Gunners of Renown |
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Foreword
This site provides a selected Who’s Who of Australian Gunners of Renown. The project was initiated by Major General John Whitelaw (1921-2010) who enlisted the support of Alan Smith, a military historian, in 2003 to compile a list of about 100 gunners for inclusion in a biographical book. Each subject would have a one or two page biography. The biographies were largely completed and presented to the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC) that decided to add the work to the website, rather than publish it as a book, so that it can be amended as new information comes to hand or new entries are approved.
The criterion Whitelaw and Smith adopted was that the subject had to have acted in ‘a manner that brought lustre to the already high reputation of the Regiment’. This included superior leadership, bravery under fire, superior management of the application of fire, high quality staff work, excellence as instructors, being the first or last to achieve some facet of history, dedicated service to the Regiment, or high achievement in services beyond the Regiment or the Army.
The criteria and choice of entries is necessarily subjective and is not meant to diminish the service and contribution of those not included.
The subjects included must be deceased and approved for inclusion by the RAAHC Historical Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee welcomes corrections, additions and suggestions for improving the site and its content. Indeed, though incomplete, some entries have been included as research continues in the hope of obtaining additional information from readers.
Many entries draw heavily from the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB). Where this is the case entries provide a brief introduction to the subject and then provide a link to the relevant ADB website entry.
Preface
The first British defences of Australia came with the First Fleet in 1788. Among the 1000 people landed at Sydney Cove were 211 marines, including Lieutenant William Dawes. HMS Sirus, the flag ship of the fleet, also carried ten guns for the defence of the colony. These were soon brought ashore by Dawes and installed on the heads of Sydney Cove, firstly on Bennelong Point and later on Dawes Point to ward off any threat to the fledgling colony.
Since then, guns and the permanent, volunteer, and conscript gunners who served them have played a central role in the defence of Australia and its interests. It is therefore fitting that the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company provide a representative sample of life stories of those who served the guns both in defence of Australia and in the various overseas campaigns in which Australians have fought.
Apart from brief introductions to each chapter, this site is not intended to provide a history of those campaigns or a history of the evolution of artillery technology, artillery units, forts or formations. There are many other references covering those topics but two are a good starting point: The Gunners by David Horner and Do Unto Others by Alan Smith.
Rather, the life experiences of the people commemorated here are an example of the spirit, dedication and professionalism of all ranks who have served the guns at home and abroad.
Chronology
To assist readers interested in the official designation of gunner organisations the following chronology is provided.
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1854: |
The colonies, at various times henceforth, start to develop their own defence forces, including coast and field artillery.
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1899: |
In July, Queen Victoria approved the permanent artilleries of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria forming colonial regiments of the Royal Australian Artillery.
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1901: |
On Federation, control of the defence forces of the colonies passes to the Commonwealth.
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1902: |
The Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian Regiments of Royal Australian Artillery and the permanent artillery of South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania are amalgamated to form the Royal Australian Artillery.
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1903: |
The militia, partially-paid, and volunteer artillery of the six former colonies was reorganized as the Australian Field Artillery and the Australian Garrison Artillery.
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1910: |
The Australian Field Artillery (Permanent) was established.
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1911: |
The RAA was retitled the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery (RAGA) and the Australian Field Artillery (Permanent) became the Royal Australian Field Artillery (RAFA).
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1927: |
The RAGA and the RAFA were amalgamated as the RAA.
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1936: |
The Militia components of the field and garrison branches are designated Royal Australian Artillery (Militia) – RAA(M) - and the Royal Australian Artillery was retitled Royal Australian Artillery Regiment.
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1949: |
The Royal Australian Artillery Regiment and the Royal Australian Artillery (Militia) were amalgamated as the Royal Australian Artillery.
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1962: |
The Regiment becomes The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, of which HM Queen Elizabeth II is the Captain General. |
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Branches (or functional categories) and Units
During the above changes of designation new branches of artillery were formed the main ones being survey companies formed in 1925, anti-aircraft in 1926, and anti-tank batteries/regiments in 1940 (this branch was transferred to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in 1952). The last coast artillery units were disbanded or re-roled by 1963.
Several other branches were formed and folded into other branches over time or changed designations and within these branches a vast array of units with varying and evolving roles appeared and vanished. Some of these units are listed below.
At various times the Field Branch included light, field, medium and heavy units armed with mortars, guns and howitzers – some self-propelled. It also included supporting units like specialist observation, counter bombardment, and locating units.
Coast or Garrison Branch included coast radar units, searchlight units, and water transport and shore defence sections.
Anti-Aircraft Branch has included small arms, guns, and missiles and supporting units like observation, searchlight and radar units.
Survey Branch has included artillery survey, flash spotting, sound ranging, meteorology, calibration, and locating radar units or functions.
In 2016 the branches of artillery were: Field Artillery, Surveillance and Target Acquisition, and Ground Based Air Defence.
Basic Terminology
The principal operational field unit of artillery is a regiment (known as a brigade until 1939) commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Regiments comprise three or more batteries each commanded by a major. Batteries have comprised four to eighteen guns at various times and can operate independently if required.
In the senior ranks if an appointment is prefaced by the word commander it describes a senior officer in a command appointment. For example, Commander, Royal Artillery in a division (CRA), or Commander Corps, Royal Artillery in a corps (CCRA) command the artillery of those formations.
Artillery advisers or staff officers are indicated by rank followed by Royal Artillery. For example, Brigadier, Royal Artillery (BRA).
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The below Menu will enable you to navigate throughout the Gunners of Renown section for each period of war
Gunners of Renown |
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Chapter 1
Colonial Era |
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Introduction
For about seventy years after 1788, defence of the Australian colonies was almost solely a matter for the British government and its representatives in Australia. However, as self-government was devolved at different times to the various colonies their interest in defence was soon piqued, especially after British troops in Australia were dispatched to deal with the Maori uprisings in the 1840s, the last British troops departed in 1870, and various other European nations started to take a greater interest in collecting colonies in the Pacific.
Colonial participation in defence began in the mid-1850s with the Russian scare arising from the Crimean War and after the Gold Rush had created lucrative targets for maritime raiders in the growing colonial capitals. Although the departure of British troops was hastened by the refusal of the colonies to pay for their maintenance, increasing prosperity had provided the colonies with means to finance small contributions to their own defence. The defences comprised coast artillery, to secure the maritime approaches of the various coastal settlements, and volunteers to deal with any armed parties that might be landed.
As the range and accuracy of guns increased the guns were moved to the outer harbours and following the withdrawal of Imperial troops, small professional forces were employed to maintain them and guard against surprise attacks. These garrisons could be bolstered by volunteers when needed. The infantry and other units had time to mobilize and were therefore composed primarily of volunteers. Consequently, the first permanent units of the various colonies and then of the Commonwealth were artillery and they would continue to dominate the permanent peacetime forces until after WWII.
The first moves in the direction of continent wide defence arose when the Royal Navy switched from sail to steam and required secure refueling stations throughout its maritime domains. All the Australian colonies contributed to the cost of constructing and manning the coastal fortifications at Albany, Western Australia, and Thursday Island in Torres Strait in the early 1890s. The School of Gunnery was opened at Middle Head, Sydney Harbour, in 1886 and as the movement of trained gunners between the colonies increased, calling for some level of standardization and economy, other colonies sent students to the School rather than establish their own. The culmination of these trends was the establishment of the Royal Australian Artillery on 24 August 1899 with the colonial permanent artilleries of Queensland, NSW and Victoria becoming regiments of the RAA until Federation made this division redundant.
As well as providing for their own immediate defence and support of Royal Navy vessels operating in Australian waters, the Australian colonies also came under pressure to provide forces for Empire defence. Although reluctant to make any standing commitments, NSW provided the first contingent to Empire defence in 1885 sending an infantry battalion and a field artillery battery to the Sudan. Although the contingent arrived too late to see action, it marked the first contribution of Australian gunners to Empire defence. The same unit, ‘A’ Battery, was dispatched to South Africa in December 1899 to join British forces fighting the Boers. It served there for 18 months and has the distinction of being the oldest permanent unit of what became the Australian Army.
During the Boer War ‘A’ Battery was generally scattered in two gun sections supporting units in pursuit of elusive Boer commandos but they had a few sharp clashes. These included the last desperate effort by General De Wet to inspire an uprising in the Cape Colony. The main technical development of the Boer War was the emergence of indirect fire, a measure designed to shelter the gunners from rifle and machinegun fire while serving the guns. However, it would not become standard doctrine until WWI.
The entries in this section are representative of the emerging colonial defence forces and their contribution to the Sudan and the Boer War.
The Boer War lasted 32 months and 16 378 Australian men and 60 nurses participated of whom 600 were killed or died of wounds or illness during the war and 800 were wounded. |
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Gunners of Renown |
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Chapter 2
World War I
(1914 - 1918) |
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Introduction
With the declaration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, the military forces of the former colonies gradually came under the control of the Commonwealth government. With a population of less than 4 million people and very limited sources of taxation, as well as being wary of Empire demands, the forces of the new nation would comprise a citizen army with a small permanent cadre restricted to service in Australia. The initial cadre was less than 1500 men, most of who were ‘to look after forts, guns and armaments’ (Horner 1995, 51).
Apart from the coastal forts, the only permanent forces raised by the Commonwealth were three field batteries and it was not until compulsory military training was introduced in 1911 that the citizen forces began to expand and undertake periodic but very basic training.
Nevertheless, this mix of regular and militia gunners sufficed to man the forts around Australia and provide the cadre of the 101 officers and 2682 men who volunteered to venture overseas in 1914 with the Australian Imperial Force as the artillery of the 1st Division.
After about six months training, the 1st Division took part in the initial landings on the Gallipoli peninsula on 25 April 1915 but their inability to penetrate very far inland left little room for the deployment of artillery at Anzac Cove. Nevertheless, the number of guns crammed into the valleys and ridges was gradually increased to provide valuable and occasionally decisive support in attack and defence and against the growing number of Turkish guns. Naval gunfire support and air observation also emerged as integral elements of the team stopping the Turks from driving the Allies into the sea. The 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade also supported the British, French and Australian forces at Cape Helle for several months.
The 2nd Division had been formed during the Gallipoli campaign and when Anzac Cove was evacuated in December 1915 these two divisions had to rebuild and retrain and provide a large slice of the cadre for the new 4th and 5th Divisions and they were all moved to the Western front from March 1916 onwards. The 3rd Division was being formed in Australia and would finish its training in the UK. Being a technical arm, the artillery struggled to induct the new recruits, many of who had transferred from infantry and the light horse, but succeeded in doing so in time to support their divisions on the Western Front from June 1916 onwards although there was much still to learn at all levels of command about the application of artillery. (Note that no Australian artillery units served with the mounted troops that remained in the Middle East.)
The first Australian artillery unit on the Western front and the last to leave the line was the siege or heavy artillery made up mostly of regular gunners drawn from the coast defences once it was determined that the German Navy would pose little threat to Australian ports. However, there were only two batteries of heavies and a group headquarters. Although Australia provided its own divisional artillery the medium and heavy units needed to destroy or neutralise fortifications and enemy batteries were provided by the British. Other British divisional artilleries also supported Australian operations so there were often as many, if not more, British guns supporting AIF operations as there were Australian. Australian artillery also supported the operations of other allied forces too.
By the time the Australian divisions arrived in France the war on the Western Front had been going for nearly two years. The initial German offensive had been blunted and an outflanking race had ended in a draw with a continuous front line extending from Belgium to the Swiss border. Over the next two years both sides tried to wear down the other and achieve a decisive breakthrough.
The Australian divisions were first engaged at Fromelles in mid-1916 before moving to the Somme (Pozieres and Mouquet Farm). In early 1917 they followed the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg line and engaged in the Battles of Bullecourt that followed. The war then settled again into a siege with constant attacks and counter attacks for very little reward until the Germans broke the line in March 1918. Australian forces and others were rushed to seal the gap and succeeded in doing so after some desperate fighting, including at close quarters by the Australian artillery.
Having halted the last German offensive of the war, the allied counter-offensive commenced on 8 August 1918 with the Australia Corps playing a pivotal role. By this time the development of artillery tactics and command and control arrangements had reached its zenith. The long preparatory bombardments of the first years of the war that negated surprise and made forward movement next to impossible once initial objectives had been taken, especially in low ground and bad weather, had given way to predicted barrages and devastating counter-battery bombardments that largely nullified the German artillery.
These developments had been made possible by developments in the application of fire (moving barrages, concentrations, etc) and in accuracy thanks to developments in measuring the muzzle velocity of guns, mapping and aerial photography to fix the location of guns and targets, meteorology to allow for weather conditions, aerial observation by balloon and aircraft, sound ranging and flash spotting of enemy guns, and coordination between the artillery and infantry and tank commanders.
By the end of the war about 30 000 Australians had served in the artillery and the number of units had expanded from three embryonic field artillery brigades in 1914 to 20 in 1916. Trench mortars units were formed and anti-aircraft and anti-tank functions were also added to their responsibilities as aircraft performance improved and tanks made their appearance on the battlefield. However, other techniques, such as sound ranging and survey had remained a largely British responsibility.
The gunners included here are representatives of the various branches of artillery and their contribution to winning the artillery battle that opened the way for the final break-through that ended the war. |
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ANDERSON |
William Hopton |
Air Vice Marshal |
CBE, DFC |
1891 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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BAKER |
Thomas Charles |
Captain |
MM and Bar |
1897 - 1918 |
View Biography |
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BEAVIS |
Leslie Elliss |
Major General |
CB, CBE, DSO |
1895 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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BESSELL-BROWNE |
Alfred Joseph |
Brigadier General |
CB, CMG, DSO, VD |
1877 - 1947 |
View Biography |
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BRAGG |
William Lawrence |
Major |
CH, OBE, MC, FRS |
1890 - 1971 |
View Biography |
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BRIDGES |
William Throsby |
Major General |
KCB, CMG |
1861 - 1915 |
View Biography |
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BROWNELL |
Raymond James |
Air Commodore |
CBE, MC, MM |
1894 - 1974 |
View Biography |
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CAMPBELL |
Eric |
Lieutenant Colonel |
DSO, VD |
1893 - 1970 |
View Biography |
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CHRISTIAN |
Sydney Ernest |
Brigadier General |
CMG |
1868 - 1931 |
View Biography |
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COHEN |
Harold Edward |
Brigadier |
CMG, CBE, DSO, VD |
1881 - 1946 |
View Biography |
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COXEN |
Walter Adams |
Major General |
CB, CMG, DSO |
1870 - 1949 |
View Biography |
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DERHAM |
Francis Plumley |
Major General |
CB, DSO, VD |
1885 - 1957 |
View Biography |
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EWEN |
John Carr |
Major |
MC, DCM, MM |
1892 - 1951 |
View Biography |
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FERGUSSON |
Maurice Alfred |
Brigadier |
DSO, MC and Bar |
1895 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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HOBBS |
Joseph John Talbot |
Lieutenant General |
KCB, KCMG, VD |
1864 - 1938 |
View Biography |
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HUNT |
Bruce Atlee |
Major |
MBE |
1899 - 1964 |
View Biography |
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JAMES |
Tristram Bernard Wordsworth |
Lieutenant Colonel |
DSO |
1883 - 1939 |
View Biography |
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JOHNSTON |
George Jamieson |
Major General |
CB, CMG, CBE, VD |
1868 - 1949 |
View Biography |
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LAVARACK |
John Dudley |
Lieutenant General |
KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CMG, DSO |
1885 - 1957 |
View Biography |
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LLOYD |
Herbert William |
Major General |
CB, CMG, CVO, DSO |
1883 - 1957 |
View Biography |
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MACARTNEY |
Henry Dundas-Keith |
Lieutenant Colonel |
CMG, DSO |
1880 - 1932 |
View Biography |
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MATT |
Frank Oswald |
Corporal |
DCM |
1893 - 1916 |
View Biography |
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MATTNER |
Edward William |
Lieutenant |
MC, DCM, MM |
1893 - 1977 |
View Biography |
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MILFORD |
Edward James |
Major General |
CB, CBE, DSO |
1894 - 1972 |
View Biography |
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MONASH |
John |
Lieutenant General |
KCMG, KCB, VD |
1865 - 1931 |
View Biography |
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MORRIS |
Basil Moorehouse |
Major General |
CBE, DSO |
1888 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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RABETT |
Reginald Lee Rex |
Brigadier |
CMG |
1887 - 1961 |
View Biography |
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ROSENTHAL |
Charles |
Major General |
KCB, CMG, DSO, VD |
1875 - 1954 |
View Biography |
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SINCLAIR-BURGESS |
William Livingstone Hatchwell |
Major General |
KBE, CB, CMG, DSO |
1880 - 1964 |
View Biography |
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SMART |
Edward Kenneth |
Lieutenant General |
DSO, MC |
1891 - 1961 |
View Biography |
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STEVENSON |
George Ingram |
Brigadier |
DSO |
1882 - 1958 |
View Biography |
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THURNHILL |
Samuel Raymond |
Lieutenant |
MC |
1890 - 1916 |
View Biography |
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THOMAS |
Bartram Gordon |
Corporal |
DCM, MSM |
1896 - 1956 |
View Biography |
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WALKER |
Hurtle Frank |
Warrant Officer Class 2 |
DCM, MM and Bar |
1890 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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WATSON |
William Thornton |
Lieutenant Colonel |
DSO, MC and Bar, DCM |
1887 - 1961 |
View Biography |
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Gunners of Renown |
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Chapter 3
World War II
(1939 - 1945) |
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Introduction
When WWI ended, the immediate task of the government was to return and demobilise the AIF and resume national development only barely begun before the outbreak of the war. It also commissioned former AIF leaders to review Australia’s defence and recommend a structure for the army.
The review recommended the retention of the AIF structure manned by a compulsory militia and volunteers with a small professional cadre. Although these recommendations were accepted, economic realities soon saw the target strength of the force cut from 127 000 militia and a permanent cadre of 3500, to 31 000 and 1600 respectively. The permanent field and coast artillery was reduced from 1088 to 518 and two of the three permanent field batteries were disbanded and the remaining battery reduced to two guns.
Nevertheless, there were some small advances with the addition of medium artillery brigades, survey companies, an anti-aircraft battery, and some motorization but it was not until the threat from Japan took more concrete form with its invasion of Manchuria in 1931 that defence funding slowly increased from its much reduced ‘Depression’ levels. Most of this increase was devoted to upgrading the coast artillery and supporting forces.
Despite these stringent times a level of gunner expertise was maintained by the militia and permanent cadre that enabled the raising of the initial contingents of the 2nd AIF and the expansion of the Army as the war progressed.
When war was declared in 1939 another AIF had to be raised for overseas service with four divisions being dispatched by early 1941. The three divisions sent to the Middle East had to draw their guns from British stocks and spent 16 months in transit and training before being committed to operations. They were engaged in the initial campaigns against the Italian forces in North Africa, in the ill-fated Greek/Crete campaign, in the defence of Egypt during Rommel’s advance, and in the Syrian campaign. When Japan entered the war in December 1941, the 6th and 7th Divisions returned to Australia while the 9th Division remained until the battle of El Alamein in November 1942.
When Japan lunged south in December 1941, Australia fully mobilized eventually forming a total of 10 divisions and numerous other army and corps units, including coast batteries, anti-aircraft regiments and searchlight regiments, for the defence of Australia and its approaches and, subsequently, for the counter-offensive.
The coast defences were reinforced and their readiness increased and small garrisons, some including artillery, were dispatched to Timor, Ambon, Port Moresby, Rabaul, and other islands. When Singapore surrendered on 13 February 1942 the 8th Division and its artillery went into captivity. The Japanese quickly captured the arc of islands to the north of Australia excluding the southern half of the island of New Guinea and the first bombing raids on northern Australia started on 19 February.
When the attempt to take the remainder of New Guinea by sea was thwarted at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 and the prospect of further naval operations on this scale were ended at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, Japanese forces advanced on Port Moresby from the north coast over the rugged Owen Stanley Range. Artillery played only a minor part in the final stages of the withdrawal from Kokoda and could not support the push back across the Owen Stanleys but once allied forces were established on the north coast and earlier at Milne Bay artillery came back into play.
However, the nature of the terrain and lack of air and naval transport limited the number of guns that could be deployed and the amount of ammunition that could be supplied. Nevertheless, artillery played a crucial role in all the campaigns in the Southwest Pacific involving Australian troops from Labuan to Bougainville.
When it became clear that Japanese forces could not mount an invasion of Australia, the home defences, particularly coast and anti-aircraft defences, were manned by those too young or too old or unfit for front line service or by women and later disbanded. By war’s end it is estimated that between 120-150 000 men and women served in the artillery which included 34 field and three medium regiments, three survey and 15 anti-tank regiments, 13 anti-aircraft regiments and around 40 fixed and 19 mobile coast defence batteries, and many other units and schools (Horner 1995, 422-5).
During the war 2297 gunners were killed in action and many more wounded.
The gunners included in the following pages served in one or more of the theatres of war where Australian forces fought and some were veterans of WWI. They also represent a variety of units and forms of enlistment. |
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ARGENT |
Jack Neville Lucas |
Colonel |
OBE, OAM, ED |
1905 - 2004 |
View Biography |
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BARKER |
Lewis Ernest Stephen |
Brigadier |
CBE, DSO, MC |
1895 - 1981 |
View Biography |
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BERRYMAN |
Frank Horton |
Lieutenant General |
CB, CBE, KCVO, DSO |
1894 - 1981 |
View Biography |
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BROWN |
Allan Hooper |
Major |
OBE |
1914 - 1992 |
View Biography |
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CALLAGHAN |
Cecil Arthur |
Major General |
CB, CMG, DSO, VD |
1890 - 1967 |
View Biography |
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CAMPBELL |
Owen |
Gunner |
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1916 - 2003 |
View Biography |
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CAPE |
Timothy Frederick |
Major General |
CB, CBE, DSO |
1915 - 2003 |
View Biography |
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CHERRY |
Richard Ormond |
Colonel |
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1903 - 1995 |
View Biography |
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CLEARY |
Albert Neale |
Gunner |
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1919 - 1945 |
View Biography |
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CLELAND |
Donald Mackinnon |
Brigadier |
CBE |
1901 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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CLOWES |
Cyril Albert |
Lieutenant General |
CBE, DSO, MC |
1892 - 1960 |
View Biography |
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CREMOR |
William Edward |
Brigadier |
CBE, ED |
1897 - 1962 |
View Biography |
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CUTLER |
Arthur Roden |
Lieutenant |
VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE |
1916 - 2002 |
View Biography |
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DOBSON |
Percy Walter |
Colonel |
MC |
1892 - 1975 |
View Biography |
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DYKE |
Lewis Granville Howard |
Major General |
CBE, DSO |
1900 - 1984 |
View Biography |
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EASTICK |
Thomas Charles |
Brigadier |
KCMG, DSO, ED |
1900 - 1988 |
View Biography |
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EDWARDS |
Percy Malcolm |
Colonel |
DSO, DCM |
1875 - 1958 |
View Biography |
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FITZHARDINGE |
Roger Francis Berkeley |
Lieutenant Colonel |
ED |
1912 - 2007 |
View Biography |
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GOODWIN |
Shirley Thomas William |
Brigadier |
DSO |
1894 - 1943 |
View Biography |
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GRIMWADE |
Harold William |
Major Genereal |
CB, CBE |
1869 - 1949 |
View Biography |
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HARTNETT |
Harcourt Leonard |
Lieutenant Colonel |
MBE |
1903 - 1990 |
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HANSON |
Arthur George |
Brigadier |
DSO and Bar, ED |
1911 - 1999 |
View Biography |
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HELLSTROM |
Albert Harold |
Major General |
CBE |
1899 - 1979 |
View Biography |
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HERRING |
Edmund Francis |
Lieutenant General |
KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC |
1892 - 1982 |
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KLEIN |
Bruce Edmunds |
Brigadier |
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1900 - 1963 |
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LEWIS |
James Essington |
Major |
ED |
1911 - 1973 |
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LOVEBAND |
Howard Gordon |
Lieutenant Colonel |
MM and Bar |
1896 - 1960 |
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MACKAY |
Kenneth |
Major General |
CB, MBE |
1917 - 2004 |
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McKENZIE |
Charles Gilbert |
Warrant Officer Class One |
BEM |
1920 - 2003 |
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MORT |
Richard Selwyn |
Lieutenant Colonel |
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1906 - 2002 |
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MORTON |
Charles Robert |
Captain |
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1913 - 2003 |
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NETHERCOTE |
Claude Robert |
Lieutenant |
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1916 - 1941 |
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NOWILL |
Eric Wilson |
Lieutenant Colonel |
OBE |
1916 - 2008 |
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O'BRIEN |
John William Alexander |
Major General |
DSO, ED |
1908 - 1980 |
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ORAM |
Kenneth John |
Lieutenant Colonel |
EM |
1920 - 2009 |
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ORD |
Charles Andrew |
Lieutenant Colonel |
ORD, MBE |
1905 - 1977 |
View Biography |
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PAGAN |
John Ernest |
Brigadier |
CMG, MBE, KStJ, ED, FRGS |
1914 - 1986 |
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PARSONS |
Maxwell Charles |
Sergeant |
OAM |
1920 - 2006 |
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PEARSE |
Albert Edward |
Lieutenant |
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1912?-1996 |
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RAMSAY |
Alan Hollick |
Major General |
CB, DSO, MSM |
1895 - 1973 |
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RESUGGAN |
Francis Edward |
Lieutenant Colonel |
MBE, MSM |
1906 - 2001 |
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RICKARD |
Arthur Lancelot |
Lieutenant Colonel |
DSO, MC, ED |
1895 - 1949 |
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ROBINSON |
Jack Alfred |
Lieutenant Colonel |
EM |
1910 - 2006 |
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RODRIGUES |
Timothy Angelo |
Colonel |
MVO, MBE, MC |
1908 - 2004 |
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RYLAH |
Arthur Gordon |
Lieutenant Colonel |
KBE, MCG |
1909 - 1974 |
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SCARLETT |
Grahame Yorke Dalley |
Colonel |
MBE, ED |
1910 - 1976 |
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SEWELL |
Harry Blamyre |
Brigadier |
MC |
1896 - 1943 |
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THOMAS |
Cyril Courtis |
Brigadier |
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1911 - 1990 |
View Biography |
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TRAINOR |
Thomas Gregory |
Brigadier |
MBe |
1917 - 2004 |
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VICKERY |
Norman Alfred |
Major |
CBE, MC, ED |
1917 - 1998 |
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WARHURST |
Hubert Thomas |
Sergeant |
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1917 - 2006 |
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WHITELAW |
John Stewart |
Major General |
CB, CBE |
1894 - 1964 |
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WILSON |
Arthur Gillespie |
Major General |
CBE, DSO |
1900 - 1982 |
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WILTON |
John Gordon Noel |
General |
KBE, CB, DSO |
1910 - 1981 |
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Gunners of Renown |
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Chapter 4
Cold War
(1946 - 1991) |
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Introduction
After WWII, the government authorized the retention of the coast artillery but many batteries were mothballed and those that remained operational had bare minimum manning. Nevertheless, they continued to maintain the basic skills and conduct periodic shoots until they were finally disbanded or re-roled in 1962-63. For the first time in peacetime a permanent infantry brigade was authorized although it would not become effective before being superseded by a divisional structure in 1960. As well as the regular brigade, the Citizen Military Force (CMF) was to comprise two infantry divisions, an armoured brigade, and corps troops including the standard scale of artillery. One major change was the transfer of responsibility for anti-tank defence to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in 1952.
Although the raising of the permanent 1st Field Regiment was authorized in 1949 it was initially a composite regiment (field battery, light anti-aircraft battery, and sound-ranging troop) and its Commanding Officer doubled as the Chief Instructor of the School of Artillery.
‘A’ Battery was included in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force sent to Japan in 1946 but was not replaced when it returned in December 1948. Consequently, no artillery units were committed to the contingent sent to the Korea War although individual gunners served there in a number of other capacities. It was not until 1955, when the government contributed a battalion group to the British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve in Malaya, that a second permanent field battery was formed to accompany the battalion. In 1956, the searchlight units were disbanded followed by the heavy anti-aircraft units in 1960.
In 1959, the government switched the primary emphasis of the army from the CMF to the permanent or regular forces to support the policy of forward defence adopted earlier; abolished national service; and reduced the strength of the CMF. It also authorized a restructuring of the divisions (to be known as Pentropic Divisions) to comprise five battle groups each supported by a field regiment. As two of the five battle groups in 1st Division were to be regular army groups the 4th Field Regiment was formed at Wacol in 1960.
Meanwhile, the battalion group in Malaya undertook counter-insurgency operations until the Emergency was declared over in 1960 and also took part in operations against Indonesian forces on the peninsula and in Borneo during Confrontation 1963-66. These operations were good preparation for Australia’s major contribution of the era in Vietnam.
In 1964, the Pentropic divisional structure was scrapped and a regular army division was formed which eventually included three field regiments (including eight batteries) and divisional locating battery along with two light anti-aircraft batteries.
The scale of artillery support sent to Vietnam fluctuated with the size of the contingent but included at its peak a field regiment with two Australian and one New Zealand field batteries and a locating detachment. Medium and heavy artillery was provided by the US Army. Artillery was critical to the security and success of Australian operations against a largely elusive enemy. But when the enemy massed, artillery could play a decisive role as it did on a number of occasions most notable at the Battles of Long Tan (1966) and Coral/Balmoral (1968).
The last combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam in 1971 and Australian troops would not see action again before the Cold War ended with the breakup of the USSR in 1991.
Meanwhile, the CMF/Army Reserves rode a roller coaster through the 1950s national service scheme with full establishments led by able veterans of WWII; the shift in emphasis to the ARA; the turmoil of the Pentropic Division; the highs of a second national service scheme in the 1960s; and the post-Vietnam stasis briefly interrupted by the Afghanistan blip in the early 1980s.
The gunners included in this section are representative of those who maintained the professionalism of the artillery and transmitted its skills and ethos to future generations. |
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Introduction
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