FAMILY LIFE

Arthur Leslie Sinclair was born on the 6th June 1896 in Berthon, Cootamundra. He was one of eleven children born to James Adolphus Sinclair and Jane Ryder Sinclair. Two of his brothers enlisted, Robert who died at Gallipoli in 1915 & Claude, who was wounded in action. His father, Joe, also enlisted in 1917 and many of the Sinclair extended family enlisted in both WWI & WWII.

ATTESTATION

With his father Joseph’s permission, 19-year-old Arthur Leslie Sinclair joined the Australian Imperial Force on September 18, 1914, just 5 weeks after war was declared.

Australia’s involvement in the First World War began when Britain and Germany went to war on 4 August 1914, and both Prime Minister Joseph Cook and Opposition Leader Andrew Fisher pledged full support for Britain. Britain was Australia’s closet ally, best trading partner and the source of most of Australia’s immigrants. The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other places, with great enthusiasm.

There were many reasons why Australian men volunteered to join the forces- the pay was good (5shillings per day), they shared Britain’s values & culture, they thought it would be an adventure and family or friends had joined and they thought they should go as well.

Arthur was single labourer, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Lismore to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his father, Joseph, of Murwillumbah. He had spent 12 months in the cadets.

His medical showed he was 19 years 9 months old, 5ft 6 ½ inches tall (1.69m), weighed 9stone 2 lbs (63kgs), with a dark complexion, yellowish eyes & black hair. His eyesight was good

The Examining Medical Officer stated that Arthur “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.”  On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Arthur Leslie Sinclair, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

Arthur was Church of England and the terminal phalanx of his 2^nd finger, right hand, was slightly deformed.  He was enlisted as a private into the 15th Infantry Battalion with service No 1373

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together

Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave

Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.

This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months

The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.

During initial training at Enoggera, he was assigned into B Company of the newly formed 15th Battalion.

BROADMEADOWS TRAINING CAMP

On November 24, 1914, the battalion was sent to Broadmeadows Melbourne for further training in anticipation of departure. Broadmeadows, just north of Melbourne, had been quickly converted from open paddocks to a sprawling military camp to train the flood of new AIF recruits.

Daily Routine & Training

·      Early morning reveille – A bugle call, around 5:30–6:00am to get the men out of their bell tents.

·      Physical training – Running, marching, and calisthenics to build stamina.

·      Drill practice – Hours of learning to march in step, change formation, and handle rifles with precision. The aim was to turn raw civilians into disciplined soldiers.

·      Musketry training – Practising loading and firing the Lee–Enfield .303 rifle, first with dummy rounds, then at the camp rifle range. Accuracy was essential.

·      Bayonet fighting – Fierce practice with sandbags or dummies, using the short stabbing thrusts that trench warfare demanded.

·      Field manoeuvres – Learning how to advance, take cover, dig shallow trenches, and work as a section in open field exercises.

Living Conditions

·      Tents in rows – Bell tents housed up to 8–10 men each, with simple stretchers or palliasses (straw mattresses).

·      Mess tents – Soldiers queued for meals, which were basic but plentiful: bread, meat, potatoes, tea, and the occasional stew.

·      Washing – Done in cold water at outdoor troughs. Mud in winter and dust in summer were constant irritants.

·      Inspections – Daily checks of uniforms, kit, and rifles. Any deficiencies meant extra duties.

Discipline & Military Etiquette

·      Learning how to salute, obey orders instantly, and respect rank.

·      Roll calls, guard duties, and night pickets around the camp perimeter.

·      Punishments for lateness, untidy kit, or breaking camp rules—anything from extra drill to “confined to barracks.”

Specialist Training for the 15th Battalion

The 15th was an infantry unit, so training focused heavily on:

·      Extended order drills (moving and fighting spread out in skirmish lines).

·      Signalling with flags and lamps.

·      Map reading and recognising terrain features.

·      Learning to work closely with other companies in mock assaults.

·      Morale & Free Time

·      Letters from home were a lifeline.

Boxing matches, singalongs, and competitive sports like football or tug-of-war helped maintain spirits. A sense of anticipation—and perhaps anxiety—hung over the men, knowing that after Broadmeadows, they would be heading to Egypt, and then to the war in Gallipoli or France.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

On December 22, 1914, the battalion left Melbourne on the HMAT A40 Ceramic as part of a convoy heading for Egypt. The Ceramic was a large White Star Line passenger liner, hastily adapted for troop transport. She could carry several thousand troops, plus crew and supplies. By the time Arthur boarded, she had been stripped of much of her luxury fittings—passenger lounges were now packed with rows of wooden bunks.

The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On the voyage, due to overcrowding, training was limited to mainly to lectures and a little physical training.

Sleeping & Living Arrangements

Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.

Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.

Daily Routine

·      Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting).

·      Parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order.

·      Training—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks.

·      Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.

Meals

Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.

Health & Sanitation

·      Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease.

·      Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.

The Voyage Experience

·      Entertainment—church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed.

·      In an attempt to keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium.

·      Mail—no letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.

·      Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection

CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY

The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

SIGHTS AT SEA

On the way to Egypt/England, the Ceramic would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.

SECURITY

By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships.

APPROACHING EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. For most, it was their first sight of a foreign country, and the reality of leaving home truly sank in. Arthur would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the sandy training grounds of Egypt, preparing for what lay ahead.

HELIOPOLIS TRAINING CAMP

When Arthur stepped off the train on 3 February 1915 and marched into Heliopolis Camp, he found himself in a place unlike anything he had ever known. The camp lay on the outskirts of Cairo, near the newly built suburb of Heliopolis with its grand hotels, wide boulevards, and exotic gardens. The men of the 15th Battalion, fresh from weeks at sea, now found themselves in the dry heat and golden dust of Egypt.

Heliopolis had been hastily adapted to house the swelling ranks of Australian troops. Bell tents stretched in long rows across the sand, the white canvas glowing under the fierce sun by day and standing ghostly in the moonlight at night. The nearby Palace Hotel, once a luxurious resort for wealthy travellers, had been taken over for military use—officers’ quarters, administrative offices, and sometimes a hospital ward for the sick or injured.

Each morning began with the brassy call of the bugle and the order to form up on the parade ground. Training was relentless: long route marches through the surrounding desert, musketry practice on the rifle ranges, bayonet drills, and manoeuvres in the scorching heat. The men learned to dig trenches in the hard, sandy soil, to conserve their water, and to endure the fine dust that clung to uniforms and stung the eyes.

But there were lighter moments too. Cairo was only a short tram ride away, and whenever leave was granted, soldiers explored its narrow bazaars, mosques, and teeming streets. They marvelled at the Pyramids and the Sphinx, posed for photographs on camel-back, and sampled strange new foods and strong, sweet coffee in crowded cafés.

For Arthur, Heliopolis Camp was both a place of preparation and a waiting ground. He could not have known that the months ahead would take him far from the sands of Egypt to the rocky shores of Gallipoli—but the discipline, endurance, and camaraderie forged here would be the foundations for all that was to come.

For the young Australians, this mysterious, exotic city was too much of a lure with many succumbing to its vices. Every evening, overloaded buses and trams filled with Australian soldiers could be seen making their way into the city.

“THE BATTLE OF WASSER” APRIL 1915

There is no record of Arthur taking place in this but he would have been aware of the incident and the aftermath

Prior to departing for the Dardanelles, many of the Australian contingent decided to exact revenge on a particularly seedy area of Cairo and in a night of revelry, proceeded to burn it down. This became famously known as The Battle of the Wasser.

This incident occurred on Good Friday, 2 April 1915, when approximately 2,500 Australian and New Zealand soldiers—many of whom were on leave prior to heading to Gallipoli—took part in a destructive rampage through Cairo’s red-light district (Haret el Wasser, also known as the Birka). The troops looted brothels, set furniture alight in the middle of the street, and interfered with the fire brigade. Military police were called in, shots were fired, and the riot was not finally quelled until late that night

LEMNOS ISLAND APRIL 1915

On 5 April 1915, Arthur Sinclair and the men of the 15th Battalion struck camp at Heliopolis, their time in Egypt drawing to a close. The weeks of desert training had been intense, but now the battalion was bound for the front. They boarded a train in Cairo, the long carriages clattering through the Egyptian countryside, past green fields fed by the Nile and dusty villages where children waved as the soldiers passed.

By evening, they reached the bustling port city of Alexandria, where troopships lay at anchor. The docks were alive with movement—lines of soldiers, stacks of supplies, mules, and wagons all converging on the ships that would take them into the heart of the war. Arthur’s battalion embarked with a sense of anticipation and unease, knowing their destination was closer to the fighting than they had ever been.

Their course was set for Lemnos Island, in the northern Aegean Sea. This Greek Island, lying about 60 kilometres off the Gallipoli Peninsula, had been transformed into the Allied staging area for the forthcoming assault on the Dardanelles. Its sheltered harbours teemed with warships, transport vessels, and supply ships. On arrival, the men saw naval crews preparing landing craft, medical units establishing field hospitals, and soldiers of many nations training together for the campaign ahead.

For Arthur, the sight of Lemnos was a stark reminder that the long months of preparation were over. The next time they sailed, it would be towards the unknown dangers of Gallipoli.

In the bays that surrounded the island were hundreds of ships of all shapes and sizes - from battleships to troop ships to converted mine sweepers.

Not allowed on the land, the men spent their time climbing up and down cargo nets thrown over the sides of the ships.

GALLIPOLI APRIL 1915

Arthur  landed on Gallipoli in the early hours of 26 April 1915, one day after the initial landings. The beach was still under intermittent rifle and machine-gun fire, and the bodies of those who had gone before him lay in the shallows and on the sand. Scrambling ashore, he and his comrades were quickly pushed forward through narrow gullies and over steep ridges to reinforce positions desperately held by exhausted men.

POPE’S HILL

By the dawn of the next day, Arthur found himself at a place known as Pope’s Hill—a rugged outcrop on the second ridge, overlooking a deep gully and with a commanding view toward the Turkish lines. Named after Lieutenant Colonel Harold Pope of the 16th Battalion, the hill would soon gain an almost mythical status among the Anzacs for the fierce fighting that took place there. For the men holding it, Pope’s Hill was no romantic landmark—it was a bare, sun-baked slope with little cover, where enemy snipers and machine guns commanded every approach.

The trenches scratched into it were shallow, narrow, and without proper revetments, so the walls often collapsed under the men’s feet. They offered scant protection from the Turkish rifles and machine guns positioned on higher ground. At night, the men worked to deepen and extend the trenches, hacking at the hard, stony earth with entrenching tools, all while keeping low to avoid the crack of sniper fire.

Water was scarce and came up in kerosene tins from the beach, tasting faintly of petrol from the containers. Rations were bully beef and hard biscuits, sometimes supplemented by a scrap of jam or a few dried figs from a parcel. The sun during the day baked the slope until the dirt was scorching to the touch; at night, the temperature dropped sharply, and the men shivered under their thin blankets.

Flies swarmed over everything—the food, the men, the wounds. The smell of unburied bodies drifted up from the gullies, mingling with the acrid tang of cordite. Sleep came in snatches, broken by bursts of rifle fire, shouted warnings, and the occasional artillery shell whistling in from the enemy’s side.

Letters home were written on scraps of paper in the few quiet moments, though they could take weeks to arrive, and news from Australia was just as slow to return. The men clung to small routines—boiling tea over a tiny fire, cleaning their rifles, telling stories from home—to keep their minds off the constant threat.

From shallow trenches and improvised sangars scraped into the rocky earth, Arthur and the others clung to their positions, repelling repeated probes by the enemy and enduring constant danger from above and across the valley. The noise of rifle fire echoed in the gullies, mingling with the cries for stretcher-bearers and the sharp bursts of artillery. Pope’s Hill had to be held—if it fell, the narrow foothold at Anzac Cove could be split in two. From trenches only metres away, the Turks launched wave after wave of attacks on the defending Australians. The fighting for the cliff tops became that fierce that hand-to-hand fighting became the norm as trench lines on both sides were taken, counter attacked and retaken. Men on the beaches could hear the continual fighting and would look up to the cliffs as a boy would stare at a haunted house.

WOUNDED IN ACTION MAY 1915

Nowhere could Arthur and the rest of the 15th Battalion feel safe. In the firing line, they were under the glare of the Turkish guns, and in the relief trenches, there was the continual fear of snipers.  Sometime during 2 May, Arthur was resting in one of the relief trenches, away from the immediate firing line. A stray bullet found its way into the position—whether it was aimed at him or was simply a random shot will never be known. What is certain is that it struck with devastating effect, shattering his left eye. Within moments, his war was over. Stretcher-bearers carried him back down the steep, twisting paths toward the beach, beginning the long and painful journey away from the front lines he had fought so hard to hold.

EVACUATION AND HOSPITALISATION

Once the bullet tore through Arthur’s left eye, there was no question that he would have to be evacuated. Two stretcher-bearers from his battalion lifted him carefully onto a stretcher, winding down the steep, narrow track from Pope’s Hill toward the beach. The descent was exhausting for the bearers—ducking low in the gullies to avoid sniper fire, pausing at each bend to rest their aching arms. At the dressing station near the shore, Arthur was given immediate attention. His wound was cleaned and bandaged, and morphine eased the worst of the pain.

From there, he was taken by small boat to a hospital ship anchored off Anzac Cove. The trip out was choppy, the boat rocking with each wave, but for Arthur the relief was in knowing he was leaving the constant noise of the front behind. The hospital ship’s wards were crowded with men suffering from shrapnel wounds, bullet injuries, and sickness, all bound for treatment in Egypt.

HOSPITALISATION- THE 15TH GENERAL HOSPITAL, ALEXANDRIA

Upon arrival in Alexandria, Arthur was transferred to the 15th General Hospital, a large British-run facility housed in several converted buildings. The hospital smelled strongly of antiseptic, and the wards were airy but filled with the sounds of groaning men and the clatter of nursing staff moving between beds. Egyptian orderlies brought in bowls of water for washing, while the nurses—British, Australian, and New Zealand—checked bandages, administered medicines, and kept meticulous charts on each patient.

Arthur’s injury meant his left eye was permanently lost. In the first weeks, surgeons treated the wound to prevent infection, and his days were filled with bed rest, bland meals, and occasional walks in the hospital courtyard once he was strong enough. News from Gallipoli came in from new admissions—some cheerful with gossip about friends still in the fight, others grim with stories of losses. By late June, Arthur’s condition had stabilised. His sight was permanently altered, but he was well enough to return to Australia for discharge.

THE VOYAGE HOME ON HMAT BALLARAT

On 5 July 1915, Arthur walked slowly up the gangway of the HMAT Ballarat in Alexandria harbour. The ship was crowded with other wounded and sick soldiers, their uniforms mismatched with hospital garments, arms in slings, and heads swathed in bandages.

The Ballarat steamed out into the Mediterranean, bound for home via the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. Life on board was quiet compared to Gallipoli—there were daily medical inspections, simple meals served on deck, and the steady thrum of the ship’s engines. Men played cards, swapped stories, or simply stared out at the endless sea, each deep in his own thoughts about what lay ahead.

For Arthur, the journey was bittersweet. He was leaving behind the war, but also the mates he had fought besides, many of whom were still on those ridges. Ahead was home—and the challenge of rebuilding his life with the scars, both seen and unseen, of Gallipoli.

 FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service Arthur was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal

HOME LIFE

Upon his return home, he and other wounded were given a reception at the Lismore Town Hall. In an interview for the Lismore Northern Star, Arthur recalled the day he lost his eye.

"I was shot twice that day," he said. "The first time just stunned me, the second whilst I was lying in the relief trenches."

Arthur married May Victoria Drake in 1916 and they had 7 children. He died 9^th October 1941, aged 45, in Brisbane and is buried in Toowong cemetery.

If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.