Lemnos Heroes - Lakes Entrance's Private William Cleave Carstairs

Grave of Private William Cleave Carstairs, Portianos Military Cemetery. Photograph Jim Claven 2012

William Carstairs was a 22 year old labourer from Cunninghame, Lakes Entrance, Victoria, when he enlisted in the AIF on the 10th December 1914 at the recruitment centre at Bairnsdale in Gippsland.  He was enlisted into the 4th Reinforcements of the 8th Battalion. William would have stood out amongst his fellow recruits, standing as he did at over 6 feet tall.
The 8th Battalion was one of the first Battalions raised by the AIF during the First World War. Recruited from rural Victoria, along with other Victorian battalions (the 5th, 6th and 7th) it formed the 2nd Brigade. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William Bolton and embarked for overseas October 1914.
After training in Egypt, the 8th Battalion took part in the landing at anzac on the 25th April as part of the second wave. Ten days later, the Battalion was transferred to Cape Helles to take part in the attack on Krithia, losing a third of its strength in the attack.
The Battalion returned to Anzac Cove to help defend the beachhead. William was one of the reinforcements to the 8th Battalion at Anzac on 26th May 1915.
The unhealthy conditions on the peninsula began to take their toll on William. On 4th June 1915 he was reported sick with "cough and pains" and was evacuated to Egypt aboard the Hospital Ship Clacton. He arrived at Alexandria and was transferred to the British Convalescent Camp at nearby Mustapha. He was diagnosed as suffering from influenza. 

British Convalescent Camp, Mustapha, Alexandria, Egypt. AWM image.

William returned to his unit at the Gallipoli peninsula on 27th June 1915. He then served for next few months, taking part in some of the major engagements of the Anzac campaign there. While William was with the 8th Battalion at Anzac it took part in the August Offensive at Lone Pine. They were positioned along Second Ridge at Courtney's Post, between Quinns and Steele's Posts. The were involved in providing covering support for the attacks on Johnston's Jolly and the German Officers Trench

Camp area on the steep hillside held by the 8th Battalion from June to July 1915, Steele's Post, Anzac Area. William would have served here. AWM image P01580.015

The poor conditions on the peninsula, which resulted in thousands of the Anzacs being brought down with dysentery due to the unsanitary conditions, now brought down young William.
On 16th September 1915 he was reported sick and transferred from the peninsula to the Australian hospitals at Lemnos. By the 24th September he was reported to be "dangerously ill". After suffering for three weeks, Williams succumbed on 18th October to the effects of dysentery while being cared for by the Austrlaian nurses at the 3rd Australian General Hospital.

Tent lines of the 3rd Australian General Hospital where William was treated, Turks Head Peninsula, Lemnos, 1915. AWM image J01438

He was buried in Plot 4, Row A, Grave 181, at Portianos Military Cemetery on 18th October 1915, with Chaplain J.A. Kuhnig officiating.

Two AIF Army chaplains on Lemnos. AWM image J01407

Through the correspondence contained in William's service records and the Red Cross file, the anguish of his parents - especially his mother Alice - back in Lakes Entrance, is revealed as they sought to find out more about their sons death and their desire to have his personal effects returned to them. This must have been the experience of many thousands of Australian families as they faced the reality of the future without the return of their loved ones.
The surviving members of William's unit would follow him to Lemnos in December 1915 as the peninsula was evacuated. It is touching to think that some of his comrades may have visited his grave at the nearby Portianos Military Cemetery. Portianou (as it is now called) lies on a few kilometers from the main Anzac Rest Camp at Sarpi.

A group of officers from William's 8th Battalion on Lemnos, December 1915. AWM image C01197

For Jan Davis.

Time to Reflect on the Armistice of Mudros - Ballarat Courier

The grave stone of Corporal Charles E Gunn from Ballarat. Photograph Jim Claven 2013

Ballarat's daily newspaper, the Courier, last weekend published a major three page spread on the Ballarat connection to Lemnos and Gallipoli, and the story of the Armistice of Mudros.
One of Ballarat's Anzac's who remains on Lemnos, buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery, with his fellow Anzac's is Corporal Charles Gunn. He was 22 year old carpenter from Sebastopol, near Ballarat, who enlisted on 7th January 1915 into D Company, 21st AIF Battalion. He never made it to Gallipoli because he was one of the forty who died due to the torpedoing of his transport ship, the HMT Southland, on 2nd September 1915 by the German submarine UB-14, 30 nautical miles from Lemnos.
Since the articles have been published, many Ballarat readers have contacted Jim Claven with local stories and connections - including the relatives of Charles Gunn.
Read the articles from the Courier by clicking on the links below:
A Tale of Brave Australians - Ballarat Courier - 9 Nov 2013
Time to Reflect on the Armistice of Mudros pg1 - Ballarat Courier - 9 November 2013
Time to Reflect on the Armistice of Mudros pg2 - Ballarat Courier - 9 November 2013
Thanks to the Courier for publishing these stories.

First World War - Share Your UK Stories - Lemnos

One of the UK's leading daily newspapers, The Guardian, has launched a drive for readers to contribute their personal family stories of the First World War.
One of those highlighted is from Lemnos:
A contributor sent in the above image, saying that their great-uncle Tom Squire was on Lemnos after evacuation from Gallipoli. The photo represents the whole of D Squadron, City of London Yeomanry or all that was left of 160 men after action on the peninsula. Sergeant Squire died near Ramallah in November 1917 during the Palestine campaign.
Click below to see The Guardian's WW1 page:
The Guardian UK - First World War - Share Your Stories
Great initiative by The Guardian - similar to Monash University's 100 stories project.

Voyage to Gallipoli - New Book

This new book by maritime historian, Peter Plowman, tells the story of how Australia transported its troops and nurses to Lemnos and Gallipoli in WW1.
At the commencement of World War I in 1914, Australia had only been a nation for 13 years and the RAN was only three years old (NZ had been a dominion for 7 years and had no independent navy). Transporting the Anzacs to war was a massive undertaking. This book tells the story of the planning stages and the requisition of ships through to the Gallipoli landing of 25 April 1915.
The book tells of the mobilization of troops and sailors, requisition and refitting of ships, the convoys and number of voyages, various changes of plan and destination, and the assistance offered by ships of allied navies. Drawing on newspaper accounts, diaries and memoirs of sailors and soldiers involved, the book describes conditions on board - training, sport, exercise, living and eating conditions, hygiene, medical examinations and supervision, even 'crossing the line' festivities; also conditions for horses - and details of convoy formation. By the time of the blooding of ANZAC forces at Gallipoli, the force had been moulded very much 'on board' and 'in transit'. Two appendices give details of all the transport ships involved.At the commencement of World War I in 1914
This book is available from good bookshops and on-line.

Jack's Journey - Kit Cullen's new book

Australian author Kit Cullen has written a great new book about some of our unheralded Anzacs and a forgotten engagement at Gallipoli. He was interviewed on the ABC 774 last week. One of the main Anzac's featured in the book is Jack Collyer of the 4th Battalion. The book re-counts his time on Lemnos and his ultimate burial at sea following his wounding in the bloody battle at Death Trap Valley in May 1915.
Here's a summary of the book from the ABC Shop website:
The moving and extraordinary story of an unheralded and virtually unknown Anzac action that occurred in Death Trap Valley on May 1st and 2nd 1915 during the period of the landing at Gallipoli and how the truth of what happened was corrupted by a noted historian.
Jack's Journey is the moving and extraordinary story of an unknown ANZAC action at Gallipoli during the period of the Landing on 1 and 2 May, 1915. Kit Cullen began tracing Jack Collyer's story using his three diaries and his service record. The diaries cover the voyage from Australia to training in Egypt and Lemnos and, finally, landing at Anzac. Unfortunately, the last diary ended as Jack entered the firing line on Bolton's Ridge at dusk on 25 April. He was wounded a week later. Where was Jack and what was he doing when he was wounded?
What Kit discovered over ten years of painstaking research is extraordinary. On 1 May Jack and about fifty other members of No. 15 Platoon 4th Battalion were ordered to go to the aid of about 60 Royal Marines who had been trapped for two and a half days in an isolated trench. The Marines were running out of ammunition and water and needed support. Before dawn Jack and his mates entered the valley, which they christened Death Trap Valley, before dawn and positioned themselves in Loutit's Post overlooking the Marines for most of the day under heavy enemy fire. The 4th Battalion's rescue mission was undertaken at the height of the third Turkish counter attack. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the ANZACs were ordered to resupply the Marines with ammunition and water and to reinforce their line. To do so meant running the gauntlet of the death trap - an exposed fifty metre long track, marked by the Turks as a killing ground. As the platoon braved the death trap, one by one, most of them were killed or wounded, including Jack.
Snowy Robson carried ammunition and water to the beleaguered garrison without being hit. An hour later he also guided and took charge of No.3 Platoon 4th Battalion which was ordered into the valley to reinforce the isolated trench. In all, Snowy diced the death trap six times - five in daylight - without being hit. The position and the Marines were saved.
Five Allied gallantry medals were awarded for the action, including the first Victoria Cross at Anzac. Walter Parker, a Royal Marine stretcher bearer, was the recipient. Snowy Robson was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his feats.
The other extraordinary aspect of the 4th Battalion's participation in the action was the corruption of the historical record by Charles Bean. Bean omitted any reference to the 4th Battalion in his telling of the story in the Official History, despite knowing what happened. Instead, he gave the credit for saving the Marines to his brother's unit, the 3rd Battalion, which played a part on 2 May in relieving the Marines and the remnants of the two 4th Battalion parties. Bean misused a letter from the Royal Marine hierarchy specifically praising the 4th Battalion's sacrifice and courage, claiming its sentiments for the 3rd Battalion. The tragic heroism of Jack and his mates, and Bean's historiographical skulduggery would have remained hidden if Kit Cullen hadn't stumbled on them in the course of his research.
A review of the book is contained at the following link - Historian Charles Bean "distorted" Gallipoli story to credit brother - The Australian, 14 September 2013
To buy the book, click on the following link - Kit Cullen's Jack's Journey

Anzac Memories - Living with the Legend - Revisited - ABC Interview with Monash Uni Historian Alistair Thomson

Anzac Fred Farrall - one of the subjects of Alistair Thomson's book.

ABC Radio National broadcast a very interesting interview with Monash University historian Alistair Thomson on the release of the updated version of his great book Anzac Memories - Living with the Legend, originally published on 1994. It is a great interview and shows how research into the history of Anzac is continuing and being enriched by historians such as Alistair. Enjoy.
He will launch his book at Readings Bookshop in Kew at 6.30 on 11 November - For details click the following -  Kew Launch

Here's the intro for the interview from the ABC:
In the early 1980s, the historian Alistair Thomson began recording the oral histories of veterans of the First World War, with particular focus on how these men remembered their wartime experience.  These interviews formed the basis for the book ‘Anzac Memories –Living with the Legend', published in 1994.
Thirty years after it's first publication Alistair Thomson decided to return to this history. The three key veterans with whom he'd recorded oral histories, and written about in his book, were no longer alive, but, in recent years, a new source of information had become available to researchers and historians of war - the records of the Repatriation Department (now known as The Department of Veterans Affairs). The 'Repat' was responsible for the medical assessment and care of veterans, as well as for the provision of pensions. These case files offer new ways of understanding the post war lives of soldiers, and how these men, and often their families, tried to make sense of the legacies of their war time experience. The 'Repat' files also offer rich insights into the history of medicine, psychology and the treatment of mental illness, and reveal the shifts and changes in the way the state responded to veterans of war.
An updated edition of 'Anzac Memories' has just been released, and in this interview Alistair Thomson discusses the findings of his research into the Repatriation Department case files of one of the veterans he recorded and wrote about in the first edition of the book, the late Fred Farrall.
His book is published by Monash University Press and available in most good bookshops. You can find out more about the book by clicking this link.
Click on the link below to listen to the interview:
Anzac Memories Interview - ABC Radio National

President Lee Tarlamis' Interview on 3XY

Many of you will know that Lee was recently interviewed on Melbourne's Greek community radio, 3XY, promoting our Lemnos Memorial sculpture project.

For those who missed it, click on the link below to download and listen to the interview.

Lee Tarlamis' 3XY Interview
Well done Lee and thanks to 3XY.