"At a mile distant their thousand hooves were stuttering thunder, coming at a rate that frightened a man - they were an awe inspiring sight, galloping through the red haze - knee to knee and horse to horse - the dying sun glinting on bayonet points..." Trooper Ion Idriess
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Sunday, 9 November 2008
Diaries of AIF Servicemen, Bert Schramm, 9 November 1918 Topic: Diary - Schramm
Diaries of AIF Servicemen
Bert Schramm
9 November 1918
Bert Schramm
2823 Private Herbert Leslie SCHRAMM, a 22 year old Farmer from Whites River, South Australia. He enlisted on 17 February 1916; and at the conclusion of the war Returned to Australia, 10 July 1919.
During part of the course of his military service with the AIF, Bert Schramm kept a diary of his life. Bert was not a man of letters so this diary was produced with great effort on his behalf. Bert made a promise to his sweetheart, Lucy Solley, that he would do so after he received the blank pocket notebook wherein these entries are found. As a Brigade Scout since September 1918, he took a lead part in the September Offensive by the Allied forces in Palestine. Bert's diary entries are placed alongside those of the 9th Light Horse Regiment to which he belonged and to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade to which the 9th LHR was attached. On this basis we can follow Bert in the context of his formation.
The Diaries
The complete diary is now available on the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre Site at:
Bert Schramm's Handwritten Diary, 5 - 9 November 1918
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Bert Schramm
Saturday, November 9, 1918
Bert Schramm's Location - Mejdelaya, Tripoli
Bert Schramm's Diary - Moved on again this morning travelling close to the coast all the way to Tripoli which is a fairly decent little town and there is also a landing place there and our boats are unloading supplies. We then travelled about four miles south east of the town and are camping in the hills amongst the olive groves and we believe we are here for the winter. The country looks very pretty around here. Very hilly but most of the hills are covered with olives. No official war news though but plenty of rumours.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - 0700 Moved to Nahr Berid where the Regiment watered then moved to Sheikh Bedawi and halted 11/2 hours.
1200 The march was resumed through northern edge of Tripoli to Mejdelaya arriving at 1415 where a bivouac site was selected in the olive groves. Freebairn, Lieutenant DT, rejoined the Regiment.
Nominal Roll, AWM133, Nominal Roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad, 1914-1918 War.
War Diaries and Letters
All War Diaries and letters cited on this site should be read in conjunction with the Australian Light Horse Studies Centre, War Diaries and Letters, Site Transcription Policy which may be accessed at:
The following entries are extracted and transcribed from the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, the originals of which are held by the Australian War Memorial. There are 366 entries on this site. Each day has entries as they occurred from 1914 to 1919. In addition to the 9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary, when appropriate, entries from the 3rd Light Horse Brigade War Diary and other regiments with the Brigade will also appear. Entries from the unit history, Darley, TH, With the Ninth Light Horse in the Great War, Adelaide, Hassell Press, 1924 will also appear from time to time. The aim is to give the broadest context to the story and allow the reader to follow the day to day activities of the regiment. If a relative happened to have served in the regiment during the Great War, then this provides a general framework in which the individual story may be told.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Formation of Regiment occurring at Morphettville Race Course Camp, Adelaide, while "C" Squadron is formed at Broadmeadows Camp, Victoria.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Royston, Brigadier General JR inspected the horses of all units of the Brigade at 1000.
1917
Friday, November 9, 1917
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Huj.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Horses moved off to water at Jemmameh and did not return until 1600.
At 0900 outpost line taken over by 4th Light Horse Brigade.
At 1700 moved off on advance on Arak el Menshiyeh. C Squadron supplied advanced guard, A and B Squadrons main guard to 3rd Light Horse Brigade. Country very rough and hilly until Wadi Hiser was crossed at 2100 where Brigade watered and halted for on hour.
At 2200 moved off towards Arak el Menshiyeh arriving at a point two miles south of that place at 2330. A and C Squadrons held on outpost line astride the railway during the remainder of the night.
3rd Light Horse Brigade War Diary -
At 1630 on 9th November the following order was received from the Australian Mounted Division: - "Anzac Mourned Division is marching from Bureir to Beit Duras'' - "Australian Mounted Division will march from Huj station as starting point on to the line Arak el Menshiyeh - El Faluje."
In accordance with these orders the 3rd Light Horse Brigade moved at 1645 from Huj and carried out duties as advanced guard to the Division on the night march. Signallers were dropped at every half mile to guide troops in rear by flashing OK intermittently on the signal lamps. The route to be taken was via northern side Khirbit el Hummum - Khirbit Zeidan - Tel el Hesi, through very rough country. The night was dark. One of the Divisional Staff Officers doubted the ability of the Division to reach its dawn objective by night march through country so rough that had to be crossed during the night. We had, however, often before marched by night in the presence of the enemy over unknown country by compass bearing so the Brigadier was confident that the Brigade, as advanced guard would be in the required position by the time ordered. At 2400 on 9th November the Brigade halted at a point on the Turkish railway 11/2 miles south of Arak el Menshiyeh, having watered in the pools of the Wadi el Hesi on the way. Patrols were pushed forward and at 0100 reported Arak el Menshiyeh unoccupied by the enemy.
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - 0700 Moved to Nahr Berid where the Regiment watered then moved to Sheikh Bedawi and halted 11/2 hours.
1200 The march was resumed through northern edge of Tripoli to Mejdelaya arriving at 1415 where a bivouac site was selected in the olive groves. Freebairn, Lieutenant DT, rejoined the Regiment.
1919
Sunday, November 9, 1919
9th Light Horse Regiment Location - Adelaide
9th Light Horse Regiment War Diary - Regiment disbanded.
Another entry from the book written by Lieutenant Colonel Hüseyin Hüsnü Emir, called Yildirim. Every day, one page of the book will be posted. This is Page 125.
Colonel Hüsnü, Yildirim, Page 125.
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This chapter deals with Hüsnü observations of the Turkish response to Beersheba on other parts of the battlefield.
The Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 7), Gallipoli, Turkey
The Lone Pine Memorial, situated in the Lone Pine Cemetery at Anzac, is the main Australian Memorial on Gallipoli, and one of four memorials to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Designed by Sir John Burnet, the principal architect of the Gallipoli cemeteries, it is a thick tapering pylon 14.3 metres high on a square base 12.98 metres wide. It is constructed from limestone mined at Ilgardere in Turkey.
The Memorial commemorates the 3268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who have no known grave and the 960 Australians and 252 New Zealanders who were buried at sea after evacuation through wounds or disease. The names of New Zealanders commemorated are inscribed on stone panels mounted on the south and north sides of the pylon, while those of the Australians are listed on a long wall of panels in front of the pylon and to either side. Names are arranged by unit and rank.
The Memorial stands over the centre of the Turkish trenches and tunnels which were the scene of heavy fighting during the August offensive. Most cemeteries on Gallipoli contain relatively few marked graves, and the majority of Australians killed on Gallipoli are commemorated here.
Panel number, Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial
3
Other details
War service: Egypt, Gallipoli
Proceeded to join Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, Gallipoli, 9 May 1915; to hospital, Monash Valley, Gallipoli, 3 July 1915; admitted to No 2 Stationary Hospital, Mudros, 3 July 1915 (influenza); discharged to duty, 17 July 1915; to hospital, 4 August 1915 (diarrhoea); embarked for Alexandria, 10 August 1915; to No 1 General Hospital, 10 August 1915 (debility); to No 3 Auxiliary Hospital, 10 August 1915; rejoined unit, Destroyer Hill, Gallipoli, 25 October 1915; wounded in action, Destroyer Hill, 9 November 1915; admitted to 13th Casualty Clearing Station, Mudros, 9 November 1915 (gun shot wound, abdomen); died of wounds at sea, 9 November 1915.
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
The Australian Light Horse Studies Centre in conjunction with the various Education authorities in Australia, has embarked upon producing a program of instruction targeted initially towards the Later Adolescence band of scholars, characteristically those who are studying in Year 9 and 10 within Australia. Each lesson will be a self contained module. Some will be more difficult than others and graded accordingly.
Lesson 11 Aboriginal Light Horsemen
Resource - Light Horseman Service Record - Essential Pages
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, Attestation Paper, p. 1.
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The front cover of the Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad provides the reader with the following information:
Service Number,
Surname,
Given Names,
Age,
Employment,
Married or Single,
Next of Kin Relationship,
Next of Kin Name and Address,
Enlistment Date.
This information is vital as it identifies the specific soldier and in case of death or injury, allows the relatives to be informed. The next of kin was important for another reason. Each soldier was compelled to give an allotment of their daily wage to the person nominated as the next of kin. This was an essential financial consideration.
Once this information was gathered, the second page dealt with an oath to the King. The next page to give information was page 3.
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, Attestation Paper, p. 3
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The third page of the Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad provides the reader with the following information:
Height,
Weight,
Chest Measurement
Complexion,
Eyes,
Hair,
Religion.
The health of the potential soldier was important as the life was particularly strenuous. The ability to carry heavy weights for great distances was most important.
The next form that is most common in the Service File is the B103, the Casualty Form - Active Service. Every movement of the soldier is recorded. The reasons for this are fourfold.
1. The location of the soldier at any one time was essential to establish where his rations were to be drawn.
2. The form established the entitlements to drawing pay at a particular level. A soldier in the field was allowed to draw pay but when in hospital was not allowed to draw their pay as it was considered that everything to assist the soldier's recovery was provided.
3. By tracking the movements of the soldier, it allowed early detection of desertion if that were to occur.
4. At the end of the war, the chronology of this form was used as the basis for post war entitlements such as medals, pensions, repatriation assistance, access to hospitals and any other service available for an ex-serviceman for the rest of his life.
The B103 may be as simple as one sheet or multiple sheets. It depended upon the individual serviceman.
To assist in understanding this particular form in relation to the men from the 11th LHR, Lesson 11 Resource, a list of terms and names are available at the Index to Common B103 Terms. The link is below.
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, B103, p. 1.
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The front of the B103, the Casualty Form - Active Service provides the reader with the following information:
Regiment
Rank on Enlistment,
Terms of Enlistment,
Embarkation Date,
Embarkation Port,
Embarkation Ship,
Date Taken on Strength.
As can be seen, the form is a chronology of the man's service in the AIF. All B103 forms in every service file is similar.
In this case the man has two pages to the form. To finish his story, the page will be turned over.
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, B103, p. 2.
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The back of the B103, the Casualty Form - Active Service provides the reader with the following information:
Chronology,
Fate,
Date.
Once the B103, the Casualty Form - Active Service was completed due to the expiration of service, any transactions during subsequent to service were recorded on a flimsey called Transferred to Australian Imperial Force D and it was here that all post service information was maintained.
2432 Pte John McKenzie Laurie, AIF D, p. 1.
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Page 1 of the Transferred to Australian Imperial Force D provides the reader with the following information:
The last rank held in the AIF,
The date of Discharge,
The place where Discharged,
The eligible medals awarded to the serviceman.
Information on this form depends upon the individual. This particular form can at times run into many pages.
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