The Great European War Eltham Honour Roll at Saint Margaret’s Anglican Church Eltham

Introduction

On the south wall of the 1861 Church of Saint Margaret at Eltham is an Honour Roll of those men and women from the Eltham district who served in the Great European War from 1914 to 1918. Many were directly connected to Saint Margaret’s. It is inscribed Eltham Honour Roll 1914 Great European War 1918. There are 74 names inscribed on the Honour Roll. A red cross before each of 13 names indicates that they died in the conflict. Nearby, on the east wall, is a separate memorial to George Alfred Williams, who is one of those with a red cross before his name. James Joshua Pryor is another. He was killed at Gallipoli. His brother, Roy Pryor, was also part of the landing at Gallipoli – they had enlisted together and were both in the 6^th Battalion, B Company. Another soldier from the Honour Board also present at Gallipoli was Edward Barrett, 7^th Battalion, B Company. All three had embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata on 19 October 1914. George Davidson Sommerville, 7^th Battalion, E Company, was also at the Gallipoli Landing and he too had embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata.  Sommerville was killed in action at the 2^nd Battle of Krithia on 8 May 1915. The two nurses identified are Frances Mary Miller and Edith Caroline Munction Miller. Some would not describe the Honour Roll as a religious object others would say that it is. Because it was placed inside the Church it required permission from Henry Lowther Clark the Archbishop of Melbourne.

Origins

The idea for an Eltham Honour Roll originated at the Church of Saint Margaret. In particular the driving force was its Vicar the Reverend Thomas Henry Sapsford. The Reverend Sapsford was not only Vicar but the Eltham Scout Chaplain. A scout’s concert was held 27 June 1917 and opened with God Save the King and the Marsellaise. The concert proceeds were divided between the Scouts Fund and the Honour Board Fund.  The Reverend Sapsford was working on its design and making. He also convened the establishment of the Soldiers Welcome Home Committee for Eltham in 1917 and was active for its entire existence.

At a Church Vestry meeting held 10 October 1917an Honour Roll was discussed and presumably it was agreed to have it made. The service of dedication and consecration of this memorial was to be conducted by the Very Rev. Archdeacon WG Hindley, and he was to be assisted by the Vicar. The unveiling of the Honour Roll was by Archdeacon Hayman on 16 March 1918, together with the dedication and consecration of the Margaret and Paul stained glass windows which are set in the east wall of the 1861 Church.

The Advertiser newspaper reported that, Following the devotional portion of the service, the archdeacon delivered an interesting and encouraging address to the congregation in which he stated his belief that departed friends in the unseen were around us, and were cognisant of all we did upon earth. The Honour Roll is made of Blackwood and Australian oak. At the base on each side were brackets that were to hold two small vases for flowers. The brackets and the vases are missing today. Also dedicated at the same time was a Union Jack on a polished standard of Queensland maple. It was a gift of a parishioner named E.W. Smithers. A credence bracket that was gifted by W.H. Saxe, a friend of the vicar, was also dedicated. Unfortunately both artefacts have been lost to the Church.

At the Vestry meeting on 25 June 1969, John Ward suggested that the Returned Servicemen’s League (RSL) might be a more fitting place to display the Honour Roll. The reason for the suggestion was to make room for a Vicar’s Honour Board. This was to be an item for discussion at the next meeting. At the 23 July meeting, the matter was deferred; it would seem, indefinitely, as it appears that it was never considered again.

In Memoriam

The stories of six young men associated with the congregation of St Margaret’s Eltham who enlisted and died as a result of the Great European war are now briefly recalled. Sadly the youngest was 19 and the oldest only 22 years of age when killed. The primary source of information comes from the searches of the web site of The Commonwealth War Graves Commission

George Alfred Williams held the rank of Corporal in the Australian Army Medical Corps. He died 17 September 1918 aged 21. He was the son of W A and Mary Ann Williams of “Belle Vue” Eltham. He is buried at Hancourt British Cemetery in the Somme region of France. Hancourt was captured by the Australian Corps in the middle of September 1918. It is likely George was a casualty of that battle. The British Cemetery was constructed by Australian units in September 1918 and these original graves are in Row B, C, and D.

William Jonas Prior served as a Private in the Australian Infantry (AIF). He died 26 August 1916 at the age of 22. He is buried at Knightsbridge Cemetery at Mesmil-Martinsart also in the Somme region of France. The cemetery, which is named from a communication trench, was begun at the outset of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It was used by units fighting on that front until the German withdrawal in February 1917 and was used again by fighting units from the end of March to July 1918, when the German advance brought the front line back to the Ancre. William was the son of Thomas and Keziah Prior of 129 Palmer Street Sydney, New South Wales but, nevertheless William is described as a native of Eltham, Victoria, Australia.

William Moore Crellin held the rank of Lance Corporal in the AIF 11^th Battalion. He died 7 May 1917. He is buried at Villers-Bretonneux. This village became famous in 1918, when the German advance on Amiens ended in its capture by their tanks and infantry on 23 April. On the following day, the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions, with units of the 8th and 18th Divisions, recaptured the whole of the village. The memorial is the Australian National Memorial erected to commemorate all Australian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium during the First World War. It includes within the memorial those whose graves are not known. William was the son of John William and Amelia Jane Crellin and husband to Alice Maud Crellin. William was born in Eltham.

Geoffrey Treacher Grant was a Trooper in the Australian 8^th Light Horse. He died 7 August 1915 at the age of 19. He is buried at the Lone Pine Memorial in Turkey. The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915. Lone Pine was a strategically important plateau which was briefly in the hands of Australian forces following the landings on the 25 April. It became a Turkish strong point from May to July, when it was known by them as ‘Kanli Sirt’ (Bloody Ridge).

The Lone Pine Memorial stands on the site of the fiercest fighting and overlooks the whole front line of May 1915. It commemorates more than 4,900 Australian and New Zealand servicemen who died in the Anzac area, New Zealanders who were killed prior to the fighting in August 1915 and whose graves are not known and those who were killed at sea in Gallipoli waters. Geoffrey was the son of William Treacher and Emilie Mary Catherine Grant of Eltham.

Robert Lindsay Medley Maddison held the rank of Lance Corporal in the 24^th Battalion AIF. He died 1 September 1918 at the age of 20 years. He is buried at Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension in the Somme region of France. Peronne was taken by the Germans on the 24 September 1914. On the 18 March 1917, the 40th and 48th Divisions captured the town, but it was recovered by the Germans on the 23rd March 1918. It changed hands for the last time on the 1 September 1918, when it was taken by the 2nd Australian Division. The cemetery extension was begun by the 48th (South Midland) Division in March 1917, used by the Germans in 1918, and resumed by Australian units in September 1918. At the Armistice it contained 177 graves. He was the son of Lewis Medley and Helen Isobel Maddison of “Hureah” Greensborough, Victoria. Robert was born at Kilcool Drummond Queensland.

Walter James Moseley was a Private of the AIF. He died 14 August 1916. He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery in the locality of Pas de Calais, France. Etaples is a town about 27 kilometres south of Boulogne. The Military Cemetery is to the north of the town, on the west side of the road to Boulogne. During the First World War, the area around Etaples was the scene of immense concentrations of Commonwealth reinforcement camps and hospitals. It was remote from attack, except from aircraft, and was accessible by railway from both the northern and the southern battlefields. In 1917, 100,000 troops were camped among the sand dunes and the hospitals.  The cemetery contains 10,771 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, the earliest dating is from May 1915.Thirty-five of these burials are unidentified.

The Soldiers Welcome Home Committee at Eltham

Associated with the Honour Roll was the Soldiers Welcome Committee. As has been mentioned the Vicar of Saint Margaret’s and some of its leading parishioners were the driving force in its establishment. The minutes of this committee are held in the archives at Saint Margaret’s.

During the war it appears that a common practice was to present a wallet to those men who had enlisted. For example Corporal R Sims was presented with such and Mr Parsons accepted a wallet on behalf of his son. For those killed in the conflict an expression of sympathy was sent by the Committee to the family.

For those soldiers who returned it was common practice for the Committee to present them with an engraved medal and organise a social for them as guest of honour. During November 1917 at a Welcome Home Reception for several soldiers Geoffrey Grant’s father was presented with an engraved medal acknowledging his son’s supreme sacrifice. No details concerning the design of the medal are contained the minutes. Actual medals survive within the Eltham community.  The Committee also ensured that the names of returned soldiers were listed in the local press. It also worked to ease returned soldiers back into the community by ensuring that their government payments and sustenance cheques were received were preferenced in employment, and, in listing properties suitable for them.

The Welcome Home Committee was responsible for the avenue of Plane Trees beginning at the Eltham Gateway for those who served in WW1. The trees originally had plaques with the names of soldiers who had enlisted. The planting of the trees was also organised by the Committee. The costs of the trees, guards and plaques were met from fund raising efforts organised by the Committee. Despite repeated requests the Shire refused to contribute funds.

Postscript

Saint Margaret’s Anglican Church Eltham is proud that its forbears, especially the Reverend Sapsford, were instrumental in the design, making and erection of the memorial roll to those from the Eltham District who served in The Great European War. It has proved to be a proud and careful custodian of this memorial which is important to wider civil community of Eltham for ninety-eight years.

Dr Geoffrey A Sandy

Parish Archivist and Parish Historian

30 March 2016

Photos: Kathleen Toal