George Seers, 1916. Image courtesy Discovering Anzacs https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/309846

As the people of Orange took to the streets on 11 November 1918 to rejoice in the news that Germany had surrendered and the Great War was over, the Reverend Canon Taylor of Holy Trinity Church made his way to McLachlan Street to deliver the heart-rending news to Thomas and Alice Seers that their son George had been killed in action six months earlier.

George Edward John Seers was one of fifteen men captured at Dernancourt on the Western Front in April 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. It was assumed that George was being held as a prisoner of war in Germany, but following an exhaustive search, the AIF declared, on 6 November 1918, that George had, in fact, been killed in action on 5 April 1918.

Born in Orange on 20 April 1891, George was the second of eight children of Thomas and Alice Seers. Orange historian William (Bill) Folster called Thomas “a pioneer roadmaker of the early days [of Orange]” who maintained the Great Western Road between Lucknow and Orange. He later worked as a labourer and foreman of works for East Orange Council.

Young George was educated at Orange Superior Public School. As a youth he volunteered with the 3rd Infantry Regiment. He later joined the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows.

In 1909 George commenced work as a draper at Dalton Brothers Stores. George was popular and well respected by colleagues and customers alike. In October 1915 he renounced his position at Dalton Brothers and moved to Wagga, where he managed the drapery department of Messrs WG Huthwaite and Co.

In July 1916 George returned to Orange to spend a month with his family before enlisting in WWI. He enlisted at Dubbo on 15 August 1916 and was assigned to the 45th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement. George spent ten days at Dubbo camp before being transferred to Liverpool on 25 August.

Private Seers embarked for overseas service on 25 November 1916. He was marched in to the 12th Training Battalion No 4 Camp at Codford, England on 30 January 1917. In March he proceeded to the Western Front in France, and, on 11 August, was appointed Lance Corporal.

On 5 April 1918 George’s unit was ordered forward to assist the 47th Battalion at Dernancourt. George and several others in his company were in position in the support line trench when they were surrounded by the enemy and ordered to surrender. Apparently George was one of the last to do so and was observed being marched away, unwounded, with his hands above his head. Sometime later he was seen transporting wounded soldiers to the German line.

News reached Orange in early May that George was missing in action. It was assumed that he had been taken to Germany as a prisoner of war. The Leader of 14 June 1918 reported:

Mr. T. Seers, of McLachlan street, has received letters from the front, and letters have also been received by friends of his which lead to the belief that his son, Pte. George Seers, is a prisoner of war in Germany. One feature which points to this is the fact that half the battalion of which he was a member were made prisoners, and added to this the fact that his name has not been mentioned in any of the casualty lists lends color to the assumption.

Sadly, five months later, on 13 November, the Leader conveyed the following news:

The painfully sad news arrived on Monday just in the midst of the peace celebrations that private George Seers, son of our esteemed residents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Seers, of East Orange, had been killed in action, Canon Taylor conveying the information. The deceased soldier had been reported missing for six months, and although the worst was feared, the family clung to the hope that their gallant soldier was safe as a prisoner. Fate had decreed otherwise. Deceased was a fine young fellow, and his death is deeply deplored. He was about 28 years of age and a draper by trade. To Mr. and Mrs. Seers and family will go out the deepest sympathy in their hour of trial.

George Edward John Seers has no known grave. He is commemorated on the honour rolls at Orange Public School, Orange East Public School, Holy Trinity Church, the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph and on panel number 140 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

He is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte GEJ Seers”; it was donated by SV Austin. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

George’s cousin, Clarence Edgar Seers also served in WWI; he died of wounds in France in October 1918.

Group portrait of the NCOs of the 45th Battalion, Meteren, France, 6 March 1918. George is in the front row, third from the right. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Maud Jones died in Orange in June 1913. It is unclear when Robert’s father passed away but when Robert enlisted in WWI in January 1916 he nominated his stepbrother, Percival Arthur Lewis, as his next of kin. His will dated 8 July 1917 stipulated:

In the event of my death I bequeath all my money and deferred pay to my step brother Percival Arthur Lewis

Robert embarked from Sydney on 14 April 1916, a private in the 4th Battalion, 17th Reinforcement, D company. He arrived at Suez on 17 May and was reallotted to the 14th Training Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. On 21 June he embarked HT Invernia at Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force in France.

On 17 April 1917 Robert was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal with the 56th Battalion. He attended Corps School from 29 May until 22 June, when he rejoined his battalion. Three months later the 56th Battalion was engaged in the Battle of Polygon Wood on the Western Front when Lance Corporal Jones was killed in action, one of three men from the Orange district to be killed in that battle. He has no known grave.

The news of Robert’s death did not reach Orange until November 1917; the Leader reported:

The sad news has been received in Orange of the death of Lance-Corporal Clyde Jones, who was killed in action somewhere in France on the 29th September [sic]. The deceased hero was a native of Orange, and 23 years of age… His only brother, Ted, is at present with the Light Horse in Palestine. Both boys are very well known and highly respected in Orange and district.

In May 1918 Robert’s stepbrother Percival received Robert’s personal effects: one testament, one wallet, a purse, his birth certificate, some photographs, a one mark note, and 14 coins.

Four years later, on 2 May 1922, Percival completed a statutory declaration to say that Robert had an older brother: Albert Jones of 54 Grosvenor Street in Woollahra, and in July that year Robert’s war medals were issued to Albert.

Robert Clyde Jones is commemorated on the Orange East Public School Honour Roll, the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph, on panel 29 of the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium and on panel number 162 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

He is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action and on his mother Alice’s grave in Orange Cemetery, Methodist Section E, Grave 27.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte RC Jones”; it was donated by Eyles and Eyles. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Robert Clyde Jones memorial plaque, Orange Cemetery. Image courtesy Orange Cemetery.

Edwin Hercules Fardell. Image courtesy ancestry.com.

Edwin “Neddie” Hercules Fardell was born in 1890 at Orange NSW, the first son of Alderman Thomas Fardell Jnr and Martha Ellen Fardell nee Toms.

He enlisted in the AIF at Randwick on 19 August 1914, aged 24. Ned was 5’ 6” tall with fair complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. His older brother Claude went missing in 1913 and his younger brother Aubrey was excused from service. His father died in January 1915 while Neddie was in Egypt, and his mother lived until 1939 when she died at home the night that World War II was declared.

Neddie served in the 2nd Battalion which landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. During the landing Neddie was wounded; hit in the neck by shrapnel. According to an eyewitness he sustained shrapnel wounds to the back of the neck, almost severing it. He survived, spending a month in hospital in Cairo before returning to Gallipoli to fight again.

Ned’s older first cousin, Sergeant Farrier George Fardell, born in Carcoar, was with the 4th Field Ambulance on Gallipoli. Another cousin, Frederick Fardell, born in Orange, was killed on 1 September 1917 outside of Peronne, France.

The 2nd Battalion was chosen to take part in the initial assault at Lone Pine. After gaining possession of the main enemy line, the Australians were subjected to a series of determined counter-attacks which would last the next three days, which, although successfully repulsed, proved very costly for the Australians. The 2nd Battalion suffered considerably; having started the action with 22 officers and 560 other ranks, they lost 21 officers and 409 other ranks killed or wounded.

Among those killed was commanding officer, Scobie, who was shot dead while attempting to repulse a counter-attack on 7 August 1915. Neddie was seriously wounded in the stomach and legs during the attack. Sergeant Cookson was present and witnessed the occurrence and helped to carry Private Fardell to the Casualty Clearance Station. Gangrene set in and he died on 9 August 1915 on the HMHS Delta and was buried at sea.

Prior to enlisting in the Army, Edwin had trained with the Orange Infantry. He played rugby league and was a member of the Orange club. Neddie worked in the family general store Fardell & McIntyre in Byng Street, East Orange. His brother-in-law Edward John “Daisy” McIntyre was one of five rugby union players from Orange who toured with the first Wallaby team in 1908.

In the Sydney Morning Herald of 30 October 1915 “Neddie” was lovingly remembered by his mother Martha, his sisters May, Grace and Ada, his brothers Claude and Aubrey, his brothers-in-law, Eddie McIntyre, James Ryan and Paddy Power. Ned was also remembered by “his loving friend Kathleen Ryan”.

The Orange Rugby League Club and the Methodist Church held memorial services for Ned and other members that had died or were wounded.

On 25 April 1917 the second ever Anzac Day service in Orange was held at the Orange Public School. Mayoress McNeilly placed a laurel wreath on the Union Jack for each fallen soldier who had attended the school, including Neddie Fardell.

In July 1917 a tree was planted at Orange Public School in Edwin’s memory. It was one of 26 trees planted in honour of fallen soldiers who had attended the school.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte EH Fardell”; it was donated by J Paravacini. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Edwin is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action.

Edwin Hercules Fardell is commemorated on the honour rolls of Orange Public School, Orange East Public School, and the Methodist Church Orange. His name appears on panel 17 of the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli, the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph and panel number 32 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

In Memoriam notices

* Noni Brown, 2017

The Hospital Ship Delta. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Edwin Fardell was from Orange, NSW, and worked as a labourer before enlisting in 1914. Since first linking Edwin to my family I have always felt a close affinity to him primarily I think because he went to the same primary school as me and probably walked the same streets as me…even if they were some 70 years apart.

Edwin enlisted on the 19th August 1914 at the age of 24 and so was amongst one of the earliest to sign up.

Edwin was at the landing at Gallipoli where he was wounded in action. He was then shipped off to Egypt and admitted to No 2 General Hospital, Cairo, on 29 April 1915. After recovering sufficiently he returned to Gallipoli on 31 May 1915.

The next we hear of Edwin is when he is given three days’ punishment for disobeying orders on 29 July 1915. We don’t know what orders he disobeyed but I like to think he was standing up against one of those disastrous orders that the Gallipoli commanders are renowned for giving.

Then on 8 August 1915 in the middle of arguably one of Australia’s most famous battles – The Battle of Lone Pine – Edwin was again wounded in action. He was shot in the abdomen and transferred to the hospital ship Delta. He died of his wounds and was buried at sea on the 9 August 1915.

* Lisa Apfel, 2015

Oswald Baylis was born in Orange on 5 November 1890 to John Godfrey Baylis and Isabella Sarah Baylis (nee Frost). He had two siblings, Augustus and Edith (who later married Arthur Sara). He attended Orange East Public School and according to newspapers of the day was an employee of the NSW Railways.

Although his time had expired, Oswald Baylis had already been part of the 3rd A.I.R. based at Lithgow when he enlisted in Sydney on 22 August 1914. He embarked on HMAT Suffolk A23 on 18 October 1914 and landed in Egypt on 8 December.

D Company formed part of the second and third wave of landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Thirty one officers and 937 other men carrying 70 pound back packs scrambled down rope ladders and packed, like sardines, into the landing craft which slowly make their way to the beach. Disembarking under heavy fire, they were greeted with the carnage of the dead and wounded of 3rd Battalion lying nearby. For seven days, Baylis, along with others of his ilk, endured the relentless gun fire and shelling in the trenches of Anzac Cove inflicted by Turkish Forces pushing back the upward advance.

His mother, now a widow, was notified of his death, but it was not until the end of 1917 that she received his personal effects which comprised of a scarf, cards, gift tin, wrist strap and an eye bandage. In 1967 Oswald’s nephew, Arthur Keith Sara, who saw service in WWII as member of the 2nd AIF, claimed his medals: the British Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. He stated he would be very proud to have them.

Oswald Cecil Jeffrey Baylis is remembered on Panel 16 of the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli, Orange East Public School Honour Roll and in Newman Park Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action.

*  Sharon Jameson, 2016

Harold William Corkett.
Image courtesy Sydney Morning Herald.

Born in Orange in 1887, Harold William Corkett was the youngest son of Jonah and Mary Jane Corkett (nee Jackson). There were eight other children in the family.

Harold attended Orange East Public School and Orange Public School. He developed a keen interest in cycling, was a member of several clubs and was awarded medals on more than one occasion. He also held first aid medals and was an active member of the Ancient Order of Foresters.

Harold’s father, Jonah, died in June 1914, and when war was declared in August that year Harold was one of the first to enlist.

A Private in the 2nd Battalion, Harold embarked from Sydney in October 1914, arriving in Egypt in December.

Private Corkett was wounded during the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915, sustaining gunshot wounds to his head. He was transferred to San Stefano Hospital in Alexandria, where he died the following week from his wounds.

Private Harold Corkett is commonly regarded as the first man from Orange to die in WWI, however he was preceded by Herbert Maurice Robertshaw, Eric Martin ‘Dick’ Solling, Charles Herbert Cane and Mathew Aloysius Stackpool.

Three other men from Orange died on 2 May 1915: William Robert Clive Beasley, Oswald Cecil Jeffrey Baylis and William Henry O’Bree.

In May 1915 the mayor of Orange, Ald McNeilly, received a letter containing £1 from a friend of Harold’s, which he asked to be passed on to Harold’s mother. The benefactor requested anonymity, and promised to forward Mrs Corkett 5/- every week. This news was publicised widely throughout Australia.

On 22 May 1915 competitors in the Wellington road cycling race paid their respects to Private Corkett by wearing mourning bands as they competed.

On 28 September 1915 the Ancient Order of Foresters in Orange held a public concert and dance at the Oddfellows’ Hall. Proceeds were donated to William’s mother and the Australian Wounded Fund.

On 25 April 1917 the second ever Anzac Day service in Orange was held at the Orange Public School. Mayoress McNeilly placed a laurel wreath on the Union Jack for each fallen soldier who had attended the school, including Harold William Corkett.

In July 1917 a tree was planted at Orange Public School in Harold’s memory. It was one of 26 trees planted in honour of fallen soldiers who had attended the school.

Harold is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action. He is also commemorated on the Ancient Order of Foresters Orange Roll of Honor and the Holy Trinity Church Orange Honour Roll.

Harold’s name appears on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte HW Corkett”; it was donated by the Ancient Order of Foresters. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Harold’s brother Albert Thomas Corkett served with the 9th Machine Gun Company in WWI. He was wounded in action in Belgium in October 1917 and also died of his wounds.

William was one of the first men to enlist in WWI, doing so in Sydney on 20 August 1914, barely a week after voluntary recruitment commenced. He embarked from Sydney in October 1914 and proceeded to Mena training camp in Egypt. Private Beasley joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Alexandria 5 April 1915 and was part of the first contingent of troops to land at Gallipoli on 25 April.

William’s battalion advanced about 2km inland to a position near Courtney’s Post. When roll call was held on Thursday 29 April Beasley was not present and no one had seen him. A court of enquiry held on 24 March 1916 found that Private Beasley had been killed in action near Courtney’s Post, Gallipoli, on 2 May 1915, just one week before his 21st birthday.

Private Beasley has no known grave; he is commemorated on Panel 17 of the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli in Turkey with others who have no known grave.

William is also commemorated on his parent’s grave in Orange Cemetery. His name appears on a plaque in Newman Park in Orange commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action. He is also commemorated on the honour rolls of Orange East Public School, Shadforth Public School and Holy Trinity Church Orange.

On 25 April 1917 the second ever Anzac Day service in Orange was held at the Orange Public School. Mayoress McNeilly placed a laurel wreath on the Union Jack for each fallen soldier who had attended the school, including William Beasley.

In July 1917 a tree was planted at Orange Public School in William’s memory. It was one of 26 trees planted in honour of fallen soldiers who had attended the school.

William’s name appears on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte WRC Beasley”; it was donated by the East Orange Public School. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

On Anzac Day 2015 members of William’s family laid a wreath in his honour at the dawn service in Orange.

William’s brother, Clifton Ernest Havelock Beasley, also served in WWI; he returned to Australia in July 1919. A cousin, William Edwin Wells, was killed in action on 4 October 1917.

Leader, 24 May 1916, p. 6.
Two more brave Orange soldiers

William Robert Clive Beasley’s commemorative plaque, Orange Cemetery. Image courtesy Lynne Irvine.

Preston enlisted in WWI in March 1916, 8 months after his older brother Herbert. He embarked from Sydney in August and joined the 17th Battalion in France in December. He served for just three months before being hospitalised with a severely blistered heel. His medical records cite “ICT toe”. ICT may refer to “Inflamed Connective Tissue” (plantar fasciitis), a condition caused by continual marching.

Private Argall was not released from hospital until March. After furlough he rejoined his unit in France in August, only to be killed in action in Belgium a month later. He was originally reported as “wounded and missing”; it wasn’t until 10 May 1918 that this status was upgraded to “killed in action”. Preston was one of seven men from the Orange district to die during the Battle of Menin Road Ridge.

Following his death, fellow soldier Private William Beck wrote to Preston’s mother to convey his “most heartfelt sympathy in the very sad bereavement which you have suffered in the loss of your dear son.” Back continues: “I can assure you dear madam, that he suffered nothing, because his death was instantaneous so his sufferings were very little and I took it upon myself the sad duty to bury him which I did the best I could under the circumstances on the battlefield, and placed a little cross to mark the spot of a faithful comrade, respected and loved by all whom he came in contact with.”

Another comrade, Private NG Carruthers, described Argall as “very popular with his mates, and [he] always had a smile for everybody”.

Preston’s older brother Herbert was killed in action in France in June 1916.

Preston Edwin Argall’s name appears on the following honour rolls, alongside that of his brother Herbert: Orange Returned Services League, Orange Railway Ambulance Rifle Club, Orange East Public School, Methodist Church Orange and the Paddington Methodist Church (now Uniting Church). Preston is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action during WWI.

Preston’s name appears on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte P Argall”; the tree was donated by EH Waddy. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Leader, 17 December 1917, p. 4.
Killed in action, Private Preston Argall

Leader, 26 April 1918, p. 7.
Private Preston Argall, Inquiries as to his fate

Bert Argall. Image courtesy Sydney Morning Herald.

Herbert Henry Argall was born in Orange in 1896. He was one of six children born to Thomas and Annie Matilda Argall (nee Prince). Herbert’s father was a mail guard on the train between Orange and Forbes and Herbert followed his father’s example, joining the railway department. Herbert was a popular and highly regarded employee who was diligent and courteous, the Leader claimed “nothing was a trouble to him, and it was a pleasure to have Bert Argall attending to your inquiries.”

“Bert” attempted to enlist on several occasions. The first time he failed his medical, so he underwent an operation at Orange District Hospital so that he would be accepted. Bert then, however, contracted typhoid, so was again rejected. He was finally accepted on his fourth attempt, in July 1915. His railway colleagues presented him with a wristlet watch, and his old Sunday School associates a jewel case prior to his leaving for the front in October.

Ill-health plagued Private Argall; in December he was admitted to hospital in Abbassia in Egypt, suffering from diphtheria. On his recovery he joined the British Expeditionary Force in France. Herbert was killed in action just three months later. He was 19.

Just three days before his death Herbert wrote a letter to his parents, saying how proud he was that his younger brother, Preston, had enlisted and imploring his mother not to worry. Fifteen months later Preston was also killed in action.

Following Herbert’s death his parents, Tom and Annie, received over 200 letters of sympathy from the citizens of Orange. The couple made the decision to leave Orange in August 1918. At their farewell Thomas Argall said that if ever any man was sorry to leave Orange it was him. It was sad leaving a loving people…these years in Orange had been the best and happiest of his life even though the cup of sorrow had been so full.

On 25 April 1917 the second ever Anzac Day service in Orange was held at the Orange Public School. Mayoress McNeilly placed a laurel wreath on the Union Jack for each fallen soldier who had attended the school, including Bert Argall.

In July 1917 a tree was planted at Orange Public School in Herbert’s memory. It was one of 26 trees planted in honour of fallen soldiers who had attended the school.

Herbert Henry Argall’s name appears on the following honour rolls, alongside that of his brother Preston: Orange Returned Services League, Orange Railway Ambulance Rifle Club, Orange East Public School, Methodist Church Orange and the Paddington Methodist Church (now Uniting Church). Herbert is also remembered in Newman Park in Orange, where his name appears on a plaque commemorating former Orange East Public School students who were killed in action during WWI.

Herbert’s name appears on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte HH Argall”; the tree was donated by FP Carr. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Leader, 9 August 1916, p. 4.
Our Soldiers in the Firing Line
Bert’s last letter to his parents dated 20 June 1916, just 3 days before he was killed in action

Leader, 12 July 1916, p. 1.
One of his last letters
Letter to Miss Dwyer written on Empire Day, a month before he died. She received the letter on 11 July, almost three weeks after his death.

Herbert Henry Argall’s headstone, Brewery Orchard Cemetery, France.
Image courtesy Sharon Hesse.

Walter Thomas Cornish. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Walter Thomas Cornish was the second of three boys born in London to Phillip and Frances Cornish. When Walter was a boy the family emigrated to Australia, settling in Orange. Walter and his older brother Edmund were educated at Orange East Public School; and both brothers went on to enlist in the First World War. A youngest brother – Thomas – also served in WWI, however there appears to be no record of his enlistment.

20 year old Walter enlisted in June 1915, ten months after Edmund. A private in the 13th Battalion, 7th Reinforcements, he embarked from Sydney in August, arriving at Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos in October. Walter was hospitalised two months later, suffering from frostbite. He would be hospitalised on two further occasions; in February 1916 with pleurisy, and in December the same year with influenza.

In March 1916 Walter joined his brother Edmund as a Gunner in the 10th Field Artillery Brigade. Three months later he joined the British Expeditionary Force in France. Walter was gassed in August 1917, but recovered sufficiently to rejoin his unit, only to sustain a gunshot wound to his abdomen a month later. Gunner Cornish died of his wounds on 22 September 1917. He is buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in Belgium. Walter was one of seven men from the Orange district to die during the Battle of Menin Road Ridge.

The following month Walter’s mother, Frances, read in the Daily Telegraph that a Gunner Walter Cornish had died of wounds, prompting her to write to the Defence Department:

I am anxious to know if it is my son Gunner Walter Cornish 2533 that is referred to. I cannot understand why I have not been advised of his death. Will you kindly write by return and explain as I am most anxious.

It seems that the Army had sent the notification of Walter’s death to his parents’ old address in England.

The Leader, in reporting his death stated:

Gunner Cornish was well known in Orange, and it seems only the other day that he was swinging along to school in knickerbockers.

Following Walter’s death his parents received a letter from Major Harold de Low, of the 38th Battery, in which he offered his condolences:

I would like to express to you my very, great appreciation of your son. He has been with me ever since I had the battery … and I always found him willing and cheerful, often under very trying circumstances. He was very cool under fire, and generally a man beyond his years in courage, ability and coolness.

Major de Low added:

Your other son, Sergeant Cornish, is one of my best men. He will, I believe, go over to England to train recruits.

This was not to be, Walter’s brother Edmund was killed in action 11 months later, in August 1918. As the Leader on 2 September 1918 claimed:

It can well be said of the Cornish family that they have done their bit for the Empire.

Walter’s name appears on the Orange East Public School Honour Roll and the St Joseph’s Church Orange Honour Roll alongside those of his brothers Edmund and Thomas.

Walter and Edmund’s names appear on the memorial plaque in Newman Park, along with 14 others who had 16 pin oak trees planted in their honour in August 1919 by East Orange Public School principal Mr AT Caldwell.

Walter is also commemorated on the on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte WS Cornish”; presumably Walter. The tree was donated by AW Deane. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Walter Cornish’s headstone, Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium.
Image courtesy Sharon Hesse.

Edmund Thomas Cornish. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial.

Edmund Thomas Cornish was born in London, the first of three boys born to Phillip and Frances Cornish. The family emigrated to Australia when Edmund was 16.

21-year-old Edmund was one of the first men to enlist in Orange. He was living at 90 March Street and working as a labourer at Dalton Brothers’ mill at the time. He embarked from Sydney in October 1914 aboard HMAT A8 Argyllshire.

Edmund joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in April 1915, and proceeded to Gallipoli, where he survived a gunshot wound to his back. He received several promotions during his war service, from Gunner to Bombardier, then Corporal and later Sergeant.

In June 1917 Edmund was transferred to the 10th Field Artillery Brigade in Etaples, France, and in August to the Reserve Brigade Australia Artillery in England. Edmund returned to France in May 1918, only to be killed in action during the Battle of the Somme in August.

Edmund was well-liked by his comrades; one of them declared: “He was a very good fellow.”

Edmund’s name appears on the St Joseph’s Church Orange Honour Roll, alongside those of his brothers Walter and Thomas. Walter and Edmund’s names appear on the memorial plaque in Newman Park, along with 14 others who had 16 pin oak trees planted in their honour in August 1919 by East Orange Public School principal Mr AT Caldwell.

Edmund’s name also appears on the World War I Roll of Honour on the southern face of the Orange Cenotaph.

In 1923 the Anzac Memorial Avenue of trees was planted along Bathurst Road to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers. A tree was planted in honour of “Pte E Cornish”; it was donated by WJ Eadey. Very few of the trees are still standing today.

Edmund’s brothers, Walter and Thomas also served in WWI; Walter died of wounds in Belgium in September 1917.

Leader, 2 September 1918, p. 4.
Killed in action

Edmund Cornish’s headstone, Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, France.
Image courtesy Sharon Hesse.