21. The Anguish of War

WW1 – The Anguish of War

Saluting their Service - Grahame Old

Introduction

There were a number of families from Collie and Surrounding Districts who provided more than one son to the War effort during WW1. There are also instances of Father and Son/s serving from the same family. Records show that there were fifty two (52) families from Collie and Surrounding Districts with two siblings who served overseas during WW1. Five families lost both sons. A Father who served, lost both sons killed in action at Gallipoli, he then enlisted but was discharged soon after. A Mother lost both sons in France. This is the tragic story of those two Collie families.

The Horrocks Family

At the outbreak of WW1 the Horrocks family were living at Collieburn and were employed in the mining industry. The father, James, had moved from England in 1872 to the coalmining area of Gippsland in Victoria. In 1897, married with his own family, he left Victoria for the coalmines of Collie. Two sons, Joseph and Edwin, were quick to enlist into the AIF for the great adventure.

Joseph Horrocks

Oldest brother, Joseph, was born in 1893 at Trafalgar Victoria. He was employed as a mining engineer in the Collie mining industry when he enlisted in September 1914, age 21 yrs. He was allocated service number 555, his listed next of kin was his mother Margaret Horrocks and place of residence was Collieburn. After training at Blackboy Hill he was posted to WAs own 11th Infantry Battalion along with a number of other Collie Boys. After further training in Egypt, the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) underwent its baptism of fire at the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. Joseph, along with his Collie mates, was among the first ashore. The 11th Battalion suffered heavy casualties during the landing. Joseph survived for three long weeks before being badly wounded on 20 May with gunshot wounds to the left leg. He was evacuated to the hospital ship HMHS ‘Soudan’ where his leg was amputated above the knee. Sadly he died that night, and was buried at sea. With no known grave Joseph Horrocks is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey, the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, panel 62, and on the Collie Soldiers Park War Memorial.

Edwin James Horrocks

Younger brother, Edwin, was born in 1895 at Trafalgar Victoria. He was employed as a sleeper cutter in the Collie mining industry. Eager to join his brother Edwin, he convinced his mother to allow him to enlist, and in March 1915 age 19 yrs he joined the great adventure. He was allocated service number 298, his listed next of kin was his mother Margaret Horrocks and place of residence was Collieburn. After training at Blackboy Hill he was posted as reinforcement to the 28th Infantry Battalion. After further training in Egypt, Joseph embarked to join his Battalion at Gallipoli on 4 September 1915. Eight days later he was badly wounded with a gunshot wound to the spine causing paralysis. Dangerously ill he was evacuated to the hospital ship HMHS ‘Somali’ and despite the efforts of medical staff he died of his wounds on 18 September 1915. Like his brother Joseph, Edwin was buried at sea. With no known grave Edwin James Horrocks is remembered on the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey, the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour panel 113, and on the Collie Soldiers Park War Memorial.

The Father - James Horrocks

One could only imagine the anguish felt by Margaret Horrocks with the loss of her two fine sons within weeks of one another. Sadly however more tragedy was to follow when her husband, the boy’s father, enlisted in 1916.

James Horrocks was born in South Helton, Durham, England in 1860 and moved to Australia in 1872. In 1897 with wife Margaret and family he moved to Collie. It is not known why James decided to enlist but the death of his two sons may have been a contributing factor. In December 1915 James presented himself to the enlistment centre and signed up for service, he stated his age to be 48 yrs, some eight years younger than his actual age. He service number was 6464, his listed next of kin was his wife Margaret Horrocks and place of residence was Collieburn. After training he was allocated reinforcement to the mining corps and in April 1916 embarked for Egypt and overseas service. In June 1916 he embarked for France to join the mining corps in the field. He was transferred to the 4th Field Engineers in July and in September 1916 he was returned to AIF HQ in London, his commanding officer in France wrote; ‘This soldier is physically unable to carry out his duties, his stated age is doubtful and he should be returned to Australia’. James Horrocks was returned to Australia in December 1915 and discharged as medically unfit (senility) on 21 January 1917. James re-joined his wife Margaret in Pier St East Perth where she now resided after moving from Collie.

Margaret would have been elated to have her husband back, however tragedy followed. Seven months after his discharge James Horrocks was admitted to Perth public hospital and died on 21 August 1917, age 57 years. He is buried in Karrakatta cemetery. It is not known whether his death was related to his war service however the death of his two sons and his service must have contributed in some way. Margaret now widowed with no husband and with younger children had to manage alone. Her husband was not killed whilst on active service he was not a member of the military so no war pension would have been available. The welfare system in 1917 was not as generous as it was in 2017. It is not known how she managed post 1917, but she died in 1953 aged 90 yrs, and is buried in the Collie cemetery.

The Fisher Family

The 48th Infantry Battalion

The 48th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 16 March 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Roughly half of its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 16th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. The 48th's first major battle on the Western Front was Pozieres. Here, it was tasked with defending ground captured in earlier attacks by the 2nd Division and entered the firing line on two separate occasions, 5 to 7 and 12 to 15 August. During the former period the battalion endured what was said to be heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and suffered 598 casualties. Among those casualties were the brothers, Osborne and Walter Stanley FISHER. The death of the brothers is best described in this article from the history of the 48th Battalion;

“It is dawn on 7 August 1916 near the Windmill, on Pozières heights. In this huge shell crater shelter the survivors of an outpost of the 48th Battalion. In the previous 36 hours there has been yet another terrible German bombardment. In their tour of duty at Pozières heights Charles Bean talked of the ‘shattering loss’ of the 48th Battalion through shell fire: 598 men. The Australian War Memorial’s ‘Roll of Honour’ reveals that 134 of these had been killed in action, and the rest we assume, were the wounded. It was described as ‘the heaviest and most systematic bombardment the Australians ever had to endure in the 1914–1918 war”.

The Fisher Brothers

The widowed mother of the Fisher brothers, Elizabeth Fisher, lived at Sunny Slope farm, Collie. Her husband, the boy’s father, had died in January 1914. The brothers worked as labourers at a Mundijong sawmill and on Sunny Slope farm Collie. Osborne the older brother enlisted in July 1915, age 38 years, service number 3106. Walter followed soon after in September 1915, age 30 years, service number 4272. The brothers listed their mother, as their next of kin, her address being; Mrs Elizabeth Fisher (C/O Mrs H Carlisle), Sunny slope Farm Collie.  After training the brothers were allocated as reinforcements for the newly formed 48th Infantry Battalion in Egypt. Osborne was taken on strength in March 1916, whilst

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Walter joined him in April. The brothers embarked for France with the Battalion on 6 June 1916. They faced their first major battle at Pozieres in august, sadly both brothers were killed together on the same day, 6th August 1916, at the ‘Windmill’, Pozieres, France. Osborne was 39 yrs of age, younger brother Walter was 31 yrs of age. Like most soldiers killed during that bombardment, the brothers had no marked grave. They are remembered together on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France, and the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, panel 145. One can only imagine the anguish felt by the boy’s mother Elizabeth, when informed of their deaths.

The Horrocks and Fisher families

Remembered forever at the Collie Cardiff RSL Sub Branch

                                                     ‘Lest we Forget’

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