The Forgotten Face of War - WW1
At the outbreak of WW1, the population of Australia was around 5 Million, young men some just boys, rushed to enlist in the AIF, eager to participate in the great adventure.
400,000 men and women volunteered for service, almost ten per cent of Australia’s entire population. Soldiers embarked for the battlefields of Gallipoli, the Middle East and the Western Front.
Of this number, around one Australian serviceman in every seven would die. The population of Collie was around 3300. Of this number 565 ‘Collie Boys’ embarked for overseas service, and 133, around one in five, were killed in action or died of wounds. By 1917, as the casualty rate continued to rise, reinforcements from volunteer enlistments, became more difficult to find. Mothers refused to send anymore of their sons to the killing fields of the Western Front. The Government of the day twice attempted to introduce conscription but was defeated on both occasions. Almost every Australian family had a connection with casualties of war, for every one of those young men who struggled, suffered and died in France, there was waiting at home, a weeping mother, father, perhaps a wife and children, or a sweetheart, brother or sister. This is often the forgotten face of war. The Chaplain of WA’s own 11th Battalion, Father John FAHEY, acknowledged the huge contribution made by heroic nurses and women at home during the war years with the followings words; “They bear the great anguish of the war. Their sons, their husbands, and their sweethearts have left them to go to the field of battle-perhaps forever. It is the women who bear the great burden of sorrow. They have shown wonderful heroism. The women’s anguish is a mental suffering and knows no relaxation. Go among the sorrow-stricken women folk and you can see the sadness in their glances-sometimes it is impossible to bear “.
Requiem for a Soldier – WW1
In 1915 the Britten family moved to the small timber settlement of Lyalls Mill just south of Collie. Two sons, Lachlan and William, had enlisted into the AIF on the same day in July 1915. In January 1916 both boys joined the 28th Infantry Battalion in Egypt as reinforcements. In March they proceeded to France and the horrors of the Western Front. On the 5th of June 1916, during a heavy German bombardment, both brothers became casualties of that terrible war. Lachlan was severely wounded in the chest, leg and ankle, he was evacuated to England. Sadly, Lachlan Britten died of wounds received on the 13th June 1916. He was 22 yrs of age. Lachlan was buried in the Epsom District Council Cemetery, Surrey, England.
You could never imagine the anguish of the Mother and Father when told of the loss of their son, Lachlan. The small community of Lyalls Mill would have suffered and wept openly with them. Unbeknown to the family in Lyalls Mill, a mother on the other side of the world, London, understood this anguish and wrote a letter of sympathy. This letter is a stark reminder of the forgotten face of war.
Copy of a letter sent to the parents of Private L Britten, 28th Battalion:
‘you will wonder why a stranger from a place unknown to you, should be writing. I trust you will think it no presumption when I explain. May I first offer you my deepest sympathy in the loss of your son, in the cause of Freedom & Right. We in the motherland think most highly of all the brave lads who have sacrificed so much for us all, and it must be a consolation to you all to know he died doing his duty. I was visiting my husband, in the County of London War Hospital, Epsom, and was in the Ward on June 10 when a convoy of wounded men from France arrived, amongst whom was your son, Pte Lachlan Britten. He was carried on a stretcher by four of our Red Cross men and put carefully into bed in my husband’s ward. He appeared to be very comfortable after his wounds had been redressed and he had eaten a good hot meal. He picked up a “Daily Mirror” and seemed quite happy. One of the nurses in charge said he was such a nice fellow. For three days he lay in bed but on the Sunday his leg began to swell, and on Monday a slight operation was performed. I understood that the shot was too high in the leg for amputation. On Tuesday we noticed the Major (Head Doctor in that Ward) was making frequent visits to his bedside, and the nurses were in constant attendance. Every two minutes they brought a hot fermentation to relieve the pain, after which he fell into a peaceful sleep. I left the hospital just before, but he was quite conscious when I passed him. My husband said he just gave one little cough and went away so peacefully. The Union Jack was placed over him and he was carried away. The funeral took place on June 16th at Epsom Cemetery, where he was laid to rest with our other brave heroes. My heart aches as I write all this – it seems so sad for him to be taken so far from all his own folks – I cannot help thinking how I should have suffered had it been my own boy.’ Stella Dobbie
This letter, written by an educated, sincere and caring lady, reminds us of the suffering of those mothers at home. Fortunately, the second brother, William, although badly injured in the same battle on the same day, survived and was sent home to his family in Lyalls Mill. In March 1917, he was medically discharged, being unfit for further active service.