The Waratah March

They walked through Jamberoo, Albion Park, Dapto, Unanderra and Wollongong before arriving at the Liverpool camp 17 December 1915. On the way the stayed overnight in community halls and were fed by the townsfolk.

Alan Clark in his book ‘The Waratahs – South Coast Recruiting March 1915’ gives this account of part of the journey from Kiama to Albion Park;

‘The escort to Jamberoo included members of the Mounted Police, the A Squad of the Illawarra Light Horse under the command of Captain Theodore Grey and the cadets under Sergeant Booth.

On the road from Jamberoo to Albion Park a milk wagon containing empty cans and carrying a number of school children, had a hair raising time when trying to pass the Waratahs. The four horses were startled by the noise of the band and the flags flying in the breeze. The horses dashed at a great pace and travelled a quarter of a mile before halted by the driver.

The Albion Park community gathered in the lowlands of the town and waited for the Waratahs to come around the heights of Mount Terry. The Mounted Police led the party, followed by the Light Horse and the Waratahs themselves.

There was an archway of flags along the road leading right to the Agricultural Hall at the Showground which was quarters for the night. On reaching the hall about 4pm they were welcomed on behalf of the residents and recruiting committee by the Mayor, Thomas Armstrong.

The Illawarra Mercury reported that plenty of straw was provided and the men had their beds made and time for a rest before the evening meal’.

Bert Weston was a boy living in Albion Park when the Waratahs arrived in 1915. He wrote some of his memories in a letter to The Sun Herald October 7 1990;

‘As a schoolboy, I remember when they (the Waratahs) reached our town of Albion Park. With only 60 more miles to go, they were a weary band clad in dusty civilian suits. Their first move, after unloading their gear from the accompanying truck was to be marched to the nearby Macquarie Rivulet for a skinny dip clean up. Quartered for the night in the Agricultural Hall, they filled their hessian sleeping bags with hay donated by the local farms and partook of a hearty meal supplied by the local ladies, which was followed by a concert and recruiting speeches. Several local lads came forward and volunteered to join up, and left with the march next morning.

‘Albion Park baker Mr Lowe cooked the meat in his oven and took it, still hot in time for dinner to the showground. Then the ladies took over and mentioned as carvers were Madams Collins, Lowe, O’Keefe, Chapple, Gower, Harris. Mrs F Slusher was in charge of dispensing the vegetables and many other district ladies assisted in the serving the meal.

‘The ladies were left to clean up as the Waratahs and local men assembled at the Town Hall to hear recruiting speeches delivered by Inspector Anderson and Sergeant Tickner. This was followed by a pianoforte solo from Miss Timbs who started with a National Anthem and the Marseillaise.

‘Recitations were given by Mr WJ Healey and Miss Fleet. There were songs from Gertie Corr and the Waratahs went on stage to sing a chorus.

‘The night was far from over as the floor was cleared for the dancing which was enjoyed until midnight. Miss Timbs provided the dance music, assistance came from Miss Corr and Mr S Condon and it proved an enjoyable evening.

‘Two young farm labourers joined the march at Albion Park; Edwin Bullock 21 had migrated from England; while Henry Timbs born at Berry in 1895 was a member of the 28th Light Horse Regiment.

There was an effort to keep the ‘Waratah’ men together when they went overseas; many left together on board the Makarini and served together as the 16th Reinforcements for the 1st Battalion on the Western Front.

They arrived at The Front in July 1915 during one of the most devastating months of the war when 5300 Australians were killed in Pozieres, France. What followed was the bloody Battle of the Somme. 15 of the 31 Illawarra Waratahs who embarked were either killed in action or died of wounds.

Private Stanley Bates reported back that the Waratahs had been in the thick of the fighting suffering heavily in the number of deaths and wounded. Then suffered the ‘awful, indescribably battlefield, the Somme…but I can tell you Fritz suffered just as terribly’ he wrote. (Illawarra Mercury 26.4.2008)

Names of those who joined the Waratah March

• George Edgar Maguire ALDOUS           
• Cleveland Holmes ALEXANDER
• Aubrey Will ANDERSON Ludwig ANDREASSEN
• Thomas ATKINSON
• Richard Horace BARNARD William BARRIE *
• Stanley Norman BATES
• Cyril Claude BATTYE William Adams BEDFORD
• Frederick BENNETT
• Stanley Mason BERRY Donald Mervyn BLACK *
• William Morton BLACK *
• William BLOOMFIELD Alfred Ishmael BRAITHWAITE
• John Joseph BRAITHWAITE
• Cyril Stanley BRANDON Walter John BROWN
• Edwin James Stanley BULLOCK
• Harry Thomas CAPON
• John Edward Michael CARRICK
• Reginald Norman CASHMAN
• Leslie George CLARKE
• Andrew Patrick CLEARY *
• Walter George COLLINS *
• Cecil James COOKE
• Richard Michael COOKE
• Joseph Thomas COOPER *
• David COWIE
• William David CRAMOND
• James CRANE
• Joseph George CROTTY
• Michael Joseph DEANE
• Leslie George DOHERTY *
• John Goldsmith C. EDWARDS
• Lancelot Hampton EDWARDS  
• Cecil Gordon ELLIOTT
• Ernest William EVANS
• Ernest Henry FISHER *
• Walter FITTLER
• Bruce Vaughan B. FOSTER
• William Henry Irvine GIBSON *   
• George Henry HABERLEY
• John HANRAHAN *
• William Charles HATCH
• John HENDERSON
• Augustus HENDRICKES *
• William Mark HENNESSY
• James Albert HENRY *
• William HETHERINGTON
• Alfred Alexander HINDE
• Alfred Francis Sidney HOWES *
• William HUGGETT *
• Thomas Christopher IRVINE *    
• Alfred Christian KING
• William LANG *
• Cyril Kenneth LEE
• Benjamin LEGGETT
• Maurice Llewellyn LEWIS
• John Harold LINDOY
• Gordon LINDSEY *
• Ernest Joseph LUCAS *
• Hector Alexander MACKENZIE  
• Richard McDONALD *
• Charles Henry McGOLDRICK *
• Reginald Stanford MADGWICK 
• Clement Lindsay MARTIN *
• Frederick MYLES
• John ORGAN 
• David Humphrey OWENS
• Albert Patrick PATTERSON
• Clive Roy PAULING
• Percival Evans PIPER *
• William Charles PLAYER
• Arthur Edward Walter POORE   
• Charles Ernest PRITCHARD
• William John RANYARD
• Herbert Cyril Milton RAUCH
• Henry RAWLINSON
• Joseph William RICHARDS
• Patrick Francis RODGERS
• Thomas Edward SCOTT *
• Frederick Thomas S. SELWYN
• Claude Ambrose SEARLS
• Thomas SIMPSON
• Francis Claude SOLDI
• John Forbes SOUTER jnr
• Carl Magnus Thorston SYNNERDAHL
• Frederick John THOMAS
• John Ambrose THOMAS
• Matthew Knowles THORBURN *
• Henry Marshall TIMBS
• Frederick John TOMS  *
• Andrew TRESIDDER *
• Ernest Alfred TREVETHAN
• Walter VALE
• Henry Herbert Sydney WARNER
• Henry WARREN *
• Alan Bertie WATTS
• John William WATTS *
• William Thos M. WHEATLEY
• Frederick WILLIAMS

*Killed in Action

Sources:

1. Clark, Alan, 1994, ‘The Waratahs – South Coast Recruiting March 1915’

2. The Tongarra Heritage Society Inc

3. Wendy Nunan