'First to fall..' Sapper Reynolds

[tankengine888]

Hello,

I saw a photo of the 4th Battalion disembarking on Gallipoli. It stated 'At the water's edge lies an Australian engineer, Sapper R Reynolds, the first to fall during the war'

[Below a close up, and the AWM]

Now, it states R Reynolds but it is 191 Fred Reynolds of the 1st Field Company who was killed on April 25th, 1915. An AWM last post ceremony states the following.
'As they were landing, enemy fire began to hit the men in the boats. Sapper Reynolds risked his life to rescue three of these men, one at a time. He went back to the landing boat a fourth time, apparently to get back to a machine-gun, but as he reached the beach he was wounded and died. His crumpled body is visible lying on the beach in a famous photograph of Anzac Cove, taken later that day and currently held in the Memorial’s collection. He was one of the earliest casualties of the Gallipoli campaign.'

I did some more digging, and the government website has a page called 'First to Fall at ANZAC' which states that;
'Among the first to fall was Captain William Annear, 11th Battalion, of Subiaco, Western Australia. He was shot as he came up onto Plugge's Plateau after the hard climb from the beach.'

It does beg the question; who was the first (ANZAC) to fall? Anyone who could definitively answer this question is long gone, however in this modern age we can still tentatively guess. Perhaps the first man killed was infact in a boat? Perhaps Reynolds was wounded and died some hours after the landing?

Zidane

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Without wanting to trapped into what happened that morning, does it really matter?

Accounts are like bums, everyone has them.

We had a long hard discussion on MG's at the landing (there were none), but different accounts say all types of things, So be careful with what is said in accounts.

During the last 100 + years, I am sure someone has gone into this before, as all accounts and Histories mention who fell first, from their view of the field?

And as the field/Beach was long and there were many units landing, who was on first is up there?

[ufo8mydog]

I have seen this photo before. I always thought the landings started at around 4:30am whilst under heavy fire. This is in daylight? 

[aconnolly]

Agree with Steve - the first Australians killed in action was in German New Guinea in 1914 yet these brave Australians seem to go unnoticed by history.

Andrew

[WhiteStarLine]

4 hours ago, stevenbecker said:

Without wanting to trapped into what happened that morning, does it really matter?

Hi Zidane, fully agree with Steve.  It was a long beach, a lot of soldiers landed during darkness, there was no person at the time who could state with authority who was the unlucky first so what chance do we have over 100 years later?  Most accounts of the landing were written much later and some of the most evocative accounts can be found on other GWF threads, written by soldiers who weren't even there on the day.

Cheers, Bill

[tankengine888]

I think, as well, that Steve makes a fair point.

It was a run of the mill out-loud thought, and thought it could spin a yarn.

WSL also points out that the sheer scale of the landing probably wouldn't assist in finding the final answer. 

 

3 hours ago, ufo8mydog said:

I have seen this photo before. I always thought the landings started at around 4:30am whilst under heavy fire. This is in daylight? 

It was taken after the landing, when the 4th Battalion was disembarking at 8am with an Indian Mountain Battery.

Zidane.

[ufo8mydog]

44 minutes ago, tankengine888 said:

I think, as well, that Steve makes a fair point.

It was a run of the mill out-loud thought, and thought it could spin a yarn.

WSL also points out that the sheer scale of the landing probably wouldn't assist in finding the final answer. 

 

It was taken after the landing, when the 4th Battalion was disembarking at 8am with an Indian Mountain Battery.

Zidane.

That makes sense. Not the first casualty on Gallipoli then. I do recall I have seen it in books stating it was the first casualty. Maybe the first to be photographed? 

[aconnolly]

David Cameron in his book "25 April 1915; the day the ANZAC Legend was Born" pg 34 quotes a Lt. Nicholas:  "Looking down at the bottom of the sea you could see a carpet of dead men who had been shot getting out of the boats."  Cameron also notes how some wounded sank under the weight of their packs etc.as they got out of their boats.  All this is in relation to the initial boats landing at the beach.  He goes on to quote a 9th Battalion Private who also recalled men dying as the boats approached the beaches.  I think this highlights it is impossible to know who was the first Australian killed that day.  

Andrew

Edited 6 August , 2023 by aconnolly
typo corrected

[grantmal]

I always assumed the caption referred to the first Australian engineer killed in the war. As others have said, the 3rd Brigade covering force landed in the dark.

[gilly100]

And there were 1st FCE men interspersed in the landing boats amongst the infantry covering force. They too came under machine gun and rifle fire as most accounts relate.

Some poor chaps, who actually landed on 25 April, but whose service records show dates like 7 May arrival at Gallipoli, have been incorrectly labelled as untruthful. Certainly, Facey and Morris of 3rd Reos 11Bn come to mind. I agree with other sentiment however, as it would be impossible to determine the first KIA at Anzac. The Royal Navy certainly lost few at this time as well as part of the combined naval/military operation. 

Ian

[tankengine888]

Interesting about the 1st FCE..

I thought Facey was proved not to have landed on April 25th..?

[stevenbecker]

Z,

Becareful mate, as some here don't think that, and believe Facey is without fault.

Even if his records shows he didn't land that day.

Reminds me of the Jerhova's at my front door, who think the bible does not mean six days, as days in that time were measured differently?

Yes I know, how to you prove a negitive?

[tankengine888]

42 minutes ago, stevenbecker said:

Z,

Becareful mate, as some here don't think that, and believe Facey is without fault.

Even if his records shows he didn't land that day.

Reminds me of the Jerhova's at my front door, who think the bible does not mean six days, as days in that time were measured differently?

Yes I know, how to you prove a negitive?

True that

Captain Tulloch, his Reo officer was known for his advance up Baby 700.. or up the heights on April 25th, so Facey could've or possibly was there.

It's a dry topic, spoken many a time before so I'll let that one rest.

[gilly100]

23 hours ago, stevenbecker said:

Z,

Becareful mate, as some here don't think that, and believe Facey is without fault.

Even if his records shows he didn't land that day.

Reminds me of the Jerhova's at my front door, who think the bible does not mean six days, as days in that time were measured differently?

Yes I know, how to you prove a negitive?

Steve

And all the blokes officially recorded as died on 2 May 1915, who were actually killed on 25 April, as recorded by their mates who landed with them. 

Gotta believe every word and date of those records! They must be 100% accurate! Don't worry about the Jehova's.

Ian

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

Yes agreed and dates during this peroid are all blown up

Like I said finding who was killed is almost impossible, as the front was wide and many units are losing men

And can we believe what is reported by these men

You only have to read the Red Cross cards on the deaths to see they don't all agree on what is happened

So if bloggs said something and Joe blow something else, who do you believe?

And what if both are wrong?

Its a mugs game

[Jeff Pickerd]

Zidane,

As to what time, and with which Infantry unit Sapper Fred Reynolds No.191, 1st Field Company Engineers landed at Anzac Cove on the morning of the 25th April can only be speculated upon, but he does have the distinction of being the only dead body to be photographed, and identified, on the beach that morning. Of the known photographs starting with those thought to have be taken of the beach from as early as 5.30 am, up until around 10 am, none show the beach to have dead bodies, or wounded, lying about.

It is possible that he came ashore in the second wave of the landing with A Company, 10th Battalion, by the position of his body lying on the foreshore and the early Turkish rifle fire, but if not he could only have arrived on Anzac Cove from either A & B Companies of the 9th Battalion of the first wave, or A & D Companies of the 10th Battalion of the second wave. The fact that the 1st Field Company of Engineers started landing from 4.30 am in three different divisions, and each division being distributed through the various Infantry Battalions is set out in the War Dairy.

The interesting aspect of his story is the fact that someone saw him wounded and dying, and to what he was doing on the beach prior to that, a someone I have not found a name for as yet.

I would also recommend the book by Chris Roberts, “The Landing At Anzac 1915”, if you can get hold of a copy. It will give you an extremely comprehensive overview of the landing, Australian/New Zealander and Turkish.

Sapper Reynolds was later buried in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Plot 1, Row C, Grave 17.

Jeff

[grantmal]

On 21/08/2023 at 16:41, gilly100 said:

Steve

And all the blokes officially recorded as died on 2 May 1915, who were actually killed on 25 April, as recorded by their mates who landed with them. 

Gotta believe every word and date of those records! They must be 100% accurate! Don't worry about the Jehova's.

Ian

Yes, Gilly. What's frustrating is that the AWM itself won't even change the record despite being provided with proof.

Example: Donald Cadoux, 3rd Field Ambulance, killed in the boat whilst landing with his section on North Beach. His body was taken aboard the Minnewaska and a report noting his death and the wounding of 3 other 3rd Field Ambulance bearers in the same boat was received by his unit on 3 May, the date which was subsequently recorded for his death.

Despite being alerted to the correct date, with ample evidence supplied, and accepting Cadoux was killed on 25 April, the AWM has failed to correct their records.

[Jeff Pickerd]

Grant,

They are at times a fickle mob at the AWM. I have in the past managed to have them change a caption on a photograph of a group of 8th Light Horsemen which was originally described the group as 8th Light Horse men embarking for Gallipoli, when in fact they were members of the 8th Light Horse Regiments Advance Party on Town Pier, Port Melbourne, which included my Grandfather, at that time Corporal George William Fuzzard, 'D' Troop, 'A' Squadron. At the time I pointed out the group could not have been awaiting embarkation for Gallipoli as all still had their general service caps and slouch hats which had been ordered to be left behind in Egypt, with the men were issued with pith helmets. Apart from that my Grandfather had his riding crop, which now sits on top of my desk, which would not have been taken considering they were leaving their horse behind. Photograph AWM J02770.

On the hand, I and a number others have had no success in getting the AWM to change the authorship of the 8th Light Horse Regimental history to its rightful author, Major William "Lauchie" McGrath, despite the overwhelming evidence to substantiate that fact. They have stated that it cannot be changed on the grounds of it being archivally accredited to Major Tom Austin upon being forwarded by him to the AWM on the 9th October 1919. Austin was the last serving Adjutant of the 8th LH Regt and never claimed to be the author. 

[grantmal]

Thanks, Jeff. Yes, it's a frustrating business, although the AWM did add to a few captions at my instigation, although the men I identified were still labelled as 'probables.'

Great photo of your grandad and comrades, thanks for sharing.

[Fedelmar]

On 24/08/2023 at 12:13, grantmal said:

Yes, Gilly. What's frustrating is that the AWM itself won't even change the record despite being provided with proof.

Example: Donald Cadoux, 3rd Field Ambulance, killed in the boat whilst landing with his section on North Beach. His body was taken aboard the Minnewaska and a report noting his death and the wounding of 3 other 3rd Field Ambulance bearers in the same boat was received by his unit on 3 May, the date which was subsequently recorded for his death.

Despite being alerted to the correct date, with ample evidence supplied, and accepting Cadoux was killed on 25 April, the AWM has failed to correct their records.

Grant, 
will you please message me concerning this matter.
Thank you