Fromelles, France - 103rd Remembrance of the Battle of Fromelles July 2019

On the 19th of July 2019 a ceremony was held for the 103rd remembrance of the Battle of Fromelles in Pheasant Wood Cemetery.

 

www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/dchester/media-releases/seven-australian-soldiers-identified-battle-fromelles

www.sbs.com.au/news/from-heartbreak-to-closure-at-fromelles

 

Seven Australian soldiers identified from the Battle of Fromelles

Seven First World War Australian Army soldiers no longer lie in unknown graves.

Over 100 years after their loss in the Battle of Fromelles, these men now have their names on their headstones, after they were unveiled at the Commemoration and Headstone Rededication Ceremony, with the support of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

 

Having been recovered from an unmarked mass grave in 2009, with 250 of their mates, the following 7 soldiers were formally identified earlier this month:

 

I. D. 4. Private 4188 EDWARD JAMES HOPE 54th Bn

I. D. 10. Private 641 LESLIE CLARK DUNN 31st Bn

II. A. 2.  Lance Corporal 77 JOHN ALEXANDER CRAWFORD 32nd Bn

II. F. 9.  Lance Corporal 715 RALPH JOHNSON 31st Bn

III. D. 1. Private 1291 GEORGE HONEY 32nd Bn

IV. B. 8. Private 3433 PETER PAUL SHANNON 53rd Bn

IV. D. 9. Private 352 ARTHUR GEORGE BATT 32ns Bn

 

352 Private Arthur George BATT

32nd Bn. A.I.F. age 32 of Hilton, South Australia

Service Number 352

Died 20/07/1916

32nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Son of Charles and Elizabeth Batt, of Railway Terrace, Hilton, South Australia. Native of Adelaide.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

Batt 5550618
PDF – 104,0 KB

4188 Private Edward James HOPE

54th Bn. A.I.F. age 28 of Penrith, New South Wales

Service Number 4188

Died 20/07/1916 - Aged 28

54th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Son of Amy Hope and the late William Hope. Native of Kingswood, New South Wales.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

Hope 5572020
PDF – 74,9 KB

641 Private Leslie Clark DUNN

31st Bn. A.I.F. age 28 of West Melbourne, Victoria

Service Number 641

Died Between 19/07/1916 and 21/07/1916

31st Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

1291 Private George HONEY

32nd Bn. A.I.F. age 31 of West Guilford, Western Australia

Service Number 1291

Died 19/07/1916

32nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

715 Lance Corporal Ralph JOHNSON

31st Bn. A.I.F. age 19 of Middle Brighton, Victoria

A clerk from Middle Brighton, Victoria prior to enlistment, Pte Johnson embarked with C Company from Melbourne on HMAT Wandilla on 9 November 1915. Later promoted to Lance Corporal he was killed in action at Fromelles, aged 19, and was buried in the Pont-du-Hem Military Cemetery France.

Service Number 715

Died Between 19/07/1916 and 21/07/1916 - Aged 19

31st Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Son of Hubert and Alice Maude Mary Johnson, of "Glan-Y-mor," Sandown St., Middle Brighton, Victoria, Australia. Born at Healesville, Victoria.

INSCRIPTION: DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI

Buried at PONT-DU-HEM MILITARY CEMETERY, LA GORGUE

Cemetery/memorial reference: Beaucamps Com. Cem. German Extension Mem. 23.

 

Johnson 5574047
PDF – 125,7 KB

77 Lance Corporal John Alexander CRAWFORD

32nd Bn. A.I.F. age 32 of Hindmarsh, South Australia

A labourer from Hindmarsh, South Australia, prior to enlistment, he embarked from Adelaide on 18 November 1915 aboard HMAT Geelong (A2) for Suez and was appointed Lance Corporal (L Cpl). The battalion relocated to the Western Front, France, during mid-June 1916. L Cpl Crawford was reported as missing in action after the Battle of Fromelles and was subsequently determined to have been killed in action on that date. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles, France. He was aged 32 years.

Service Number 77

Died 20/07/1916 - Aged 30

32nd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Son of John and Christina Rae Crawford. Native of Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

Crawford 5560286
PDF – 51,2 KB

3433 Private Peter Paul SHANNON

53rd Bn. A.I.F. age 35 of Merriwa, New South Wales

Service Number 3433

Died 19/07/1916

53rd Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.

Previously mentioned at VC Corner Memorial

 

Order Of Service 2019
PDF – 4,0 MB