This story about my great-uncle was researched and written as my way of commemorating the centenary of the beginning of World War I.

Being a man with absolutely no body hair at all – not even eyelashes or eyebrows – he would not have been an easy person to look at. When his two young great-nieces were warned by their father that they shouldn’t stare when they met this newly-found relative, it meant they didn’t really know where they should look.

Very few members of our family met him face to face, consequently there are not many now living who can recall the features of this gentleman.

Diana Adamson (Miller) from conversations with Barbara E in 2014

It’s almost one hundred years since his life was so changed by his one decision to enlist for service in WWI; it seems timely to record as much as we know of the life of Herbert William Payne, known to our family as Uncle Bert.

He was born on 9 June 1885 in Balmain, Sydney, to parents William Henry Payne and Laura Sarah (nee Bower). They were of strong Christadelphian faith – with fascinating histories of their own – but for now we will concentrate on their first-born son and second child.

Being of Christadelphian faith would have set the family apart from most of the local community. Their religious beliefs dictate that politics, the military, the police, criminal law are careers that must be avoided; their belief was that they should support their families by honest work.

Bert must have defied his family faith twice in his adult years – once to become a teacher, and then again with his decision to enlist for war service. This would have caused a great rift between him and his parents.

Around forty years would pass before Uncle Bert became a presence in our extended family; perhaps this
re-connection only came about because in the 1960s he happened to be working in Sydney GPO and met up with another family member – Alan E – who also worked there.

Even now, a further 50 years on, it is still difficult to piece together the events in Uncle Bert’s life. So many family members are no longer with us, but his service to family and country is of sufficient importance to record.

Just imagine – how wonderful it would be if he had kept a war diary, and that had been handed down through the generations . . . we would be able to hear his own impressions and feelings about the whole experience. Perhaps, with the help of Les Carlyon’s The Great War and Mat McLachlan’s Walking With the Anzacs, along with his own service record and the World Wide Web, we will be able to piece together enough of his story from 1914 to 1917. With so many units being posted to so many towns and areas, it’s not always possible to be certain exactly where Bert would have been stationed at any particular time during the war. At least this information gives a sense of what he would have had to endure during his time in the service of his country.

On 30th July 1914, a cablegram in secret cipher had been received from the British Government, informing the Australian Government that there was an imminent danger of war. Subsequently Germany invaded France on Sunday 2nd August.

On 4 August 1914 war was declared by Britain, against Germany. Australia pledged a force of 20,000 to be placed at Britain's disposal. Prime Minister Andrew Fisher declared that Australia would support Great Britain in the war against Germany . . . to the last man and the last shilling. Although this war began so far from our shores, the fact that Australia was part of the British Empire and Commonwealth, ensured that there was a strong public support for our country’s participation.

By 8th August the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) had been instigated. This force was to be drawn from volunteers, as far as possible by those who had undergone at least some military training – mainly those aged 20 and above. Each unit was to be drawn from a different State in Australia, with the 1st Infantry Brigade consisting of 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Australian Battalions each 1,023 men strong. So in the 1st Australian Division the artillery, engineers, ambulances, clerks, grooms, batmen were all from NSW. The 1st Field Artillery Brigade was then comprised of 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Batteries (each of 4 field guns) once again, all residents of NSW.

Thus with Engineers, the 1st Field Company were from NSW, with the Ambulance Corps the 1st Field Ambulance were from NSW, with the other states becoming the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th companies etc.

The 3rd Battalion largely came from the west of NSW and south coast area; the powers-that-be had decided that for the sake of mateship and morale, each Battalion should be drawn from within the one region. The 1st & 4th Battalions came from the west & east of Sydney.

Voluntary recruitment began on 10 August in Australia; the Sydney Morning Herald of that date carried the following article on page 10:

AUSTRALIAN FORCE RUSH TO ENLIST.

There was a rush to enlist at Victoria Barracks on Saturday morning. Long before the office was open there was a long line of volunteers waiting to register their names for inclusion in the expeditionary force. The volunteers were marshalled by the permanent staff officers, and for three hours Colonel Antill and his staff were kept busy accepting and recording the particulars of the qualifications of the applicants. In all over 2000 have already applied at Victoria Barracks, including nearly 200 officers. In addition to these there are large numbers of militia, light horsemen, infantry, and artillery men who have volunteered at regimental headquarters. Unfortunately the local military authorities cannot take definite steps towards the formation of a contingent until they hear from Melbourne what is the exact constitution of the expeditionary force, and what is the New South Wales quota. So far they have not even been officially informed that the Commonwealth offer has been accepted. The Military Board has had the matter of the expeditionary force under consideration for a week, and, now that General Bridges has been appointed to the command, it is hoped that a definite statement will be made as soon as possible. Light Horsemen feel proud of the tribute paid them by Lord Denman in the House of Lords, but they do not welcome his suggestion that the Australian troops should be sent to India or Egypt to relieve the permanent troops while the latter go home to do the fighting.

The army had made an initial commitment to provide 20,000 troops; because of the high volume of volunteers, they were able to set a minimum height requirement of 5 feet 6 inches (168cm) and preference was given to those who had military experience. Australia would be sending its best examples of Australian males.

A cheerful band of men would have departed Wagga soon after the announcement of volunteer forces for this war. All were aged 19 to 33, most were single, and out for adventure and service to country and commonwealth.

The Nominal Roll for enlistment into the AIF lists 746 men; the first 170 were soldiers and staff already serving at Victoria Barracks, Sydney or Maribynong Barracks, Melbourne. Bert and his mates were among the rest – most destined for the 10th or 16th Battery, AIF. Of those 746 on the roll, Bert is the only man to have a blank space in the column for religion.

In all, 8 of those men who had left together from Wagga joined up on 24th August 1914 – there may have been others who set out from Wagga but were rejected on medical grounds. Bert was assigned as H W Private Payne, No. 537, to 10th Battery, 1st Brigade, Artillery Column. His position was recorded as a Driver. Driver was a military rank used in the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth countries. It was equivalent to the rank of Private.

Each large wheeled gun was pulled by a team of six horses, with three drivers each handling one of the three nearside horses (i.e. the horses that could be managed from their left side). To be able to perform this task successfully took many hours of training. The drivers also cared for the horses – their management and state of health was regarded as one of the most important functions in the battery.

To have been placed in this position Bert must have had some experience in handling horses. At this early stage of enlistment, only men from the regular army or those with such experience were placed in the Artillery corps.

The following extract from the Australian War Memorial website gives an illustration of what these men achieved:

The drivers from the wagon-lines daily and nightly brought up ammunition across the mud.

Even the animals came to know when a shell was coming close; and if, when halted, the horses heard the whine of an approaching salvo, they would tremble and sidle closer to their drivers, burying their muzzles in the men's chests.

These Australians had won themselves a special name on the battlefield for the way in which they went straight through the nightmare barrages laid on the well-known tracks which they and their horses had to follow. Where many might hesitate, these men realised that the loss would be less, and the job better done, if they pushed on without hesitation. This comment was justified.  It was undoubtedly through the conduct of the drivers, as well as through that of the gun-crews and observers, that the Australian divisional artilleries . . . earned the admiration and praise of all.

In the very short period of three weeks, this newly-formed force was fitted out with uniforms, equipment and given basic training skills.

The uniform Bert would have been issued with consisted of a slouch hat fitted with a First World War Hat Badge (King's Crown), a chin strap, and wool hat band.

As noted in Charles Bean’s War Diaries:

Before the first contingent left Australia, a scheme of colours had been devised, so that the location of every unit throughout the camp could be marked by a small flag. Officers and men were ordered to wear the colour of their regiment in a small patch on both sleeves, just below the shoulder. The system was so simple that, by means of the colour and shape of the patch, anyone who was acquainted with it could deduce the regiment, brigade and division to which a man belonged. The men became intensely attached to these colours.

So Bert’s shirt would have a colour patch sewn onto the sleeve – the patch for the first brigade was rectangular, divided diagonally with a red triangle for the upper left and blue triangle for the lower right.

Every Australian wore on his collar an osidised badge with the rising sun, and on each shoulder-strap the single word Australia.

His trousers would have been held up with braces; these trousers ended below the knee with the lower leg being wrapped in puttees. These were wool braid, 9ft long, and were wrapped from the ankle to just below the knee.

Leather boots completed the outfit.

‘It was commonly said that no troops ever went to the front more generously equipped than this first Australian contingent. The cloth of their jackets was strong; their clothing was woollen all through ; the packs, pouches, and belts of the infantry were of the splendid green canvas known as “web equipment,” which proved twenty times better than leather; their boots were as pliable as civilian boots, and far stouter. In France countless favours were obtained in exchange for Australian boots.’ (AWM Official Histories Document)

Along with many others, on 4 September 1914 Bert took the oath of allegiance in Sydney, NSW. This war was supposed to last only till Christmas (so the rumours went), so for many it was imperative to enlist immediately so they didn’t miss out on being part of the action and excitement. In total 52,561 men enlisted in 1914.

The oath reads:

I, Herbert William Payne swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force from 24 August 1914 until the end of the War, and a further period of four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed, or removed therefrom; and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and cause His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and that I will in all matters appertaining to my service, faithfully discharge my duty according to law.

SO HELP ME GOD – with a flourishing signature of H W Payne

Taken and subscribed at Sydney in the State of New South Wales this fourth day September of 1914, before me (signature of Attesting Officer)

The following page of Bert’s record lists his physical characteristics as:

Age: 29 years & 3 months

Height: 5’6”,

Weight 10 stone

Chest measurement: 35”

Complexion: Ruddy

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Red

Religious Denomination ---------------

His next of kin was noted as his father, W. H. Payne, of Wagga, NSW.

So it would seem that although Bert’s teaching record shows him as being a Christadelphian, by the time he enlisted he had decided that was no longer the case. Did he think he would be less acceptable as a reliable soldier if he belonged to a faith that didn’t believe in fighting wars, or had he denounced all religion, and perhaps estranged himself from his family, as required by the church in such situations?

Following a very thorough medical examination, Bert was certified as fit for service, with none of a long list of medical conditions, eye problems, and being of healthy heart and lungs, with free use of joints & limbs, and not subject to fits of any description.

His rate of pay was to be 6 shillings per Diem (day) before embarkation, and 5 shillings per day after embarkation with an extra 1 shilling per day to be paid only after completion of service with the Expeditionary Forces.

This basic rate of pay had been set so that the daily rate of pay for Privates when abroad would be higher by one quarter than the basic pay of 4 shillings a day for the citizens of the country. This was the highest rate of pay for a Private in any army at the time. (New Zealanders received 5 shillings, Americans just over 4, British a paltry one shilling).

From 3rd November 1915, the district paymaster had amended Bert’s Pay Book to the effect that Dvr H.W. Payne, 1st F.A.B.A.C. (Field Artillery Brigade Ammunition Column), was to have an allotment of 3/7d paid to a William Plummer, Narrandera Road, Wagga.

There is a William Henry Plummer who was granted land on 9 May 1907, under the Settlement system – this was for a property named Riverside, on Narranderra Rd, Wagga. Two possible reasons for this spring to mind: either Bert had become indebted to this man – perhaps a few too many games of Two-Up – and had his wages garnisheed accordingly, or he had decided to entrust this man with saving some of his pay for the future. I can’t find any record of a William Plummer in the AIF. Allotment of part or all of the Daily Pay could be made to any nominated person, usually the next of kin. So in Bert’s case, this allotment remains a bit of a mystery!

Between 22 August & 9th September 1914 the ship HMAT Argyllshire A8 was converted at Cockatoo Island Drydock, Sydney, to transport 845 troops and 392 horses. This ship weighed 10,392 tons, had an average cruise speed of 14 knots or 25.92 kmph. It was owned by the Scottish Shire Line Ltd, London, and leased by the Australian Commonwealth for troop transport.

On 18 October 1914 this ship departed Sydney under the command of Brigadier General J.J.T. Hobbs. On board were members of 1st Field Artillery Brigade (New South Wales) 1st Division Artillery (assigned to the 1st Division) and their 4th Reinforcements, 1st Brigade Ammunition Column 1st Field Artillery Brigade, 1st Division Ammunition Column 1st Division Artillery & two nurses.

Included on the embarkation rolls, was our Herbert William Payne.

At this point it would be of interest to know the structure of the groupings of military personnel – Bert will move from one area of service to another a number of times.

MILITARY ORGANISATION:

A battery of field artillery was the unit of combat, generally consisting of four or six guns commanded by a major.

At full strength a four-gun battery had 198 men in total; with 138 men fighting at any one time.

A brigade of field artillery consisted of three or four batteries of field guns and field howitzers, usually commanded by a lieutenant-colonel.

Unit sizes are for 1914 – 1918; by 1918 Australian forces were depleted to the point that most battalions were down to half or quarter strength.

The units of the first contingent all over Australia were complete and ready to sail by September 21st 1914. The official war historian Charles Bean gives a neat description of this flotilla:

The transports for the first contingent had been chartered by the Australian Government from among the largest ships then in Australian ports – passenger liners and Great wool-, meat-, and butter-carriers. They had been hurriedly fitted with mess tables and hammocks, till their lower decks looked like huge crowded barrack rooms. The horse transports had been furnished with endless stalls for horses, well-secured against heavy weather, spread with coconut matting, and provided with baskets for clearing the manure. This work had been finished with great rapidity. There already lay in various ports a large fleet of troopships, numbered AI to A28 (a system of numbering which the Australian transports retained throughout the war).

King George's Sound, Albany Western Australia was the port selected for the assembly of what was to be the first convoy that would be used in transporting the First Detachment of the Australian and New Zealand Imperial Expeditionary Forces.

The adventure had begun for Bert and his fellow servicemen! For some it was undertaken as a service to the mother country, for others it was seen as a way to travel to the other side of the world with mates at the government’s expense. We can’t help but wonder if any of these young men stopped to think how they were sailing into what would become the history that helped to define our nation in such an important way.

It’s as well that they weren’t aware of what was in store for them, as a quote from John Terraine in White Heat tells:

"The war of 1914-18 was an artillery war.

Artillery was the battle winner,

artillery was what caused the greatest loss of life,

the most dreadful wounds and the deepest fear."

The ships sailed from Albany harbour later than had been originally planned, because of local gales. At dawn on 1st November 1914, those on board could see the plumes of smoke rising from the funnels, and they knew their time of departure had finally arrived. Around 6am the first ships of the convoy slowly steamed their way through the heads, to a destination unknown to the vast majority of those on board. In reality, the ships were heading south then west towards the Cocos Islands. By 10am the last of the ships had left on this enormous undertaking, with 36 vessels and three escorts in this flotilla. As well as the 20,000 Australian & 8,000 NZ troops on board, there were 8,000 horses in this first convoy.

The Official Australian Imperial Force unit War Diaries 1914 - 1918 entry for that day reads:

Orvieto led the fleet out of King George’s Sound. Bright sunny morning. All steps proceeded smoothly.

Albany had been selected as the most suitable departure point on the Australian coast, because of its deep water harbour and the ability to supply coal to the steam ships. Undoubtedly those in charge of the convoy would have been informed that Turkey entered the war on 1st November 1914.

Throughout the voyage on Argyllshire, the artillery men were kept busy tending the horses on board. Some of these horse ships carried as many as 5 horses to each man. The mammoth task of keeping the stalls clean, grooming the horses and where possible walking them round the decks for exercise fell to the soldiers, leaving no time for them to increase their military skills. The men of the light horse, artillery and transport performed these tasks as part of their normal duty.

On board Argyllshire the guns were hauled out and worked on deck on one day of each week of the voyage, and every evening after dinner a battery commander or one of the other officers lectured to the commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the ship’s saloon.

On 9th November en route to Europe HMAS Sydney engaged and sank the German cruiser Emden.

15th November the fleet arrived at Colombo. Here arrangements were made for the reception of German prisoners of war; these were the men from the Emden who had been captured. They were then transported to Malta and finally handed over to the British Army.

25th November they arrived at Aden & the next day the complete convoy sailed for Suez. By 27th they had sailed 262 miles to the Red Sea, where it was noted that the weather was Calm & Hot.

As they were passing through Suez on 29th November 1914, orders were received for the disembarkation of forces in Egypt. The troops were originally intended to be sent to UK, to the training area at Salisbury Plains. Troops there were being housed under canvas, and it was decided that there was insufficient time to construct timber accommodation for the troops currently on site, let alone having extras arriving.

Consequently the troops were diverted to Egypt at once, with orders to proceed directly to Cairo to assist with camping grounds. These grounds were eventually found to be woefully inadequate also, but a much better option than those in UK.

The sight of the Australian troops arriving was the first indication that the English men had of the sailing of the Australian force, and they were greeted with rousing cheers.

On arrival in Port Said on 1st December 1914, orders were issued for troops disembarking at Alexandria. It was noted that there was a dearth of tents in Egypt. The major in charge had procured sufficient tents for 8,500 men.

3rd December saw troops begin their disembarking – this continued into the next day and by 4pm troops had begun arriving at Cairo. You may not be surprised to read that there was some confusion in camp on arrival. It took until

13th December for the disembarkation process to be completed . . . so many vessels to be cleared of men, horses, and equipment!  On 15th December the 1st Australian Division, infantry, artillery, ambulances, transport and divisional light horse were camped by the Pyramids, ten miles from the centre of the city.

The ship’s captain’s diary notes that the final head count for those disembarked was:

1st Aust Div officers 629, 17,293 others, 53 horses.

At this time it was decided that the combined Australian & New Zealand corps should be known collectively from here on as the Australian & New Zealand Army Corps . . . the birth of an enduring ANZAC tradition. By early in 1915 this acronym was accepted for general use on all official documents.

These men came under the command of General Birdwood; a man of 49 years who was able to relate easily to all those under his command, and highly regarded by all. When addressing the men, he usually concluded with the words:

And, mind, whatever you do, write regularly to your mothers and wives and sweethearts – because, if you don’t, they will write to me!

Bert must have put his head down and behaved himself during the time in Cairo – he definitely wasn’t one of the 300 who received the most degrading of punishments meted out because of their being AWL (absent without leave) in Cairo. Although they were technically deserters, they couldn’t possibly under Australian regulations or in fairness receive the usual punishment of being shot for neglecting duty. It was decided that they should be sent back immediately to Australia to be discharged from the army. General Bridges arranged for a letter to be printed in Australian newspapers explaining the position. This simple punishment remained until after the Battle of Pozieres in 1916, and was considered to be the most dreaded instrument of punishment among the Australian forces.

On 25 December 1914, Lord Kitchener had definitely promised that the AIF should go straight to the front from here.

2 January 1915 – no operations against the Turks were about to be undertaken, so no steps would be taken for the present as regards preparation of intelligence.

20 January 1915 (1 mile south of the Pyramids) Division Artillery commenced practices field firing.

1 February (Mena Camp) hours for training were laid down: 40 hours per week, one whole holiday per week; church parade the only work undertaken in addition to daily camp duties.

Towards the end of the official diary for this stage of the war, are a number of official documents including ones headed ‘Restaurants, Cafes and Bars Out of Bounds to the Troops’, ‘Instructions for Colonial Contingents in Europe’, - and many more; 79 pages in all to record the first 4 months of army action in this arena of the war.

The 1st Australian Division had been in training in one way or another for about six weeks in Australia, six weeks on the voyage and for between two and a half and four months in Egypt. For the light horse and artillery the period was not in reality so long; during the first few weeks after the voyage the horses could only be walked, gently exercised and gradually accustomed to the chopped straw which had become their main diet in Egypt.

At the conclusion of their training period, a British officer on General Birdwood’s staff made the comment that a better division than the 1st Australian had never gone into battle.

15th January saw the first Turkish troops entering Sinai in Egypt, their troops then attacked the Suez Canal on 3rd & 4th February 1915. Australian troops didn’t take part in this battle.

If Britain was to be able to take the Gallipoli Peninsula, then it was ascertained that this would have to be achieved by ship, through the Dardanelles. A meeting had been held on 13th January in which the tactics for achieving this were decided upon, and action began on 19th February. The Turks had been preparing for such an attack for months, bringing in guns and howitzers. In anticipation of a successful attack by British naval ships, the Australian troops were to be sent to Lemnos.

Diary entry: 26 February (Mena) orders for move issued, then 28 February move begun.

Because of a shortage of water on land, it was decided that all troops would need to remain on board the ships until the attack on Gallipoli began.

1st April Australian troops were still in Cairo; the 3rd brigade had been moved to Lemnos and the remainder of the men knew that something was afoot when all leave was cancelled at the last minute.

In all the rush to equip the Australian forces, at this time Australian slouch hats were difficult to procure. For this reason men were permitted, if they wanted, to buy pith helmets similar to those worn by the British army. Many men, especially those in the artillery and light horse, decided to avail themselves of this permission, and wore this helmet – not without a certain pride in their resemblance to the men of the British Army.

The men of the infantry bore the brunt of the disastrous assault on 25th April 1915.

Amid all the battle and chaos of that Sunday 25 April, the artillery had been unable to locate a suitable landing position and by early afternoon were still on board the ship. The Colonel charged with finding a suitable position on the designated ridge had not been able to find a single place to position a field gun. So in all the fighting that had taken place from early morning, the infantry had not had any artillery support.

In the evening of that first day, the troop commanders were told that there was no possibility of evacuation (this would take at least 2 days), and that they were to dig in and make the most of it. The men were extremely weary, but continued, confident in the assurances they were given – that the artillery would be landed overnight and there to support them the next day.

As Charles Bean wrote:

All through the war the Australian soldier was, at heart, an invincible optimist. Even in this most dreadful of trials it needed only a little relief – some cheering ‘furphy’, the sound of his own guns, the sight of the naval shell bursts – to send his brave spirits soaring again.

At 5:30pm there was finally a shout of “look out, make way,” and between the stretcher bearers carrying the wounded there appeared a team of gun horses with their drivers urging them onwards. Behind them, dragging deep through the sand on the beach, a single gun of the 4th Battery, Australian Field Artillery.

Finally at 6pm this gun was put into action, much to the relief of all the ground troops. At one end of the beach, a supply depot was created using its own biscuit boxes to create the walls.

During that night men, guns and stores were continually arriving on the beaches. As well as all the ammunition, seven days rations for all the men and horses were delivered.

Of the landed Artillery, only two NZ howitzers had arrived overnight. Australian guns were continually promised, but the artillery staff waited in vain to sight them. By mistake (easily understandable in all the confusion of counter-orders, battle and darkness), a number of Australian guns that had been brought ashore during the afternoon – including the one that had been cheered as it was dragged along the beach – had been sent back to the transport ships.

When battle resumed on Monday morning 26th April, the ships were able to open their bombardment, so the men on shore had their question of artillery support well and truly answered. Most of these remaining men had been fighting for 24 hours, and many hadn’t slept for 48 hours, so they were close to exhaustion.

Because many of the Turkish positions couldn’t be reached by the guns on the ships, and most of the landscape didn’t lend itself to the landing of field guns, all four batteries of Australian artillery – the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th – were for the most part not landed at Anzac Cove, and were sent directly on to Helles (at the entry to the Dardanelles, Turkey). Along with guns from other international divisions, the 36 from 1st Australian division had remained out of the action.

With all the to-ing and fro-ing across the peninsula, it is extremely difficult to get a true picture of where Bert Payne was seeing action in those days of April / May 1915.

As Charles Bean wrote:

The batteries themselves, which except for one of the 1st Brigade, consisted either of militia or of men without previous military service who were especially zealous to give active proof of their training. On April 25th or 26th every Australian battery except the 9th had found some pretext for contriving to get one or more of its guns to the beach; twenty-six of the thirty-six Australian field-pieces had reached the shore but had for the most part been necessarily sent back, since no position had yet been found for them.

The following is a transcription of the War Diary of the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, AIF, of their role in the landings at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915.

25 April 1915

The day of landing. A simultaneous landing made at Cape Helles, Gaba Tepe and Bullair temporarily only by the 29th Division (1st Australian Division and Australian and New Zealand division) and Royal Naval Division respectively. HT Atlantian proceeded to Cape Helles at 0500 for the purpose of disembarking horse boats and remained there until 1200 when sailed for Gaba Tepe. HT Indian and Cardiganshire proceeded direct to Gaba Tepe. Landing effected and position established at Helles about 2 miles north of Gaba Tepe. Landing made by the 3rd Infantry Brigade, who were launched in destroyers and followed by 2nd and 1st Infantry Brigades. Hostile batteries shelled the transports during the afternoon, and they had to stand out from the shore, to safer anchorage. Artillery fire and musketry on shore were intense and combined with the Naval Bombardment made the noise deafening.
(HT is His Majesty’s Troop Ship)

26 April 1915

At 0300 one gun and two wagons of the 1st Battery were taken ashore and moved up into action at the top of Shell Green. Major Sweetland and Lieutenant Irwin and detachment of 1st Battery accompanied the gun. At 1230 on section of 3rd Battery was disembarked and towed to the shores but under instructions per CDA were returned to the ship and reloaded again at 2230. 2nd Battery (less one section), Colonel Christian, major Lloyd and detail of Brigade Headquarters were sent ashore but were returned to the ship in a similar manner. 1st Battery remained in action the whole day firing upwards of 500 rounds at ranges of about 400 yards. The gun was withdrawn at night and re-embarked on the Atlantian. Lieutenant Irwin and six (6) men remained on shore to assist in ammunition carrying.

By mid-May, most of the ships used for transport and headquarters had been moved from the harbour between Anzac Cove and the peninsula, because enemy submarines had been seen off the coastline. They instead moved to harbour off Lemnos, Greece. Apart from the magnificent harbour there, there was a complete absence of facilities at Lemnos. Consequently the main base was transferred to Alexandria, 650 miles away in Egypt.

As Lemnos was only 60 miles from the peninsula, over time it became the preferred option for trans-shipping of troops and supplies and did become the main base.

Bert was extremely fortunate not to have been among the men landed to fight on Gallipoli – of them, over the few days of intense fighting there had been 2,300 killed and 5,700 wounded.

Although there was once again a dire shortage of ammunition, on the morning of 3rd May, General Birdwood was summoned, to order him to supply troops and artillery to Helles. Much of his artillery was still on board ships. The two hour sea journey across the Dardanelles was made during the night, and troops bivouacked before daylight.

The artillery batteries featured strongly in the ensuing days of the assault against the Turkish forces.

By 22nd November 1915 it had been decided to evacuate all remaining troops from Gallipoli. It was estimated that this could be accomplished over four nights. It was put about that troops were being removed to winter quarters, rather than have the Turks realise what was actually planned. Because of storms and other delays, this time frame needed to be extended; by 20th December all troops had been withdrawn.

The Roll of Honour for the Battle of Anzac Cove contains the names of all the 745 men from the Australian Imperial Force known to have served and lost their lives during this battle on 25 April 1915. In the Gallipoli campaign, 1 in 3 servicemen lost their lives.

From Gallipoli, troops were transferred to a new camp, at Tel-el-Kebir. Tel el Kebir was a training camp located on the southern side of the Sweet Suez canal, 40km east of Ismailia and north-east of Cairo, in Egypt.

This area was considered the most suitable position, being 70 miles from the temptations of Cairo, as well as becoming a vast reservoir of troops that the empire could draw from for any fronts in Europe.

After their time in Gallipoli the Australian troops for the most part were quite exhausted, and in need of rest and rebuilding into a fighting force. There were also fresh troops arriving in great numbers from Australia and New Zealand.

After the men from 1st and 2nd Division had returned to Egypt, General Birdswood and others realised that it would be far better to have a single Australian & New Zealand combined Division, rather than the men becoming part of a number of British forces. The men of both companies had an intense national pride and complete trust in each other’s qualities – conditions of the utmost importance when troops have to support one another in battle.

Men from 1st Division were divided between the two new Divisions 4th and 5th, with the 3rd being a new Division to be formed in Australia.

Consequently on 21st February 1916 Bert was one of those transferred to the 4th Divisional Artillery in the 13th Brigade, 50th Battalion.

Twelve days later, on 4th March Bert was ‘taken on strength’ (i.e. taken into that unit) of BAC (Brigade Ammunition Column) from this division.

It was decided that the new battalions should be permitted to wear on their sleeves the colours of the old battalions, as well as the new. Instead of being worn horizontally, in the new they were worn vertically. The adoption of the old colours did more than anything else to soften the first bitterness of separation from the original units, and bound the new battalions even more firmly. Nearly three-quarters of the men in each Battalion were reinforcements; ideally it would take six to eight weeks to bring these men up to standard, but with so much reorganisation going on, then an epidemic of measles and mumps raging through the camp, training was at a minimum required for better discipline, and especially stricter observance of the rules as to neatness of dress and the saluting of officers. These were considered to be important matters, especially if the troops were destined for France.

 So Bert would have added these colours of the 4th Division to his sleeves.

In 1916 the field of war moved on to France for the Australian troops – the AIF first served in March (following retraining & reinforcing in Egypt after Gallipoli evacuation). By the time the AIF arrived in France, half its members were Gallipoli veterans, half new recruits. (Troops started in French Flanders then moved on to the Somme.)

In Bert’s pay book there are instructions for him to forfeit one days’ pay and he was also awarded 5 days detention for AWL (absent without leave) from 1000 hours on 21st March to 1500 hours on 21st March.

Charles Bean gives an anecdote typical of the Australian attitude to men going AWL:

There occurred a certain amount of breaking out of camp, and overstaying of leave was fairly common. The latter offence did not argue any very criminal intent, most of the men being quite ready and willing to pay for a slight extension of their holiday. Wise commanders for the most part recognised this fact. For example, Lieutenant-Colonel Gellibrand, then commanding the 12th Battalion, when some of these cases were brought before him, used to surprise the truant by asking: ‘Well – have you had a good time?’ ‘Yes, sir’. ‘Did you enjoy yourself thoroughly?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Of course you don’t object to paying for it?’ There would follow a fine or other punishment, which, though sometimes moderately severe, was accepted in the spirit in which it was given.

On 21st March 1916 Bert was among the troops who embarked at Alexandria, Egypt, having travelled around 250km to the coast from their training camp. One can only assume that the vessel departed sometime after 1500 hours; how many of those young men decided to take the opportunity for a bit of freedom! They were transported to Marseilles, France.

On board ship the troops were required to wear their life vests throughout each day; by night they became comfortable pillows. During the night the ships moved without any lights at all. On board one of the ships a young enthusiastic clergyman gave the following sermon at Sunday service:

We know what we have come for, and we know that it is right. We have all read of the things that happened in France. We know that the Germans invaded a peaceful country and brought their horrors into it. We came of our own free wills – to say that this sort of thing shall not happen in the world as long as we are in it.

And what if we die? If it were not for the dear ones whom he leaves behind, might not a man pray for a death like that? We know we are not heroes, and we do not want to be called heroes. Did not every one of us not as boys, long to go about the world as they did in the days of Raleigh or Drake, and didn’t it seem almost beyond hope? Here we are on that great enterprise, and with no thought of gain or conquest, but to help to right a great wrong. With our dear ones behind, and God above, and our friends on each side, and only the enemy to front – what more do we wish than that?

From 1st April 1916 Bert served his 5 days detention, then on 14th May he was transferred to Brigade Headquarters in France. A further transfer was made on 15th May to get him into the field, and back to 1st Field Artillery Battalion.

On that same day he was again taken on strength from 21st HOW Brigade to 101st Brigade. The HOW were British Artillery Units using Howitzers.

After disembarking, Officers in Marseilles received the following coded communication:

Delia is allotted to Steele of Faith. Concentration area will be about Berwick. Detraining stations Thirsk, Berwick, and Leeds. Entrainment for concentration area can now be carried out as units arrive. Previous instructions are destinations of artillery, Lines of Communication units, advance party, and 1st Line Transport hold good. See my zQ752/2.1. Acknowledge. From Communications.

The translation of the first part of this message was:

The 2nd Division is allotted to the XI Corps of the First Army; detraining stations, Thienne Berguette, and Lillers (three villages or small towns on the southern edge of French Flanders).

So began a long train journey from Marseilles; the men had been warned that they were embarking on a train journey of 58 hours, but had no idea of their end destination. The weather was fine, and for the Australians the scenery they passed through was so unlike home – from deep river valleys through to the high mountains of the Alps. Everywhere were dotted small villages . . . quite a contrast to the countryside at home, and more recently the deserts of Egypt.

Three times each day the trains stopped at designated stations, where the troops were given a meal; at the same time the locals appeared with hot tea and coffee, plus gifts of wine and fruit; this was their first taste of the friendliness, gratitude and hospitality of the French people.

Charles Bean wrote:

From these first days in France it was obvious that the Australian soldier, in whom natural friendliness was untrammelled by any consciousness of social distinctions, was much nearer to the mass of the French people than the shyer and less expansive men of the British Army. Their intense delight in this first train journey is reflected in almost every diary and home letter they sent.

Generally on the second evening the troops on each transport train were disappointed to see that instead of continuing into Paris, their trains instead turned towards Versailles then headed north towards Calais. A few miles short of Calais the trains turned eastwards towards the detraining areas. By now the weather had turned, becoming wet and cold and much less inviting. No sooner had they settled in to camp than it began to snow. With only one blanket each, the contrast between life in northern France and that in the Egyptian desert was very marked indeed. This winter had been one of the worst on record in the area.

Men were mostly quartered in the neighbourhood farms (officers took the best accommodation in community buildings).

They were promised 8-day regular breaks to travel to England but it was almost 12 months before this became a reality.

Training commenced immediately after arrival; marching along dirt roads toughened up the men and accustomed them to the stronger military discipline than they had perhaps seen in Egypt. Spring crops were just beginning to shoot in the fields, so actual military training was somewhat curtailed for that reason.

One of the essential routines was for the men to pass through a trench filled with chlorine gas with their gas helmets on, to prove how effective a safety measure these were. They were also issued with the new gas masks, designed to counteract the inclusion of phosgene in the German gas.

By the time the AIF arrived in France, the war on the Western Front had settled into a stalemate. The trenches ran from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border; if you imagine a ditch deep enough to stand in, running back and forth along the Hume Highway between Melbourne and Canberra, you are able to get some idea of the vastness of the whole operation.

On 15th May 1916 Bert was once again transferred, this time from the 21st Howitzer Brigade to the 101st Battery.

The onset of trench warfare after the first few months of WWI greatly increased the demand for howitzers that gave a steep angle of descent, which were better suited than guns to the task of striking targets in a vertical plane (such as trenches), with large amounts of explosive and considerably less barrel wear. They were transported mechanically rather than being pulled by horses, as the previous large guns had been.

 Between 23rd July & 5th September 1916 Bert and the other members of 4th Division joined the Battle of the Somme by attacking crucial villages of Pozieres and Mouquet. Here there were around 28,000 Australians from any number of divisions killed or wounded in six weeks of fighting, the most costly battle of the war for Australia.

By September 1916 Bert was still seeing service in France; on 10th of that month he was transferred in the field to AMC (Army Medical Corps) detail, attached to the Field Artillery Brigade. At this time he was re-mustered as a Private.

Nine days later he was transferred to 1st Field Ambulance, attached to 12a Brigade.

On 5th and 6th November Australian troops (no detail of divisions) attacked German positions near Flers in atrocious weather. Although they took some of their objectives, they were unable to hold them against German counter attacks and retired with heavy losses.

Another year rolled over, and in March 1917 the Australian troops (no detail of divisions) attacked the outpost villages as they advanced towards the Hindenburg Line.

Between 3rd and 17th May the Australian 1st, 2nd & 5th divisions renewed the attack on Bullecourt and again penetrated the Hindenburg Line. Over the next two weeks the Australians resisted fierce German counterattacks and eventually secured the ground. Even though the town was of little strategic value, the cost of capture was immense, with more than 7,400 Australian casualties.

On 7th June the troops were moved on to Messines in Flanders, France.

Bert spent the next 10 months fighting in the field; finally on 21st July 1917 The 56th ambulance brigade were to transport Bert from the field because of his injuries. He was sufficiently badly wounded in action in Belgium to have needed serious medical attention. He was transferred to the 9th General Hospital in Rouen on 24th July for further treatment, then on 28th July he embarked on Hospital Ship Western Australia for transfer to England.

Six days later, on 30th July 1917, Bert was transported to Exeter, UK. He had sustained gunshot wounds to his ankles, with the right ankle being noted as severe. The gunshot wounds to his ankles were noted as Os Calcis S/I; standing for ‘seriously ill’, and Os Calcis referring to the main heel bone being fractured into 2 main fragments.

Several weeks later, Bert was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital (3AH) at Dartford, Exeter on 18th August 1917. This hospital grew to 1400 beds and was for the treatment of war-related nerves and neuroses.

 Bert was on private furlough (leave of absence) from 22 October to 5th November 1917 at Dartford.

Once his two weeks of leave had come to an end, Bert was sent to Weymouth on 5th November – then a further wait of several weeks before he finally received a place on the ship HMAT A34 PERSIC that was homeward bound. The message for his transfer onto Persic was written as AM31/3062 – this being the code for that particular voyage of that particular vessel . . . ever vigilant that the information was kept from all except those with a direct need to know!

On 21st December 1917 Bert’s service file notes that he was returned to Australia per A34 from England for change gunshot wound right & left foot.

The final entry notes a reversion to P/S on 15th September 1916 is in accordance with AIF orders 785 & 920.

(Order 785 relates to the rate of pay he would have received; this changed if a soldier was wounded out of the field.)

The ship disembarked its passengers on 14th February 1918; Bert was examined once again by a medical doctor.

As a final chapter to this stage of Bert’s life, he was discharged from the AIF in consequence of medical unfitness on 2nd August 1918.

The statement of summary for his service, under the heading ‘FORFEITURES, CRIMES, V.D. etc’ there are three lines:

OFFENCE: A.W.L. from 1000 21.3.16 to 1500 21.3.16 (noted 1.4.16)

AWARD: 5 days detention and forfeits 1 days pay

Total Forfeiture: 5 days pay

And under CAUSE OF BECOMING NON EFFECTIVE, WITH DATE OF CASUALTY

Return to Australia per “A34” for CHANGE (G.S.W RT AND L. FOOT) 21.12.17

The AIF record of service (a 12 page volume) notes that his next of kin were notified of his being wounded on 3 August 1917, hospitalised on 10 August and that he was progressing favourably on 21 August.

On 8 January 1918 they were advised that he had been approved for return to Australia.

The war finally came to an end on 11 November 1918.

The medals that Bert had received for his service – the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914/1915 Star – have unfortunately been lost in the mists of time.

I’ve come across a few references online to people (and one dog) who suffered loss of body hair as a result of gassing. Unfortunately none of them were specific as to which gas had been encountered. I would guess that as Bert’s record does not make any reference to being gassed, he must have had a relatively mild exposure. Medical records show that acute poisoning doesn’t cause hair loss – it’s far more likely to cause death. But when exposed to small doses over many days, hair loss is a common symptom.

The gas that Bert was exposed to was most likely to have been chlorine gas – mustard gas wasn’t brought into the war until September 1917, and that was by the Germans against Russian troops. Exposure to chlorine gas over long periods of time is recorded as leading to severe hair loss; even some current-day swimming champions have experienced the same effects following their prolonged training sessions in chlorinated water, particularly if the pool is indoors where the chlorine gas can’t escape into the atmosphere in the way it would if the pool is outdoors.

Infantrymen were the worst affected by gassing; because the gas hung low on the ground and fell down into the trenches, it was almost impossible for them to avoid. Because Bert was operating the artillery guns, he would probably be back from the front lines of attack, and more out in the open air.

Gas was a weapon used by both sides in that war, so Bert may not have even been reacting to enemy warfare in this case.

At the time the war ended, the comment was made that ‘after the Great War, was the great silence’ – men and their families were for ever changed by their experiences during those 4 years. The soldiers came back very different men from those who had left; not only vastly depleted in numbers, but also changed in body and mind.

Like many young men of this generation, Bert possibly never became the person he could have become in life had the Great War not eaten away at so many of his early years and experiences.

Our Uncle Bert was only one of the 155,133 who were wounded in action (including gassing and shell shock).

At the beginning of WWI in 1914, the population of Australia was less than five million. An indication of the major sacrifice made by our country can be seen in those statistics:

Of the 324,000 who had enlisted and served overseas, 61,720 were killed; 48,000 on the western front in France and Belgium. Another 4,044 were taken as prisoners of war; of these 397 died while captive.

On average, 38 members of the Australian armed forces died per day during the 1,560 days of the war.

"We remember them all. They are all gone now. Gone, but never forgotten by the nation they shaped."

Tony Abbott at 100 Years Centenary Ceremony, Albany WA 1 November 2014.

As a footnote to this whole episode, after Bert had been wounded out, the Australian forces were involved in the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux on 24th April. He was fortunate to have missed out on this battle, where his sister-in-law Ruby’s brother Archie lost his life. Archie was one of the thousands who are named on the memorial wall at the Australian War Memorial that faces that battlefield – just one of the many for whom there could be no burial or headstone in the graveyard.

World War I ended on 11 November 1918. At 11 am on 11 November, 1918, the guns fell silent. The November armistice was followed by the peace treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919.

During the First World War, Australia and South Africa remained the only countries in the war which did not resort to conscription.

Remember the nine young men who were accepted into the AIF on 28th August 1914? None of their names appear on the Australian War Memorial Honour Roll for WWI, so it can be assumed that all returned, although in what state of mind or body is unknown.

We already know Bert suffered for the rest of his life from his war injuries – what of these other men?

From: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/search -

George Livingtone Sandbrook does not appear on Nominal Roll. His file was unable to be located.

Percival John Kem returned to Australia 22 July 1917.

John Andrew Mulholland returned to Australia 25 August 1917.

William Charles Carter returned to Australia 23 September 1918.

Reginald Thomas Cox returned to Australia 8 October 1918.

Ernest John Ferguson returned to Australia 18 January 1919 with a Military Cross, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. He died as a result of wounds and gassing in 1922 -23.

George Frederick Simpson returned 31 March 1919 with a Military Medal.

We can only wonder what the odds were of at least eight of them returning home.

Details of the rest of Herbert William Payne’s life

Prior to his war service, Bert was a school teacher.

On his entry for the NSW Teacher’s Rolls, the title reads as Payne Herbert Wm Christadelphian, so in 1902 he was still a follower of the family religion. On flipping through the pages of this teacher register, I noted that occasionally a name would have meth, CE, RC, or cong written after it in extremely small lettering; for our Herbert the religion was spelt out in full, and given almost the same prominence as his name.

Bert began this career at the age of 17, on 21st April 1902, employed on probation as a P T at Wagga Public School.

P T – or Pupil Training – was the system used up until 1905. Prior to his commencement as a P T, Bert would have had to sit an exam; usually students were tutored for this exam by an existing teacher or school principal.

From 30th December 1902, he became a P T, then was further promoted; first as a class III teacher from 1st April 1903, then as a class II teacher from 1st April 1904, then finally as a class I teacher from 1st January 1905.

This classification was based on the teacher's efficiency, recorded from their classroom work as well as their results in the written, oral and practical examinations set by the Department. After spending a certain period of time in each grade, a teacher could improve their classification by passing the Department's exams. These were held each year in locations across the State on Easter Tuesday and during the midwinter vacation.

Having reached the correct standard, Bert was then installed as a Teacher on Probation at Betherwah School from 5th February 1905 with a rate of pay at £88 per year.

On September 1905 Bert failed to pass his exam for admission to training school.

On 29th July 1907 it was noted ‘Life Assured. Appointment confirmed.’

The final entry of 20th October 1907 gives his posting as a teacher of Edenderry Prov.

A Provisional School could be established in areas where at least 10 children, but fewer than the 25 required for a Public School, could be expected to attend. Parents provided the building and furniture, while the Department of Education paid the teacher and supplied books and equipment. After 1882 there were provisions for the Department to provide all or part of the cost of buildings, but well into the twentieth century parents often met most of the cost. The schools were generally staffed by untrained teachers or by teachers of the lowest classification in Public Schools.

They were the equivalent of the present-day small one-teacher rural schools.

At the time of enlistment Bert was teaching at Edenderry School, Wagga.

Both Betherwah and Edenderry have now disappeared from the maps of NSW.

There is no record currently available to tell us what Bert did once he returned to Australia on 2nd August 1918. He was one of the thousands of men who came back to Australia with physical and / or emotional injuries, who needed to be re-integrated into the workforce and society.

It can’t have been easy for him; having no body hair made him stand out in a crowd, and there was no reconciliation with his Christadelphian family. His mother died in 1924, but his father lived until 1946 – living for several years with the family of his brother Ernest.

Unfortunately once details from Australian censuses are recorded, the details of each individual household are pulped. So we lose track of Bert from the time of his return to Australia after the war, until the 1930s. From the electoral rolls we know that in 1930 Bert was living with Ruby Adeline Gordon, at 25 Surrey Street Darlinghurst; he was working as a postal employee, with Ruby taking care of the home duties. They remained in this street for three years.

Ruby had previously been married in Melbourne to David Lawrence Gordon in 1915; presumably they had both come to Sydney at some time, but he didn’t die until 1955. Hopefully they divorced some time before 1933, when she married Bert!

Three years later, in 1936 Bert and Ruby moved around the corner to 36 Caldwell St Darlinghurst; Bert was still a postal employee, with Ruby looking after the home duties.

They were well established here for thirteen years, till 1949. There are no published electoral rolls after that date.

The next recorded event in Bert’s life is the death of his wife in July 1957. She would have been 55 years old.

Ruby Adeline Payne died 23 July 1957 (ancestry records Index to Estate files) Occupation was given as M W (married woman).

From: Sydney Morning Herald December 9 1957:

In the will of Ruby Adeline Payne, late of Kings Cross in the state of New South Wales, married woman deceased – Application will be made after 14 days from the publication hereof that the probate of the last Will and Testament dated 12/2/52 of the above name deceased may be granted to Frederick William Payne the Executor named in the said Will and all notices may be served at the undermentioned address. All creditors in the estate of the deceased are hereby required to send in particulars of their claims to the undersigned. A.J. MCLACHLAN, HOARE, MANN & Co, 6 Wynyard Street, Sydney.

Probate for this Will was granted 12 February 1958 (ancestry records – Index to Estate files)

The reference to a Frederick William Payne had me stumped, until I received the details of probate for Uncle Bert’s Will. That document contained a copy of Bert’s Death Certificate – on here was noted that Bert’s son Frederick W Payne had pre-deceased him.

None of his family members still living in 2014 had known that his son ever existed.

Frederick William Payne had lived at 36 Caldwell Street with his parents, and worked as a salesman at a prestige car sale company, Stack & Co, William Street, Sydney for ten years, so probably since he had left school. He had lost his job in April 1962, and only lived for another 7 months. He died on 19 November 1962, at the age of 28, in Sydney Hospital. He had suffered cardio-myopathy. Frederick had never married.

According to his Probate records, Frederick owned a property The Shades, Kellett Avenue, Kings Cross. This was described as Brick building, tile roof comprising ground floor – seven lock up garages. First floor two rooms, kitchen and bathroom. The value of the property was £3,500.

In total Frederick left £3,865.18.9 to his father. He was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Botany. The funeral company was Metropolitan Burial & Cremation Society – Ruby Payne’s brother Ben Box was the founder of this business.

On 12th August 1963 Herbert William Payne, as Estate Executor, signed the declaration for probate on his son’s Will.

Bert remained living at 36 Caldwell Street until the time of his death in 1967.

2nd January 1967 Bert died.

The details on his death registration were:

Occupation: Messenger

Age: 81 years

Place of death: St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst

Usual residence: 36 Caldwell Street, Potts Point

Place of birth: Sydney

Marriage details: to Ruby Carwardine, at the age of 48. (Ruby now deceased)

Issue: Frederick W (deceased)

Informant: E. A. Payne, brother, of 22 Mepunga Street, Concord West

Cause and duration of last illness: Cerebral thrombosis, 9 days; Bronchopneumonia 7 days

Burial details: 4th January 1967, at Rookwood Crematorium. The probate records include the fact that he was buried in a niche at that cemetery. Currently the on-line records for burials are unavailable.

His solicitor, Harry Evans Hoare, of A.J. McLachlan Hoare & Co in O’Connell Street, Sydney, had known Bert for 40 years, according to his signed declaration on the probate record.

Probate on his Will was granted 12 April 1967. Uncle Bert had made his Will on 2nd December 1962. His son, Frederick William Payne had died on 19 November 1962, so Bert had wasted no time in updating his wishes for his estate. At this stage Bert was age 76. On the cover of the probate record, he was described as being a

Retired P.M.G. Officer.

The detailed inventory of his home and assets gives a wonderful insight to how he lived; all his furnishings and furniture are listed in great detail. From this we learn that his house had 2 bedrooms, and was valued at $9,250. That same property sold in 2013 for $1,585,000. What had been an undesirable inner-city precinct has now become a very desirable place to live, so close to the city centre!

Had we been able to walk into this home at 36 Caldwell Street, I imagine we would have entered by a long narrow hallway with dining room, living room, kitchen and laundry on the ground floor. Upstairs were two bedrooms and a bathroom, then above that an attic. In the hallway the floral Axminster carpet with felt surround was wearing; the floor coverings in other rooms were also well worn. The dining room contained – along with the dining suite of dark timbered low mirror-backed sideboard, dining table and four chairs – a smoker’s stand, so perhaps Bert enjoyed the little luxury of a cigarette or two after meals. In the lounge room was a much-worn floral linen lounge with saggy, worn cushions, a Kriesler Bakelite mantel radio, a walnut veneer mantel clock, and a number of book shelves. If we were able to take a look on those shelves, we would have found the few books including paperbacks. There was also a swing-back bridge chair and other small pieces of furniture, and a small collection of worn plated silverware.

The windows downstairs had coverings of blinds and net curtains. Bert warmed these rooms with a Fyreside Kerosene room heater and a single bar radiator. A few ornaments, 2 framed photos, 2 pictures and a few knick-knacks completed the décor in this living area. There was a terracotta pot with artificial flowers in it; I can’t help wondering if this was given to him by his sister-in-law Ruby Payne. She loved making little floral decorations from colourful plastic tubing that had been snipped and curled to resemble the petals of flowers, so perhaps he had been given one of these on one of her visits to his home.

The kitchen strikes me as a room that’s somewhat neglected; the linoleum is perished and partly covered with four cotton floor rugs; the one window has a blind and plastic curtains. There’s a green laminex tubular table with four chairs, a painted kitchen cabinet, an odd assortment of dinnerware, bowls and cutlery. There are some aluminium saucepans, a steamer, and a kettle. The old Kelvinator electric fridge is located in the laundry, along with a spindle-back chair, a Thor Trimatic washing machine and an electric Elextrolux barrel vacuum cleaner. That room also has a plastic curtain to the window.

The staircase leading to the first floor also has a worn Axminster carpet; the window on the landing has a pair of curtains covering it.

The main bedroom has blinds and net curtains to the windows, with blinds to two doorways as well, leading me to think that there may have been French doors opening out from that room. Looking at the photo of that home, the two bedrooms would probably have lead out to that upper front verandah. In this room the Axminster carpet has a leaf pattern, and once again worn areas are covered by mats. The stand-out piece of furniture would have to be the cedar chest of eight drawers. The bookshelves in this room contain a few old books, including copies of Popular Science – a small insight for us into Bert’s leisure interests. The three-piece walnut veneer dark stained bedroom suite consisting of wardrobe, lowboy and sunken-centre dressing table with cheval mirror and drawers complete the bedroom furnishings. Perhaps they had become as worn as the 2’6” oak panelled bedstead with its wire base, kapok mattress and old feather quilt, topped with a chenille bedspread. The bedside table has a Pye mantel radio in brown Bakelite. The only other decorative pieces are a gilt framed mirror, alabaster jewel box and, quite incongruously, a KBC Power Chief electric drill!

The second bedroom has a floor covering of the same worn, leaf pattern Axminster carpet, blind and curtains. There is a cedar combination wardrobe-dressing table with a marble top, 3’6” bed with inner-spring mattress, feather quilt, morris-type chair and a bedside table complete with mulga wood electric lamp and Westclox alarm clock. This bed strikes me as being far more comfortable than that in the main bedroom; perhaps after his wife Ruby died, Bert moved himself into this bedroom.

The final room on this floor, the bathroom, has a congoleum (vinyl) floor covering, plastic curtains, Austrian chair, two broken spindle back chairs and a double door cupboard containing sundry linen items.

There’s not much in the attic – just a work table with a quantity of carpenter’s tools and some other small items deemed to be of no value.

There probably wasn’t much outdoor space to this home – the land size being 16’ x 72’ (5m x 22m approx.). The only outdoor equipment listed is two step, rung extension ladders, a garden hose, a trowel and a weeder.

The total value allocated to these household items was $415.00.

Besides his collection of Popular Science magazines – described on the web as delivering What’s New & What’s Next, Bert had a penchant for watches. He had a collection of seven, ranging from ladies and gents wrist watches, to a pocket watch and a 9ct. gold Albert. Like most other things in his home, these were in various states of disrepair. His 9ct gold wedding ring was given a paltry valuation of $1.50, with all the jewellery coming to a total of $72.00.

Bert had some money invested, a few shares, and a number of mortgagee loans, including one to his nephew Norman to assist with the construction of the home for his family at 39 Ridge Street, Epping.

The final value of his estate was $48,221.11. Of this, Bert had left a legacy of $500 to each of his two living sisters Doris Barnard and Linda Nichol, and $400 to a Maisie Robinson, described in the document as a stranger. In the document of Bert’s Will, he notes that the legacy to Mrs Robinson was a token of appreciation of the kindness that Mrs Poole and Mrs Robinson have shown me during my lifetime. (Mrs Poole, his next-door neighbour at number 34, didn’t receive her legacy, as she had pre-deceased him). His brother Ernest Payne was bequeathed a life interest in the income from Bert’s residue, with that amount to be divided equally among Ernest’s three offspring – Dorothy E, Joyce Miller and Norman Payne, at the time of Ernest’s death. Bert’s trustee, The Union Company of Australia, was tasked with the responsibility of the investments of his remaining estate.

At the bottom of each page of his Will sits his signature.

This whole slice of Bert’s life comes across as being a somewhat frugal existence. I can’t help wondering what became of that young man who set out on a teaching career some 65 years previously. It would seem that for the rest of his life, he paid the ultimate price for the service he gave to King and Country. So far, we haven’t been able to see his photograph, but a picture of important parts of his life is beginning to emerge.

Herbert Payne, as the world commemorates

the Centenary of World War I,

we salute you.

Diana Adamson January 2015

Postscript:

A couple of months after this story was written, Barbara E came across a family photo of Ernest, William and Herbert Payne. The final piece to this puzzle is now in place and we can be confident that whatever rift there may have been between father and son must not have been permanent.

The badge Uncle Bert is wearing in this photo is that of the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia.