FAMILY LIFE

Herbert (Bert) William Fackerell was born in Murwillumbah c1894, the fourth child of Edward Fackerell & Phyllis Caroline Marion (Hawkes) Fackerell. His father was a prominent businessman in the area. He owned a farm at Dungay; opened a cordial factory in 1902 and purchased the Imperial Hotel in 1911. He was also very active in the community serving as an Alderman from 1903 to 1905 and was involved in a range of other community organisations. Herbert had five siblings. His brother, Humphrey enlisted in 1915 and was killed in action on 4^th September 1918

APPLICATION

In May 1915, the Great War had been raging on for nearly a year. At the time, Bert was living in Murwillumbah, working as a farmer. The news of a German U-boat being responsible for the sinking of the civilian ship Lusitania and the death of her 1200 passengers was published in a Sydney newspaper. These deaths were published alongside a report involving German atrocities in Belgium. The news of the heavy losses sustained at Gallipoli were also starting to reach Australia.

Bert enlisted on 14^th June 1915 at Liverpool as a private in the 3^rd reinforcements 17^th Infantry Battalion. He was 21 years 11 months old and single. His next of kin was father, Edward, of the Imperial Hotel, Murwillumbah (which he owned). Bert was 5ft 5 ¾ inches tall (1.68m) and weighed 136lbs (62kgs) with a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and fair hair. The Examining Medical Officer stated that Herbert “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, Herbert William Fackerell, 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.” He was Church of England.

COOTAMUNDRA TRAINING CAMP

As was the case with men from the 17^th Infantry their training camp was in Cootamundra. 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 their training began. Firstly, 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.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

Bert embarked for overseas on the 9^th August 1915 on the HMAT Runic bound for Egypt under his commanding officer, Captain C.E. Cooke. 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-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores

Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. 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. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant. 

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. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

EGYPTIAN TRAINING CAMP

But they were in the Army and more training was in front of them. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months the volunteers left their old lives farther behind. They began their training with physical fitness exercises, they were taught individual and unit discipline, how to follow commands, how to march, some basic field skills and how to safely handle his weapons.  Later, as soldiers specialised in a particular area (for example, machine gunner or signaller) they would be trained in specific skills and would take part in practice manoeuvres and sham fights. They would spend many hours learning training in the use of bayonets, anti- gas training and guard duty along with lectures on camouflage or trench warfare and much more.

Training would be for eight hours a day six days a week. All day long, in every valley of the Sahara for miles around the Pyramids of Giza were groups or lines of men advancing, retiring, drilling or squatted near their piled arms listening to their officer. For many of the battalions many miles of desert had to be covered in the morning and evening to and from their allotted training areas. At first, to harden the troops, they wore full kit with heavy packs. Their backs became drenched with perspiration, and the bitter desert wind blew on them as they camped for their midday meal and many deaths from pneumonia were attributed to this cause. Training would normally up to last 3 months.

TRANSFER TO 2^ND PIONEER BATTALION

On 13^th March 1916 Bert was transferred to the 2^nd Pioneer Battalion. Pioneer battalions were unique in that they combined infantry combat skills with light engineering capabilities, such as constructing trenches, defensive positions, and maintaining roads and railways.

On 19^th March he proceeded to join the BEF (British Expeditionary Forces) from Alexandria and disembarked 26^th March in Marseilles.

HOSPITALISATION APRIL 1916

On 4^th April he rejoined is unit from hospital but no details recorded. 

BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE

Bert was involved in the Battle of Passchendaele, (July 31–November 6, 1917). This battle that served as a vivid symbol of the mud, madness, and senseless slaughter of the Western Front. The third and longest battle to take place at the Belgian city of Ypres, Passchendaele was ostensibly an Allied victory, but it was achieved at enormous cost for a piece of ground that would be vacated the following year.

WOUNDED IN ACTION NOVEMBER 1916

Bert received a gunshot wound to the left thigh & right arm, severe. HOSPITALISATION ENGLAND

On the 11^th November a telegram was sent to his father advising Bert was in the Kitchener Hospital, Brighton and had been removed from seriously ill list. Telegram to father 8^th December 1916 advising his condition was improving. On 8^th January 1917 he was removed from the seriously ill list.

COMMAND DEPOT APRIL 1917

On 7^th April he was marched into a training camp for convalescence but also for drilling and training until he was posted to rejoin their unit in the field- the tactics and technologies of the war developed very rapidly and Bert would have to keep up to date.

PROMOTED TO GUNNER NOVEMBER 1917

On the 13^th November he was promoted to Gunner & transferred to artillery details Heytesbury, another training camp. During World War I, Heytesbury in Wiltshire, England, served as a significant training and recuperation site for Australian troops. The camp's location on Salisbury Plain provided ample space for artillery drills and manoeuvres, essential for preparing troops for the conditions they would face on the Western Front.

DISCIPLINED DECEMBER 1917

Whilst there, on the 23^rd December, he created a disturbance after lights out and was award 14 days confined to barracks

ATTACHED TO 10^TH FAB FEBRUARY 1918

On the 3^rd February 1918 he proceeded overseas to Rouelles, France where he was temporarily attached to the 10^th FAB

BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND NOVEMBER 1918

Between February and November 1918, the 10th Field Artillery Brigade played a crucial role on the Western Front during the final stages of World War I. As part of the 4th Division Artillery, the brigade provided essential artillery support in several key offensives that contributed to the Allied victor

KEY ENGAGEMENTS AND OPERATIONS

GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE (MARCH–APRIL 1918):

In early 1918, the 10th FAB was engaged in defensive operations to counter the German Spring Offensive. Their artillery units provided critical support to halt the German advance, particularly during intense fighting around Villers-Bretonneux in April.

BATTLE OF HAMEL (4 JULY 1918):

The brigade participated in the Battle of Hamel, a meticulously planned attack that became a model for future operations. The 10th FAB's precise artillery bombardments were instrumental in the swift capture of objectives with minimal casualties

BATTLE OF AMIENS (8–11 AUGUST 1918):

During the Battle of Amiens, the 10th FAB supported the 4th Division's advance by delivering effective artillery fire that helped break through German lines. This battle marked the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive, leading to the eventual end of the war.birtwistlewiki.com.au

ADVANCE TO THE HINDENBURG LINE (SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 1918): The brigade continued to support offensive operations as Allied forces pushed towards the Hindenburg Line. Their artillery fire facilitated the capture of key positions, contributing to the weakening of German defences.

HOSPITALISATION HERNIA NOVEMBER 1918

He was admitted to 567 Field Ambulance with a hernia in his left thigh. A hernia is when tissues or organs bulge through a weak point in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall. Bert was evacuated to England

RETURNED TO AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 1929

Bert returned to Australia on the Morvada on 25^th February and was discharged on the 30^th May 1919.

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service, Bert was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Parish of Murwillumbah First World War Roll of Honour and Dungay Public School WW1 Honor Roll

HOME LIFE

Bert married Violet Jamieson in 1920 and they had a daughter in 1924. Bert died in Murwillumbah on 6^th April 1926 due to Dengue Fever. He is buried in Murwillumbah Old Cemetery

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