At the time you are reading this, I will be at Gallipoli, spending a few days outside tomorrow’s official ceremonies to visit a few of our fallen locals.
As we approach this day, we should all remember the men and women who have served in all theatres of war, and particularly those who made the ultimate sacrifice and survived but carried the scars of their service.
One of the challenges is that outside our own families, it is difficult to comprehend the scale of loss that was experienced as they are names on honour boards.
Hence, in this column, I would like to introduce you to some of the men who fell at Gallipoli and whose graves I am currently visiting. I’m able to visit due to the outstanding work of the volunteers at the East Gippsland Family History Group.
They are a group of dedicated local historians who have done some incredible work in researching the stories of our servicemen and women.
The first two are Basil Hooper and Vern Brookes, both with Orbost connections. It is doubtful they knew each other pre-war as they had separate upbringings, but would have almost certainly known each other heading to battle.
Vern was originally from Ballarat and had been teaching at Wangrabelle school and rode to Orbost to enlist. Basil was born in Orbost, but was working on a farm in Mooroopna with his brother Will when war broke.
However, both were assigned to the 7th Battalion and were both on board the Hororata, sailing to Egypt for training before heading to Gallipoli.
The 7th Battalion was in the second landing party on that fateful morning of April 25. By the time it was called into action, the Turks were ready as any element of surprise was gone.
Vern was shot in the landing boat and never made it to shore, while Basil made it to shore, but was one of the many cut down on the beach.
His brother Will was also later killed in France, and their sister, Katherine Smith, of Bairnsdale, was awarded a memorial plaque.
They are both buried at the No.2 Outpost Cemetery. Basil has his own grave, and Vern a Special Memorial headstone, meaning he’s buried in that cemetery, but the exact location is unknown.
Thomas Bell, from Lakes Entrance, was a telephonist by trade and therefore it was no surprise he was a signaller in wartime. He too was on the Hororata, but unlike Vern and Basil was in the 6th Battalion.
Thomas made it ashore but was also killed in the heavy fighting of April 25 and is buried at the Lone Pine Cemetery. His brother Algernon was later killed at Fromelles in July 1916, and his cousin William Bell was killed in 1917 in France also.
Thomas Haylock was a 30 year-old fisherman from Raymond Island and, being a member of the 21st Battalion, was sent to Gallipoli as a reinforcement.
The ship he was travelling on was torpedoed by a German submarine forcing the crew to take to the rescue boats, many which overturned.
The survivors arrived on September 7, but sadly Thomas was killed on October 12, leaving a widow he married before embarking. He is buried at Shrapnel Gully Cemetery.
They are just four of an extraordinary number of East Gippslanders who rest on the shores of Gallipoli.
Try and make it to your local service tomorrow to pay your respects.
Lest We Forget

Wednesday, 24 April 2024