AIF: 1 FAB and 2nd Battery query

[tamiwell]

Hello everyone : )

I'm trying to trace a soldiers movements.  His name was Tom Marsh Hixon (654) and he was a member of the 1st Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column.  He would have been at sea on the 25th of April 1915 and the ship had to move further out to escape the shells that day!  This is where I get a bit stumped, I have tried the AWM war diary but I'm really confused about whether they actually landed or returned and came back at a later date.  What I would love to clarify if possible is when he would have landed at Gallipoli?  All I am able to understand is that he joined the 2nd Battery on Gallipoli on the 28th of July, so he would have been on the peninsular by then.  Does anyone have any clearer information about the movements of the 1FAB Ammunition Column before July?  I haven't found much online unfortunately, thank you!

[alf mcm]

These war diaries may be of help;-

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339051

Regards,

Alf McM

[Jeff Pickerd]

 Apart from the link to the 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column war diary that Alf McM has put forward, which does give some indication to the activities of the unit prior to July 1915, there seems to be little else around. Much of the following you have probably already found yourself, but in the hope that it will make a little clarity of the units movements up to the 27th July, I submit it in that hope.

The four transport ships assigned to carry the Australian Field Artillery Brigade’s  were the A 16 “Indian”, A 17 “Atlantian”,  A 18 “Cardiganshire” & A 19 “Karroo”.   

It would appear that the 1st Australian Field artillery Brigade Ammunition Column were on board the A 16 “Indian”, which stood off Anzac Cove, close to shore on the morning of the 25th, but moved further out to sea due to Turkish artillery fire, remaining  there until the morning of the 27th. No personnel of the 1st AFA Ammunition Column were landed at Anzac Cove. After participating in the demonstration off Bulair in the Gulf of Xeros 28th/29th, sailed back to Gaba Tepe, arriving at 11 pm. 29th. Remained there until the 8th May when it sailed for Cape Helles, 18 horses, 2 Drivers, 6 Gunner’s  sent to Batteries, 1 Water Cart, 2 horses, 1 Driver attached to Bde HQ for duty. The ship remained there until returning to Gaba Tepe at 7 .30 am on the 9th. Again no other personnel from the 1st AFA Bde ammunition Column were sent ashore on Gallipoli. On the 12th May the ship sailed for Alexandria, arriving there at 3 pm. 14th May.

As you have no-doubt noticed, there is no entry for the month of July 1915 in the 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade war diary, which does make it rather difficult to work out the movements of Hixon, the date he arrived at Gallipoli, and how he got there.

 The closest I can come up with has been derived from the records of the 8th Light Horse Regiment, with the arrival of 2 officers and 70 other ranks on the 27th July. They had arrived at Lemnos on the evening of the 26th, on board the B 15 “Kingstonian”, which had sailed from Alexandria on Wednesday, 21st July, carrying reinforcements for Gallipoli. Of those on board were 6 officers and 152 other ranks for the NZ&A Div at Anzac, who arrived at Anzac Cove from the Destroyer I 65.

If Tom Hixon was on board the “Kingstonian”, as I think was most likely, he would have been shipped to Cape Helles on the 27th. I have gone through the war diaries for the 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade and the 2nd Field Artillery Battery, but the only possible reference I could find was the mention in the 2nd Battery diary of the 26th July, “reinforcements arrived”, but I think that was referring to 2nd Battery men, but it is a possibility of “Kingstonian” men arriving the night of the 26th from Lemnos.

Jeff