THE GENESIS.

The outbreak of the South African War in 1899 brought to the surface, in the people of Australia, that innate love of the Old Country which so marks the British race in whatever part of the world its members may happen to reside. Each Colony made an offer of men who were anxious to serve side by side with their kinsmen of the Regular Army. These offers were accepted not because the men were needed at that time, but for the reason that statesmen recognised the existence of an era in the development of the dominions overseas that demanded the admission of their inhabitants to a share in the responsibilities attached to the maintenance and promotion of the welfare of the Empire. The reverses to the British arms which occurred during the opening months of the campaign roused in Australia a spirit of intense loyalty and patriotism, which was exemplified by renewed offers of assistance to the Government in London. These offers received an early response, with the result that across the Indian Ocean was maintained a steady stream of troops during the whole two and a half years of operations.

Western Australia readily took up a share of the burden and played her small, though not unimportant, part. Her contribution in troops consisted of 64 officers and 1,167 other ranks, together with 1,179 horses. On a population basis this effort was greater than that of any of the other Australian States. In casualties the various units (one infantry and nine mounted infantry) suffered a loss of 40 by death and 86 by wounds. That the services rendered were valuable, worthy of the State, and highly creditable to the individuals, may be gathered from the fact that the following honours were awarded: 1 V.C., 2 C.B.’s, 7 D.S.O.’s, 8 D.C.M.’s, and 3 additional Mentions in Despatches.

When Europe burst into the flame and smoke of war in August, 1914, Australia was unified in Government and a nation in sentiment but still a British nation. Her offers of assistance had been expected and were graciously and gratefully accepted. The Western Australians once more responded and, this time, in their thousands. Again the quota was exceeded reinforcements being supplied even for Eastern States’ units and in all some 32,028 soldiers and nurses enlisted for service overseas during the period of 1914-1918. Over 6,000 of these laid down their lives for Australia and the Empire, and many thousands more were wounded and maimed.

The 28th Battalion was one of three battalions wholly recruited and organised in Western Australia. It did not take the field in time to participate in the earlier days on Gallipoli, but showed its mettle in many a subsequent hard fight. Its deeds, and those of the other units which left these western shores, gained the unstinted admiration of the remainder of the Australian Imperial Force and constitute no mean record.

The contingents for South Africa were trained on the military reserve at Karrakatta. There there was a rifle range and sufficient space for the exercise of small bodies of troops. When, in 1914, it became obvious that larger numbers would be involved, a search was made for a greater and better camp site and training area. Eventually this was found at Blackboy Hill, which is situated about a mile east of Bellevue and quite close to the Eastern Railway. This area had been used by the Citizen Forces during the annual training of that year and found very suitable for dismounted work. The camp site is a rounded knoll of some few acres in extent, possessing the advantages of good natural drainage, a liberal number of shady trees, and firm soil underfoot. The surrounding country is broken by the foothills of the Darling Range and intersected by roads, fences, and here and there small watercourses. However, sufficient level ground is available to suit ordinary purposes and, altogether, the locality lends itself admirably to the training of infantry in platoons.

Here, then, when the first attested men were called up, were pitched the tents and marquees to shelter the troops. At the outset conditions of life were rough. The limited trained staff available, and the absence of many of the services recognised as essential in order to make military administration efficient, harassed the newcomers and caused a waste of time, together with considerable dislocation in the training. Later on, under successive camp commandants, conditions much improved. Efficient services were installed and competent men were trained to work them. Eventually Blackboy Camp came to be known throughout Australia as one of the most complete and comfortable.

The camp was rapidly filled and, as units moved out, filled again. Before the end of February, 1915, there had proceeded overseas the 10th Regiment of Light Horse, the 8th Battery of Field Artillery, the 11th Battalion, the major portion of the 16th Battalion, and one company of the 12th Battalion; together with various technical and administrative units and detachments.

Recruits continued to pour in, and the men forthcoming were more than sufficient to supply the reinforcing drafts which were sent forward monthly. During February the Australian Government decided to raise further Light Horse Regiments and the 5th and 6th Brigades of Infantry. The 5th Brigade was to be furnished by New South Wales with one battalion (20th) from Queensland. Victoria was to supply the 6th Brigade, with two companies each from South and Western Australia to form the 24th Battalion.

The two companies ("C” and “D”) of the 24th Battalion were immediately formed from the depot units in camp and commenced to equip and train.

Hardly had this been done when Headquarters announced the raising of even another brigade of infantry the 7th. On the 1st April the establishments for this were issued. One and a half battalions (25th and 26th) were to be supplied by Queensland; half a battalion (26th) by Tasmania; and one battalion each by South Australia (27th) and Western Australia (28th). Added to this was a brigade staff of five officers and 21 other ranks to be raised from all districts. This new proposal necessitated some re-arrangement in respect to the 5th and 6th Brigades. The responsibility for the 20th Battalion reverted to New South Wales. Victoria likewise undertook to provide sufficient men for the 24th Battalion.

The Commandant of Western Australia, therefore, found himself called upon to raise and equip a complete new unit consisting of 32 officers, 994 other ranks, and 63 horses, together with two machine guns, nine bicycles, and 13 transport vehicles.

On the 16th April definite instructions were issued to the Officer Commanding at Blackboy Camp to organise the new battalion from the troops then under canvas. Action was immediately taken, and what were formerly “C” and “D” Companies of the 24th Battalion became “A” and “B” Companies of the 28th. Two new companies were formed from the depot units, and the whole four were then moved to separate lines and placed under the temporary command of Captain L. B. Welch, who had 2nd Lieut. C. H. Lamb to assist him as Adjutant. Other officers from the depot helped in the organisation and administration.

On the 23rd April Lieutenant-Colonel H. B. Collett was appointed to the command. This officer had formerly commanded the 11th Australian Infantry Regiment and the 88th Infantry Battalion (both of the Citizen Forces) in Perth, and had had considerable experience in military training, administration, and organisation. His first consideration was the selection and appointment of officers and non-commissioned officers, and the formation of the specialist detachments which were to be an integral and important part of the Battalion.

In the selection of officers little discretionary power was allowed the Commanding Officer. A Selection Board, appointed by the Minister for Defence, and sitting at Perth, recommended appointments. Very often this was done without a full knowledge of the candidate or of his qualifications. Under such circumstances some friction was bound to occur between the Board and the Commanding Officer. Eventually, however, it was possible, by means of compromise and adjustment, to gather together a reasonably sound team of officers. Major C. R. Davies, an officer of the 84th (Goldfields) Infantry, and a barrister of Boulder, became Second-in-Command. Captains A. W. Leane, L. B. Welch, and J. A. C. Wilson were promoted to the rank of Major and appointed to companies. A fifth major F. R. Jeffrey was transferred from Victoria and took “B” Company. This last-named officer, like the Second-in-Command, had seen service in South Africa, and had recently returned from England, whither he had conducted a draft of Imperial Reservists. A number of junior officers were found from the N.C.Os. attending a school of instruction for candidates for commissions. In the following years most of these men did exceedingly well. One of them commanded the Battalion during the major portion of 1917.

The selection and appointment of non-commissioned officers was a process of a different kind. With a large body of men unused to military formations and methods, the urgent need was to find other men who had had some slight experience and could teach the raw material routine and system and show it its place in the ranks. It did not, however, follow, that the same men, with their slight experience, were so equipped mentally and physically as to render them efficient leaders and commanders in the field. Another factor to be borne in mind was that from the ranks of the N.C.Os. would, in the future, be drawn the men to fill the gaps caused by casualties in the commissioned ranks. The qualities expected of an officer were personality, moral as well as physical courage, education, health, and a sporting disposition. The education sought was not necessarily academic, but such as indicated a capacity for rapid thought and for expression in speech and writing, together with a knowledge of men and their ways. A high standard was thus set, and this being considered, all wearers of stripes were deemed to hold their rank temporarily confirmation being dependent on their acquiring efficiency and displaying the desired qualifications. This method of appointment held good until after the Battalion’s arrival in Egypt, and resulted in the collection of a most admirable body of subordinate leaders. Many of these same N.C.Os. as officers afterwards earned great distinction for themselves and for the unit. They were indeed the “backbone of the army.”

The formation of the specialist detachments was rendered comparatively easy by the presence in the ranks of much excellent material. The Signallers were taken in hand by 2nd Lieut. J. J. S. Scouler, formerly attached to the Australian Intelligence Corps, who had passed through a signalling course in Victoria. He quickly gathered round him a body of enthusiastic young men whose efficiency subsequently became the envy of the other battalions and the admiration of the Division. The team for the two Maxim guns was organised and partly trained by Captain H. B. Menz. About the middle of May, however, 2nd Lieut. G. D. Shaw was appointed to the Section, and later commanded it most efficiently until the date it was absorbed into the 7th Machine Gun Company at Ferry Post, about the beginning of March, 1916. From the personnel of the original unit quite a large number of officers for the Machine Gun Corps was afterwards drawnd Lieut. T. D. Graham was appointed Transport Officer, and had little trouble in getting suitable men to look after and drive his horses and vehicles. He was fortunate in having to assist him Sergeant F. L. Faulkner, who had served with transport in India.

Captain John Kenny was attached as Regimental Medical Officer. On him devolved the responsibility for selecting and organising the Army Medical Corps details and the Stretcher Bearers. Both detachments were extremely useful. The Pioneers were chosen, and an excellent body of tradesmen secured. Numbering ten, they were placed under the immediate control of Sergeant J. W. Anderson a Scotsman who afterwards became one of the best known members of the Battalion.

The warrant ranks were filled by the appointment of Sergeant J. Gettingby as Regimental Sergeant-Major; Sergeant R. G. Sexty as Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant; Sergeants B. A. Bell, P. T. C. Bell, W. S. Appleyard, and H. M. Cousins, as Company Sergeants-Major; and Sergeants S. Jones, N. Graham, J. R. Gunn, and C. J. Piper as Company Quartermaster-Sergeants. With two exceptions, all these warrant officers subsequently attained commissioned rank.

2nd Lieut. C. H. Lamb was confirmed in the appointment of Adjutant and eventually received promotion to the rank of Captain. Upon him devolved a mass of detail work. This he handled with energy, skill, and success, and had very willing help from the Orderly Room Clerks Sergeants E. C. Francisco and S. S. Thompson.

A few other special appointments were made: Armourer-Sergeant L. C. Lewis to do minor repairs to the arms; Sergeant-Drummer W. T. Hocking to train the buglers and drummers; and Sergeant-Cook T. R. Graham to supervise and instruct in the kitchens. Shortly after embarkation Sergeant-Shoemaker F. Cox was allotted the work of looking after the footwear.

No chaplains were appointed to the Battalion, but four were gazetted to the Brigade. One of these, the Very Rev. Dean D. A. Brennan, of the Roman Catholic Denomination, and lately stationed at Narrogin, reported at Blackboy Camp. For many months he was attached to the 28th and shared its life in Egypt, Gallipoli, France, and Belgium.

The process of selection for the various appointments and duties took time. In the meanwhile the work of organising the platoons and companies continued, and much care was devoted to the training and equipping. For the first fortnight or so equipment came along very slowly. The Ordnance Stores were practically empty. Fresh supplies had to be obtained from the Eastern States, or collected from the Citizen Force units. It was not until within a few days of embarkation that all demands were met. This condition of affairs was bound to have an adverse effect on training, but, on the whole, much progress was made, and the unit soon began to take form and become easier to administer and handle. The number of officers available gradually increased, and two warrant or non-commissioned officers of the Instructional Staff were attached to each company in order to assist. The latter did exceedingly valuable work. A special class was formed for the purpose of instructing in their duties those men who aspired to wear stripes. In the training of sections and platoons, emphasis was laid on the necessity for obtaining a condition of physical fitness, and acquiring a thorough knowledge of the use of the rifle, the bayonet, and the spade. Physical exercises were followed by short marches of one or two hours’ duration. After passing the elementary tests, companies, in turn, proceeded to Osborne Rifle Range and fired the recruits’ course of musketry. A satisfactory figure of merit was obtained. For the more advanced training it was intended to move the Battalion to a camp at Rockingham. During the second week in May two companies proceeded there and the camp was established under the command of Major Davies. However, on account of the rumoured early embarkation, these companies had to be recalled, and the whole unit was once more concentrated at Blackboy Hill. Training proceeded energetically, with the result that officers, and other ranks within the companies, quickly settled down daily becoming more and more accustomed to their tasks.

The health of the members was good. Very few cases of infectious disease, and fewer cases of serious illness, were reported. The situation of the camp, together with the insistence on the cleanliness of the lines and person, had a beneficial effect in this direction. Unfortunately one death occurred. Private F. W. Hopkins fell into an unprotected clayhole and was drowned. A few of these excavations existed on the western edge of the training area, and were a menace to those taking a short cut from the railway station at night time. All ranks submitted to vaccination and inoculation. This was unpleasant, but the medical history of the war has since demonstrated the value of the measures.

Discipline was fairly satisfactory from the outset and rapidly improved. At the commencement every member was given to understand that a high sense of duty and a strong esprit-de-corps were essentials for success. Both these traits were later very fully developed, and the regard that 28th men always had for their battalion was a subject of frequent comment in the A.I.F.

In all the preliminary work of organisation and training, the Commanding Officer had the great advantage of the sympathy, practical support, and advice of the District Commandant Colonel J. H. Brüche. This help was invaluable, and resulted in the establishment of sound methods and the promotion of happy relations with mutual confidence between all ranks.

Although training and other duties absorbed long hours, leave was given daily after the tea hour and until near midnight. Half-holidays were also observed on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Leave from Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening was granted, too, on a liberal scale. Before embarkation every man was entitled to four days’ leave in order to give him a final opportunity of attending to his private affairs. This was taken by many. In the camp itself efforts were made to amuse those who stayed in during the evening. In this respect the Y.M.C.A. did most by providing a large marquee wherein concerts and other forms of entertainment were given almost nightly. A post office and writing room with free stationery were also established by these voluntary helpers. Surrounding the camp were numbers of booths and shops where necessaries could be purchased and harmless refreshments obtained. Friends and relations frequently visited the camp during the idle hours.

His Excellency the Governor, Major-General Sir Harry Barron, K.C.M.G., C.V.O., showed great interest in the unit, and on the 27th May attended at the camp and addressed the members in an informal manner after the evening meal. He told them of his own experiences in the army, and, in a way that was greatly appreciated, tendered much wholesome advice.

Towards the end of May it was known that the day of embarkation was closely approaching. Efforts were made to complete the final issues of kit and clothing, and furnish the seemingly endless number of documentary records required by the Defence Department. A final and close inspection of the personnel was carried out. All men in the Battalion had been pronounced “fit.” Vaccinations and inoculations had been duly performed. Yet there still remained in the ranks a number of men who, for various reasons, were unfit to go abroad as soldiers. Others there were whose family affairs were causing them anxiety and necessitated delay in their departure. Again, others a few only felt their ardour waning as the days of their stay at Blackboy grew fewer. In all these instances the men concerned were either discharged or transferred back to the depot units. The Battalion was the better for the changes.

June 3rd was the anniversary of the Birthday of His Majesty the King. The 28th, together with certain other troops from the training camps, was to march through Perth and, in doing so, be inspected by the Governor and the District Commandant. In preparation, the riding horses and wheeled transport went to Perth the previous night and parked at the Drill Hall. The Battalion itself proceeded to the city by train, and by 10.30 on the morning of the 3rd had formed up in James Street. It then marched by Beaufort, Barrack, Hay, and Bennett Streets; thence along St. George’s Terrace, returning to the Railway Station by Milligan, Hay, and Barrack Streets, and re-entraining for Blackboy Hill. The Governor took the salute from a point opposite Government House. The Battalion presented a fine spectacle, and received a magnificent reception from the enormous crowds that thronged the thoroughfares. The newspapers, in subsequently describing the proceedings, referred to an unprecedented muster of the public and an extraordinary display of enthusiasm. The people were evidently proud of their new unit, and the men had pride in themselves.

During the first week in June, definite information was received as to the transports allotted and the dates of embarkation. By the 6th June everything was ready. On that day the 1st Reinforcements, consisting of 99 rank and file under the command of Lieut. J. F. Quilty, went on board the transport “Geelong,” which had arrived in Fremantle the day before and carrying the 27th Battalion. Dean Brennan also embarked, having been ordered for duty with the South Australians during the remainder of their voyage. Sergt. F. L. Faulkner, together with the 11 drivers and 53 horses of the Regimental Transport, was to follow by a boat the date of sailing of which had not then been fixed.

At this time orders were received to detach Major F. R. Jeffrey temporarily to act as Second-in-Command of the South Australian unit. He duly reported and another officer, Lieut. P. E. Jackson, was sent on shore in exchange. In consequence of this alteration, Captain W. G. Stroud was given the temporary command of “B” Company.

On the afternoon of the 7th June, the Brigadier of the 7th Brigade, Colonel J. Burston, V.D., accompanied by his Staff Captain, Captain M. J. G. Colyer, visited the camp and made the acquaintance of this portion of his command. The Brigadier, who had been personally known to the C.O. for some years, expressed his pleasure at what he saw of the unit and of its promise for usefulness and efficiency.