tom compton Posted 30 April , 2008 Share Posted 30 April , 2008 hello pals.I am looking for information photos etc of the Australian stay in worgret army camp near wareham dorset . I read somewhere that wounded Australian soldiers when fit were sent back to the front from worgret camp. thanks tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frev Posted 5 May , 2008 Share Posted 5 May , 2008 Hi Tom Hopefully, this will work - including photo - but if not, it's available on the AWM Collections website: ID Number: P04106.003 Maker: Unknown Place made: United Kingdom: England Date made: March 1917 Physical description: Black & white Summary: Group portrait of members of Hut F2, Worgret Camp, Dorsetshire, England. Known to be amongst the group but exact positions unknown are: H Holden; A Anderson; 190 Private (Pte) Septimus Clive Fishwick; F Meredith; Pte Smith; M Jackson, (probably 2192 Pte Mars Jackson, 24th Battalion of Brighton, Vic); B Collis; Pte Crane; Pte Stewart. Pte Fishwick, 24th Battalion, a turner of Ballarat, Vic, enlisted on 15 March 1915 and embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Euripides on 10 May 1915. Having previously served with the 18th AASC he was soon promoted to corporal. He was killed in France on 1 September 1918 aged 24 years. Credit line: Donor L James Copyright: clear Related conflict: First World War, 1914-1918 Hmmm..........no photo..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frev Posted 5 May , 2008 Share Posted 5 May , 2008 Hey presto....photo.... see above for details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 5 May , 2008 Share Posted 5 May , 2008 Heres one from my own collection. I have used it on the forum before "MO" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 5 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 5 May , 2008 Thanks frev and mo,Some of the soldiers have walking stick so it looks like they are recovering from wounds.I never knew that the australians were at worgret till a few weeks ago. Are there any photos of the worgret camp or wareham on the AWM collection website .tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frev Posted 6 May , 2008 Share Posted 6 May , 2008 Tom - they have a photo in their collection of a "View from Worgret Hill towards the timber buildings of Wareham Camp." (AO3246) - but sadly it hasn't yet been digitized to be viewed on-line. Cheers, Frev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 6 May , 2008 Share Posted 6 May , 2008 Sadly there is nothing left to see in that area today. my wife and I have been past there a few times. I believe that what was the site of the old camp became the local hospital. I think even that has gone now and a housing estate stands there now. There has been a by-pass put around the town too. many years ago I asked the local history museum if they had anything in relation to the camp ? but no they did not. Of course many men still lie in the cemetery in Wareham and its worth a visit if your in the area. "MO" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie Posted 6 May , 2008 Share Posted 6 May , 2008 Hope this works. http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/histories/4/chapters/06.pdf pges 170-171 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 7 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 7 May , 2008 Thanks frev and ozzie.Worgret hill is a new one to me i cant find it on the map . Mo i also had a drive around worgret and wareham in 2001 .I did not find much local interest about the camp which is a same, nobody could tell where the site was for a start.But i think it ran from the roudabout roughly up to the railway bridge.on the north side of the worgret road,officers on the south side .My granddad was in the 6th dorset based at worgret camp so i am always interested in any photos of the camp or wareham .Any information on the 6th dorsets would be most wellcome .thanks again tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 9 May , 2008 Share Posted 9 May , 2008 I'm afraid this a fairly useless post, but there was a card of Worgret Camp for sale at the big Woking Postcard fair today. I did think of buying it to post here, but it was so poor - a road in the foreground and some blurred huts in what may have been a mist in the background. Had it shown a Wiltshire camp, such was the quality that I wouldn't have bought it for my own collection. There was also a card captioned "Weymouth Camp from Worgret Hill". Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 9 May , 2008 Share Posted 9 May , 2008 NOW ! he tells us . No seriously , some cards are just not worth buying if poor quality. HowareyoudoingTerry ? "MO" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 11 May , 2008 Share Posted 11 May , 2008 Another inconsequential post, I'm afraid, but So Far From Home (Patrick Wilson, editor, Kangaroo Press 2002) briefly mentions a couple of trips to the AIF camp at Weymouth by Sergeant Eric Evans (on whose diaries the book is based). He notes that the beach there was littered with the bodies of soldiers and women (and it's quite a large beach). Evans seems to have been quite a reserved sort of guy, and he's very critical of the behaviour of some of his fellow Australians, including NCOs and of the goings-on between soldiers and local girls. This apart, I've come across very few references in books to time spent by Australian soldiers in the Weymouth area. (I came across the book in Didcot Library last Wednesday and was delighted to come across several sections, totalling 30 pages, about the Wiltshire AIF camps. It's very good about the anticipation of the announcement of the Armistice and the disorderly celebrations that took place around November 11, 1918.) Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenbecker Posted 12 May , 2008 Share Posted 12 May , 2008 Mate, As to your coment that some of these men had canes so they maybe recovering from wounds. You will notice that the canes are held by the officers and a Wo2 (CSM?) these were for show not due to wounds. Cheers S.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 14 May , 2008 Share Posted 14 May , 2008 See here for a postcard of Weymouth with a poor Worgret Camp postmark; it's offered on the latest list - just published on the web - of an UK dealer. Note that the link is to a PDF document, which can take a while to load; the Worgret item is Number 85. Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PCW Posted 22 May , 2008 Share Posted 22 May , 2008 I've just located a family photograph (postcard style) that was sent the family for christmas 1916 and the following was pencilled on the back. A merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. P.E.(Percy Eggleston)Wounded 5th August 1916 in my second charge Somme Battle Address: RegNo 3093, Pte Percy Eggleston, 28th Battalion, No1 Company, Worgret Camp, Wareham (note: Wareham is indistinct but enough letters suggest it was this name) Percy enlisted in Perth Western Australia in 1915 and RTA 1919 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 22 May , 2008 Share Posted 22 May , 2008 Thanks for that PCW and welcome ! That,s a nice picture . Its unusual for the fact that he is wearing a British style cap with Large badge. The Australian version of this cap tended to have a leather edge to the brim (which I cant see in your photo) and seems mostly to have been worn with the smaller collar size "Rising sun" badge . "MO" P.s Actually , looking at the photo again I beleive he has a British tunic on too ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest russ newton Posted 7 August , 2008 Share Posted 7 August , 2008 Thanks for that PCW and welcome ! That,s a nice picture . Its unusual for the fact that he is wearing a British style cap with Large badge. The Australian version of this cap tended to have a leather edge to the brim (which I cant see in your photo) and seems mostly to have been worn with the smaller collar size "Rising sun" badge . "MO" P.s Actually , looking at the photo again I beleive he has a British tunic on too ? I am a first time user, so not sure if have entered this correctly. I have letters from my uncle while recuperating at Worgret camp in 1917. He reports helping to put down a riot by about 1000 Anzacs. Sounds pretty vicious. If there is any interest, there are quite a few letters written from the camp - and I can with some help, post the interesting parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 4 September , 2008 Share Posted 4 September , 2008 I've just had a look at the 1919 OS 1" for Bournemouth and Purbeck and there is no sign of the camp. Temporary buildings were, perhaps, not included. There are two photos of the wooden-hutted camp in G Forty, Bovington Tanks. Hope this helps. With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 4 September , 2008 Share Posted 4 September , 2008 I have photos of the thirteen Australian war graves in Wareham cemetery. Here is the plot: David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 4 September , 2008 Author Share Posted 4 September , 2008 Hello dave we meet again. Do you live in wareham, any 6th dorset graves in the cemetery . " Be i dorset".Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 5 September , 2008 Share Posted 5 September , 2008 Thanks for posting that photo David. Wareham looks to be kept immaculately. Regards Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 5 September , 2008 Share Posted 5 September , 2008 Tom, There are no Dorsets in Wareham cemetery but there are thirteen Australians. Here is the full list of units in the cemetery: Army Service Corps (1) Australian (13) (3rd, 7th, 9th, 13th (2), 43rd, 44th, 46th (2), 55th, 57th, 61st, 7 Aus M G Co) Devonshire (2) Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry (5) East Lancashire (1) Hampshire (1) Machine Gun Corps (1) Middlesex (attd Tank Corps) (1) Royal Army Medical Corps (2) Royal Engineers (1) Royal Lancaster (2) Royal Navy (2) Royal Warwickshire (1) Somerset Light Infantry (7) Tank Corps (3) West Yorkshire (1) Worcestershire (4) Yorkshire (1) Plaque to Kilcoursie Courtnay, Dorsetshire Regt., inside church. Hope this is of interest. With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 5 September , 2008 Author Share Posted 5 September , 2008 Hello dave .Is the west yorkshire Sergeant Stevens?. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 5 September , 2008 Share Posted 5 September , 2008 Hi Tom, Serjeant Stevens it is! With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 5 September , 2008 Author Share Posted 5 September , 2008 Thanks very much for that dave .I think my granddad was in the 6th dorset band that took part in the funeral procession through wareham in 1915 for sergeant Stevens .It was a combined band of the west yorks and 6th dorsets .Do you know of any photos of that day.Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now