On the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba, soil has been collected at seven sites in the Gunnedah shire.
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The collections took place on Tuesday at Curlewis War Memorial, Emerald Hill Hall, Breeza War Memorial, Mullaley War Memorial, Carroll Public School, Tambar Springs Public School and the Kelvin Hall. Soil was collected at Gunnedah Cenotaph in September.
Many of the members of the 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiments that were part of the famous charge came from the North West area of NSW.
The soil will contribute to the Anzac Memorial Centenary Project, a multi-million dollar redevelopment of NSW’s pre-eminent memorial to the contribution of NSW and Australian veterans to the First World War in Hyde Park.
At Curlewis, Michael Sparkes, Roy Stanger, Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey, Curlewis Public School student Logan West, and Brian Howes (formerly of the National Service) each contributed soil from the war memorial.
Mr Sparkes’ relative, Valentine Camps Sparkes, was in the 55th Battalion and was taken as a prisoner of war during heavy fighting at Fleurbaix, France in July 1916. He was repatriated in November 1918, coming to the Gunnedah district in the 1930s.
“I think it was very fitting that the council and government are going ahead with this because soldiers are often forgotten,” Mr Sparkes said.
“It’s a good thing for the people and the young people.”
What happened at the Battle of Beersheba?
October 31, 2017, marks 100 years since the last great cavalry in military annals – the famous charge of Beersheba by the Australia Light Horse in the Palestine desert in October 1917.
Lieutenant-General Harry Chauvel, Commander of the Desert Mounted Column, unleashed the 12th Light Horse Regiment, supported by the 4th Regiment, against entrenched Turkish positions late on the afternoon of October 31.
The 12th Light Horse lost 20 soldiers, 19 were wounded and 44 horses were killed.
Source: In the Line of Fire, Ron McLean
Gunnedah shire’s involvement
- The Martin boys, sons of Walter and Beatrice Martin of ‘Dimbroy’ Curlewis – Bert, Reg and Walter. Bert and Walter made it home, sadly Reg was mortally wounded in Belgium in October 1917.
- Henry Saunders a labourer living in Curlewis and his brother George, who saw action at Gallipoli and on the Western front. Henry was KIA at Fleurbaix, France in July 1916.
- Rex Stanger of ‘Merrewillbra’, Curlewis enlisted in June 1915 and was assigned to the 12th Light Horse Regiment that featured prominently in the famous Charge at Beersheba. He returned to Australia in 1919 and continued to farm in the Curlewis district.
- Trooper Joseph Samuel Hibbs of Curlewis of the 7th Light Horse – a 19 year old who was rather naughty on occasions, wounded, suffered illness yet was mentioned in despatches by Sir Norman Allenby.
- Bertie Hood, an Englishman who was working at Curlewis when he enlisted in the AIF in September 1915. He saw action for nearly 4 years with the 30th and 45th Battalions and went to live in Cannes, France after the war.
- The Corliss Brothers – from Milroy, Lloyd Alexander Corliss DOW in Palestine in 1917 (1st Light Horse) whilst older brother Albert (17th Battalion) was severely wounded at Bullecourt and repatriated to Australia in October 1917.
Gunnedah residents who gave service and sacrifice for our nation:
- The Douglas brothers – Gunner Howard Randolph Douglas MM; Cpl Leslie Oliver Douglas MM; Pte Herbert Charles Douglas. Leslie and Herbert took part in the landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 with Herbert invalided home after being severely wounded at Lone Pine in August 1915.
- And others whose descendants/relatives call Gunnedah home:
- Valentine Camps Sparkes of the 55th Battalion who was taken prisoner of war during heavy fighting at Fleurbaix, France in July 1916. He was repatriated in November 1918, coming to the Gunnedah district in the 1930s.
- Cpl Howard Milton Pope of the 27th Battalion was one of the last surviving Australian WW1 veterans who died in 1999 at the age of 101.
Rex Leslie Stanger
Leslie Rex Stanger was born at Bathurst on June 19, 1893, and his family came to the Curlewis district in 1902 to take up the property “Merrewillbra”.
Leslie, better known at Rex, was 22 years of age when he enlisted in late June 2015, and with a background in farming and horses, he was placed in the 12th Light Horse as a re-inforcement, serving in Egypt and Palestine.
He served four years and nines days in the Australian Imperial Force; three years and 208 days of this time was spent overseas.
Late in the war, Rex was hospitalised with malaria and discharged on medical grounds. He returned to Australia in early 1919 and continued farming in Curlewis.
Source: In the Line of Fire, Ron McLean
