Lt-Col Clarkes Batman?

[tankengine888]

Hello!

I've heard the story over and over of the man who probably shouldn't have been on Gallipoli, yet landed on April 25th and led his men until his ultimate demise.

Lieutenant Colonel Lancelot Fox Clarke of the 12th Battalion was said to have been killed by a snipers bullet around 6:30am on April 25th, some 2 hours after the initial landing of the 3rd Brigade. Multiple sources state that he was killed alongside his batman, yet I have not found a name for this batman. Around 75 12th Battalion soldiers were killed on April 25th, however there's a slim chance either way to find out.

Anyone have any idea who Colonel Clarke's batman was?

Zidane.

[stevenbecker]

Yes all it said that after he was killed, the batman ran over to him, only to be picked off by the same sniper.

The embark roll for the 12Bn is out there, check its HQ Company, which seams to show Tassie man like Lance Clarke.

I would start at the 91st Inf Regt, as thats Clarks old Unit, and he may have brought some one with him, when the 12Bn was formed.

Names like Gilbert Blong or Horrie Dennis look possible as Batman, but also check names drawn from civil trades that involved groom, or such jobs.

Away way its a starting point

Bon chance

[corisande]

5 hours ago, tankengine888 said:

Around 75 12th Battalion soldiers were killed on April 25th, however there's a slim chance either way to find out.

Geoffs Search Engine gives you the names of the 72 killed that day

[tankengine888]

5 minutes ago, corisande said:

Geoffs Search Engine gives you the names of the 72 killed that day

Keyword: About

Jokes aside, in all seriousness, it was in the 70s number of casualties I'd imagine.. my figure of 75 came from the Virtual War Memorial Australia [see link here.. which is now 76 somehow.]

Zidane.

3 hours ago, stevenbecker said:

 

Oh, and thanks Steve!

Would a Battalion/Regiment Commander's Batman be assigned to HQ Company normally?

Edited 17 August , 2023 by tankengine888

[stevenbecker]

Yes he would as its what we in the Cavalry call RHQ

The Bn HQ Company

But weather the embark rolls BH HQ Co, and the Bn HQ Co, at the landing was the same in April 1915 can only be checked.

The Light Horse shows its batman/Grooms in the soldiers personal file for the most part, I am unsure what they do in the Infantry?

Have you checked the Unit war dairy as sometimes there mentioned in there (at lest in the LH)

Have fun 

PS,

I did think someone with a low number may be HQ Co but I was wrong

Three men show below 100

Tasman Jarvis 79 was in ACo when killed

HC Harrison  48 was MG Sect

CKJ Rooke 64 was alo ACo shown shot by sniper

more to check

 

Edited 17 August , 2023 by stevenbecker

[tankengine888]

19 minutes ago, stevenbecker said:

Have you checked the Unit war dairy as sometimes there mentioned in there (at lest in the LH)

I haven't checked the war diary yet.. most Australian War Diaries predating Gallipoli are quite, if not very bland. 

For the 12th Battalion WD between August 1914 and March 1915, there are only 6 pages; For April 1915 there is a few pages yet not worth a dime in hell.

Zidane

Edited 17 August , 2023 by tankengine888

[stevenbecker]

Yes sorry I did check but found no joy there.

As above I started to look at each soldier killed but I don't have a list of the embark rolls for the HQ Co 12Bn

Just found one

Embarkations:

1. From Hobart, Tasmania on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 20 October 1914

41	AYLETT, Claude	Waratah, Tasmania
23	BARNARD, Arthur Victor	Sorell, Tasmania
24	BEECROFT, William Robert	23 Foster Street, Launceston, Tasmania
11	BLONG, Gilbert Adrian	Zeehan, Tasmania
524	BLYTH, William Oscar	West Devonport, Tasmania
39	BRADLEY, Ernest James	No 1 Toplas Street, Zeehan, Tasmania
40	BRILL, Leslie William	Craigie via Bombala, New South Wales
21	CASEY, Harry Charles	83 Cimitiere Street, Launceston, Tasmania
401	CHEESEMAN, Henry Thomas	51 Darcy Street, Hobart, Tasmania
	CLARKE, Lancelot Fox	Victoria Parade, Devonport West, Tasmania
7	DAND, Charles	New Norfolk, Tasmania
12	DENNIS, Horace Rudolph	Beaconsfield, Tasmania
10	ELLISS, Baizel Dudley	Kensington, Glenorchy, Tasmania
400	EVANS, Thomas Alexander	Bothwell, Tasmania
	FETHERS, Noel Denton	Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria
13	FITZGIBBONS, John	Hunter Street, Newcastle, New South Wales
313	FULLWOOD, Albert	c/o Mrs G Pitt, Cressy
26	GARDAM, Vernon Roy	Ulverstone, Tasmania
403	GILLARD, Hedley	Elizabeth Town, Northwest Coast, Tasmania
	HANKIN, Thomas Henry
	HAWLEY, Sidney	Ridgeside, Evandale, Tasmania
36	HOLDER, Gordon Roy	78 Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania
	HOUGHTON, Sydney Robert	32 Mulgrave Street, Launceston, Tasmania
42	HYNDS, Edward	Devonport West, Tasmania
14	JACKSON, James Ernest	Merton, Glenorchy, Tasmania
35	JAMES, Samuel Thomas	Scottsdale, Tasmania
4	JERRETT, Reginald	Tyrendarra near Portland, Victoria
22	JOHNSON, Vere Devery	Derby, Tasmania
1	KENNEDY, William	Anglesea Barracks, Hobart, Tasmania
37	LAYCOCK, Joseph Harold	Upper Rooke Street, Devonport West, Tasmania
5	LYNE, Claude Hume	Fingal, Tasmania
30	MARRINER, Leonard Wanch	16 Batten Street, Launceston, Tasmania
29	MATHERS, Alexander Patterson	Zeehan, Tasmania
17	MITCHELL, Bernard Wilson	120 Elizabeth Street, Launceston, Tasmania
257	MOAR, William Douglas	Longford, Tasmania
	MULLEN, Leslie Miltiades
399	MURPHY, Hubert Stanley	Morton House Charles Street, Launceston, Tasmania
2	NEWLAND, James Ernest	Hazeldene, Sheffield, Tasmania
20	NORBURY, Frank Norman
	NORTHCOTT, John	Anglesea Barracks, Hobart, Tasmania
31	OLOUGHLIN, John Joseph	Zeehan, Tasmania
	RATTEN, Victor Richard	Sheffield, Tasmania
	RICHARD, The Ven Archdeacon Robert Henry	c/o Diocesan Depot, Hobart, Tasmania
27	RUSSELL, Miles	Perth, Tasmania
28	SHADWICK, Oscar Stanley	Glenelg, Gretna, Tasmania
15	SHARP, Frederick Henry	Scottsdale, Tasmania
8	SMITH, Walter John	Henty Street, Launceston, Tasmania
16	STEPHENS, Robert	Chaucer Road, Napier, New Zealand
19	TAYLOR, John Royle
25	TEGG, Clarence Sandford	Trevallyn, Launceston, Tasmania
402	WALFORD, James Wilmot	Swansea, Tasmania
32	WAXMAN, Robert Hugh	Queenstown, Tasmania
6	WILMOTT, William Frederick	216 Charles Street, Launceston, Tasmania
38	WOODWORTH, Harry James	167 Brisbane Street, Launceston, Tasmania
9	YANNER, Thomas Sylvester	c/o Mrs I Love, Queenstown, Tasmania lets go throw and see who was killed?

Edited 17 August , 2023 by stevenbecker

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

The only name that shows killed that day and in HQ Co is

Moar William Douglas 257

But is he the batman?

needs more to check

On checking Red cross files show he was in BCo?

But he also shows being on the HMS Ripple, which carried ACo and BHQ?

the Red Cross file also shows a coment by Pte Barry 478

That he was killed about 100 yards from LtCol Clarke by a sniper?

 

Edited 17 August , 2023 by stevenbecker

[tankengine888]

Good work Steve! I'm currently searching through the list of names for the 12th Battalion who were killed on April 25th.. I also had a brainwave - If he was killed next to Colonel Clarke, then wouldn't he have been buried with Clarke at Beach Cemetery [or atleast identified and buried]?

[Paterg]

Hello, Gilbert Adrian Blong (Zeehan) was mentioned as a possible casualty above : however he did survive Anzac day and went on to become my grandfather. His letter back to his parents, below:

"We left Lemnos on April 24, and went to Kavalla, a point S.E. of Embros, and went aboard a destroyer, and made for Gaba Tepe at midnight ; we steamed very slowly across so as not to give the game away, or attract attention. We reached there at 4 am on the 25^th and then the fun begun. The boats which had been towed behind came alongside, and we got in them ; the navy picket boats towed us ashore. The Turks were all the time firing upon us both with rifles and machine guns. They gave us a pretty rough time, the boats would not run up on the shore very far, so we had to jump into the water, up to our chests in most cases, my first attempt to get over I fell into the bottom of the boat. I heard some one say, "Hello, Blong's got one." I got up and had another try, and the water was over my head. I held on to the gunwale of the boat, until I touched the bottom, and then made for the shore as fast as I could. I fell over once or twice, tripped on the stones, but I don't remember whether the water felt cold or hot; when ashore I could hardly walk with the weight of water in my clothes and equipment; then I got under cover for a few seconds threw off my pack, our chaps charged as soon as they got ashore straight up a great steep hill, the Turks went for their lives, but left a number of snipers behind in good, concealed positions, who were a great nuisance, and did a lot of damage; we had a very had days fight; when we got the Turks back a bit, we formed a signal station, and we had a long message to send to Brigade H.Q. I was sending, the Turks must have seen us, because they started sniping, but we were lucky to escape; they then gave us some shrapnel, which forced us to move, for it has a very playful way of hitting one. Sergeant Major Jerrett was wounded very badly on the Wednesday, and died in hospital. Bob Stephens our corp. (that fine fellow I told you about) was killed, poor chap; he was a real wonder; he did some marvellous work, and is to be mentioned in despatches, I think. Teddy Holtum was wounded on the first day; he was with the sergeant-major. There were about eight of our signal corps wounded. We are having a really good time now; got them bluffed. It is great to see the airships flying over the enemy's line, the Turks firing shrapnel at them; but they still fly on untouched; they waste a lot of ammunition in this way; their losses have been very great by our rifle fire and artillery; the navy have been a great help to us. I don't know what we should have done without their big guns. On the first Tuesday the enemy tried to turn our left flank they came over in great masses, thinking they would push us back, but they made a very great mistake, the navy opened fire on them, and every shot that lobbed we would see bodies, legs and arms flying in all directions and the machine guns cut them to pieces. I think their losses are estimated at about 50 000. The navy think there is nothing like the 3rd Brigade, for the way they landed, and the way they did on that day, a day I shall never forget."