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This is a story about my Grandfathers who fought in World War I and how they made it back safe to Australia.
With their brothers and their mates and the horror of war it was about to change their lives forever. It was nearing the end of 1915 the Gallipoli campaign was still going and they went to give their mates a hand.
Chapter 1 THE BEGINNING
On one side of my family were the Curry's from Granville, Sydney, a family of eight children. Both their parents were from England. Their mother, Isabella Henderson was from Wooler, Northumberland and had four of her family already heavily involved in the Great War. Therefore, the tie with the British Empire was strong.
The two younger brothers went to the Western Front to fight for Australia. They were eventually both ranked as Gunners on the 18 pounders. Riding six horses at full gallop the Artillery Gun Carriage Teams had to manoeuvre themselves quickly anywhere on the battlefield under all sorts of conditions.
Albert Alfred Curry, my Grandfather, was the younger of the two brothers. He had just turned 18 years, but had already spent time of three years as a cadet and one year in the Royal New South Wales Lancers classed as militia. I'm sure he was quite a horseman.
He enlisted to join the Australian Army on the 29th November 1915 in Sydney and embarked on Troopship H.M.A.T A15 Star of England 8th March 1916. He was ranked as Private in the 15th Reinforcements, 4th Battalion (NSW)
Henry Ernest Curry, his older brother, aged 23 years, was already on his way. He signed up and enlisted a little earlier on the 17th September 1915 in Sydney and embarked on Troopship H.M.A.T A29 Suevic 23rd December 1915. He was ranked as Private in the 7th Reinforcements, 20th Battalion. (NSW)
On the other hand of my family were the country boys from Timbertown.
Henry John Marchment, my Grandfather, aged 26, was a blacksmith from Warchope. He came from a family of nine children. He signed up and enlisted on the 25th October 1915 in Sydney with his two younger brothers, Robert Westall Marchment, aged 24 and Stan Hastings Marchment, aged 21. They would eventually all end in the same unit. 14th Machine Gun Company, 5th Division firing the Vickers 303. They must have been pretty good shots or lucky to be the top 4% of the Infantry.
The funny thing was they all embarked on Troopship H.M.A.T A29 Suevic 23rd September 1915 as Privates in the 7th Reinforcements, 20th Battalion. This was the same ship and Battalion as Henry Ernest Curry so four out of five of my family members were on this ship.
This is a letter written by Stan Hastings Marchment to his elder brother Don on the 15th March 1916 about the adventures on that ship travelling to Egypt.
Dear Don (Marchment),
We landed all right after a splendid trip. There were thousands on the wharf to see us off. When we were two days out, the Adjutant discovered a girl dressed in soldier's uniform, with her hair cut, and civilian boots on. The boots put her away. They put her on a passing boat and sent her back to Melbourne. Before she left we got a list going round the boys and she took away between _30-0-0 ($60) and _40-0-0 ($80), so she did not do to [sic] bad out of her little adventure; but didn't the boys cheer as she was leaving! She was only about 17 years of age. We lost a soldier overboard one night. The guard heard a man scream, and never reported it until they came off duty, twenty minutes later - a man lost through their neglectfulness.
We also had a German spy on board. He was caught tampering with the wireless plant, twice. The first time they let him go; but the second time they put him behind bars, and he did not have another chance of doing any harm. We have all sorts of amusements, Boxing, concerts, etc. We arrived in Suez after 28 days sailing. We took a train to Zeitoun and marched from there to Aerodrome Camp at Heliopolis. Next day I met "Puck" Suters, Jim Budge, Normie Way and about thirty other Hastings River boys. We had twenty-four hours leave and went to Cairo about 20 minutes run in the train from our camp. I will never forget it till I die. We roamed about till 8 o'clock and then went back to camp. No soldier is allowed in Cairo before 12 o'clock in the day and after 9 at night.
Your brother,
Stan.