealing life on the frontline and in the camps.

Private John Henry Hammon

John (also known as Jack) was born in Ballarat in 1883.  In July 1915, a 32 year old John enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). He was placed in the 4^th Battalion, 11^th Reinforcement.

Postcard from John and Harry Hammon to their sister Jessie (Gold Museum collection, 2011.0435)

His unit embarked from Sydney on board the HMAT A17 Port Lincoln, on 13 October, 1915.

After a couple of transfers within the Battalion, John embarked for Marseilles in February 1916.

John was wounded at Pozieres in 1916 and taken to St John’s Ambulance Brigade, Staples, with a gunshot wound to the left thigh and right leg. He spent nine days in hospital.

Following this incident, John was admitted into hospital twice for a gunshot wounds to the back and left thigh.

He spent a month recovering in hospital for his thigh injury. He was later detached from his duties and moved into the 1^st Division of the AIF.

Tragedy struck on 23 August, 1918 when 35 year old John was killed in action. He is buried at the Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres, France.

In an obituary in the Argus, John’s family wrote: ‘A bright and cheery nature, duty nobly done, in that dear home, how sweet his rest’. [1]

John was decorated with the British War Medal, the Star, and the Victory medal. His family received a memorial plaque and scroll.

Corporal Harry Telford Hammon

Harry (also known as Tel) was born in Creswick on 7 June, 1892. Harry worked as a dentist in the Ballarat region prior to his enlistment in February 1916. Integrated into the 39^th Battalion, Harry began his journey to France, Southampton on 23 November, 1916.

Upon his arrival to Europe, Harry and his Battalion were stationed in England’s Lark Hill Camp. Writing to his mother from Lark Hill, Harry warned that his words may cause her to ‘form some sort of idea as to the sort of camp we are in. By the wording of this, you will think it a terrible place, but it is not too bad’. [2]

Postcard from Harry to his mother, 4 August 1916 (Gold Museum collection, 2011.0448)

Harry was moved from the 10^th infantry back to the 39^th and worked with the field ambulance from in August 1917.  On 24 March, 1918 Harry was sent to hospital, the cause unknown, and was discharged back to his unit a month later.

Harry was removed from his unit in 1918 after being caught with stolen property. He was transferred to the 98^th Dental Unit where he was promoted to Corporal.

Harry often wrote home to his family back in Ballarat, particularly to his younger brother Cecil who received cigarette cards collected by the Corporal.

Harry returned to Australia in 1919. He later moved to Melbourne and passed away in 1982, aged 90.

Private Norman Coates Hammon

Norman was born in Creswick in 1894. A 20 year-old Norman worked as a grocer when he enlisted on 5 February, 1915.

Norman joined the 22^nd Infantry Battalion’s D Company and embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT A38 Ulysses.

Birthday postcard from Norman to his sister Jessie, 1916 (Gold Museum collection, 2011.0449)

Retaining his rank of Private, Norman was later enlisted into the 6^th Machine Gun Battalion, and later the 2^nd Machine Gun Company in 1918 where he was given the rank of Corporal.

Norman maintained contact with his family, especially his sister Jessie, promising to send her home a handkerchief of Egyptian silk when his money arrived.

He wrote extensively of his journeys from the Garden City in Heliopolis to Egypt. Norman wrote about the Egyptian landscapes with the legend of pharaohs being a constant theme. In a postcard home, Norman humorously begged his sister to ‘excuse [his] scribble’ [3] as he was writing on the road.

Norman fought in Egypt, Gallipoli, the Western Front and France. He was wounded during a battle in France in November 1917.

Fatefully, Norman returned to Australia on 9 March, 1919. He later married Louisa May Lawson in 1923.

Norman’s involvement in the war resulted in him receiving the 1914-15 Star, the British War medal and the Victory Medal of 1970.

Norman passed away in 1970, aged 76.

Trees were planted in Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour as a memorial to the brothers’ service. They can be found at tree no. 387, 2115 and 3861.

References

[1] The Argus, 21 September, 1918

[2] Postcard to mother from Harry Telford Hammon, Lark Hill Camp, England, 4 August, 1916. Gold Museum collection, 2011.0448.

[3] Postcard to Jessie Hammon from Norman Coates Hammon, Heliopolis, Garden City, undated. Gold Museum collection, 2011.0430

Written by Danni Roberts, honours year history student at Federation University.

World War One artillery shells

Artillery shell (Gold Museum collection, 75.175)

World War One  is often characterised as an artillery war.

Millions of rounds of shells were fired to devastating effect on troops and the countryside.

Soldiers who escaped being blown up by high explosive or cut to pieces by shrapnel were still in danger of suffering shell shock.

Repeated exposure to the sheer concussive force of an extended barrage often leading to the nerve and psychological damage now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In the Belgium and French countryside farmers every year turn up an ‘Iron Harvest’ of shells, both live and spent.

This shell is on display at the Gold Museum as part of the Shrine of Remembrance’s exhibition Australia Will Be There, on show until September 18, 2016.

Written by Katrina Nicholson, Centenary Exhibition Research Officer, Shrine of Remembrance

Horse Saddlebag, 1914-1918

German Cavalry Saddlebag (Gold Museum collection, 75.0175)

World War One marked a transitional period in the use of the horse in warfare.

Cavalry had limited use after 1914 on the Western Front, where entrenched positions, and extensive barbed wire and machine gun emplacements, prevented their traditional function of breaking up enemy infantry concentrations.

After the Boer War (1899-1902) British cavalry units were increasingly trained in the use of rifles and dismounted manoeuvres, which made them more adaptable to the changed conditions.

German cavalry units maintained traditional weapons and tactics and, after 1914, were primarily used on the more mobile Eastern Front.

Horses were used for reconnaissance, messenger duties and, overwhelmingly, to haul supplies, ammunition, artillery, and ambulances, across ground that defeated mechanised transport.

It is estimated that as many as eight million horses, and countless mules and donkeys, died during World War One.

This saddlebag is on display at the Gold Museum as part of the Shrine of Remembrance’s exhibition Australia Will Be There, on show until September 18, 2016.

Written by Katrina Nicholson, Centenary Exhibition Research Officer, Shrine of Remembrance

The Gold Museum holds a collection of articles, photographs and medals of World War I veteran, Horace Martyr.

Private Horace Clyde Martyr, known as Horry by family and friends, was born in Richmond, Victoria in 1895.

When the First World War began in 1914, a 19 year-old Horace enlisted in Melbourne for the Australian Infantry Forces (AIF) where he was assigned to the 8^th Battalion.

Horace was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (Commonwealth) and the Croix de Guerre (The French equivalent to the Victorian Cross) as a result of his actions on Anzac Cove. He became one of the first decorated soldiers from the Gallipoli landing.

Horace Martyr holding his medals (Gold Museum collection, 83.0308)

During both World Wars and the years that proceeded, Horace was awarded another 12 medals for his conduct and service in countless battles for his country. These included the Commonwealth Distinguished Conduct Medal, for gallantry at Anzac Cove where he was wounded along Shrapnel Gully while carrying a fellow wounded soldier to safety. Before they reached the shelter of a trench, Horace was shot in the back himself. The two men spent in the trench as it rained before they were transported to Egypt for urgent medical care.

He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the Star Gallipoli Medal, the British Service Medal, the Victory Medal 1914-18, the Star Medal 1939-45, the Pacific Star, the Defense Medal 1939-45, Service Medal 1939-45, Australian Service Medal 1939-45, Coronation of George V Medal and the Efficient Service Medal. Horace later received two rosettes for 12 years’ service.

Horace Martyr’s medals (Gold Museum collection, 83.308)

Horace came from a family of soldiers. One of his forbearers was also involved in warfare; Major General James Martyr was in the 1^st Dragoon Guards and the aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. He is also the nephew of Richard Beswick Martyr, of Argyle, and Mrs Alex Heiden, of Marylands. When he returned to Australia, he became an advertising agent in Spencer Street Melbourne.

Newspaper article about Horace Martyr and his heroic status (Gold Museum collection, 83.208)

In 1928, Horace was in court facing fraud charges, on four counts of obtaining money on false pretence. He was found not guilty on all counts.

Horace passed away 6 September 1986 at the age of 91. His gravestone can be found at the Frankston Cemetery.

He was survived by his wife Peggy and children Joe, Eileen, Alice, Helen and Phil Jnr.

Written by Danni Roberts, history student at Federation University.

Gold Museum’s World War I Exhibition

The Gold Museum’s latest in-house exhibition Are You Going Too? tells the story of Ballarat during World War I. Content has been drawn from the museum’s rich World War I collection featuring letters, photographs, objects and postcards.

The exhibition focuses on the experiences of four young men who went to fight. Letters and diaries record the soldiers’ journey as they went from training in the Broadmeadows Military Camp, engagement in Gallipoli and, for some, their tragic deaths. The exhibition explores the stories of the following soldiers.

Sir Albert Coates (b. 1895, Mount Pleasant) was 19 years old when he enlisted in the army. He served in Egypt, Gallipoli and Flanders as a medical orderly and later with the Intelligence Corps. Upon his return to Australia, he undertook a medical course, eventually becoming one of Australia’s pioneers in neuroscience and a mentor of Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop.

Seventeen year old Roy Victor Holloway (b. 1896, Ballarat) falsified his father’s signature to join the 14^th Battalion. After training in the Broadmeadows Military Camp and Heliopolis Camp he was sent to Gallipoli and then went onto the Western Front. In 1917 he was taken prisoner by the Germans and held captive for 20 months in the Soltau prisoner of war camp. Roy returned home in 1919 where he was given a hero’s welcome.

John Benjamin Johns (b. 1889, Ballarat) joined the 11^th Battalion after having served in the 5^th AIF Infantry Regiments prior to the war. In his letters back home, he wrote of his initial excitement about life in Egypt: ‘This life is suiting me splendidly and I was never better in my life’. However as John went into battle, the realities of the war became evident. He described his time in Gallipoli as ‘an eye opener’ which ‘brought home the fact that we are on serious business’. John was killed in battle at Gallipoli in August 1915

Joseph James Lugg joined the war together with his brother Robert. Little is known about Joe but his collection of letters housed at the museum provides an insight into the young man’s faith and unwavering support of God, King and Country. Joseph was amongst those Anzacs sent to the Dardanelles and was at the landing on 25 April, 1915. He was killed in action in Gallipoli in August 1915, while his brother survived.

Are You Going Too? is on at the Gold Museum until August 2015.