Private Stanley Albert Reeve
Service #: 3310
Summary
FAMILY LIFE
Stanley Albert Reeve was born on the 5th March, 1898 in London, son of Stanley Albert & Sarah Ann Reeve.
ATTESTATION
Stan was a farmer, single 18 years 11 months old when he enlisted on 9th February 1917 in Brisbane. His next of kin was his mother, Sarah, of Commissioners Creek, a small village near Uki. He had spent 6 weeks with the Naval Cadets, (equipment returned) but had been residing in an exempt area since as food production was important to Australia. He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia
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CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTING OFFICER
On the second page of the attestation documents the attesting confirms the following; “The foregoing questions were read to the person enlisted in my presence. I have taken care that he understood each question, and his answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to by him”
OATH
He also made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Stanley Albert Reeve, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law
SO, HELP ME, GOD.”
MEDICAL EXAMINATION
Stan was 5ft 4inches tall (1.62M) and weighed 138lbs (63kgs) with a fresh complexion, blue eyes & light brown hair. His eyesight was good and he had a vaccination mark on his left arm. He was dentally fit & was Church of England
CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL EXAMINER
The medical examiner certifies I have examined the abovenamed person, and find that he does not present any of the following conditions, viz: -
Scrofula; phthisis; syphilis; impaired constitution; defective intelligence; defects of vision, voice, or hearing; hernia’ haemorrhoids; varicose veins, beyond a limited extent; marked varicocele with unusually pendent testicle; inveterate cutaneous disease’ chronic ulcers; traces of corporal punishment or evidence of having been marked with the letters D. or B.C; contracted or deformed chest; abnormal curvature of spine; or any other disease or physical defect calculated to unfit him for the duties of a soldier.
He can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints and limbs; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service
CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER
This is completed during the recruits training. Stan was in Enoggera training camp when this was completed on 15th March 1917. The commanding officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He then states “I accordingly approve, and appoint him a private in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment 27th reinforcements with service number 3310
TRAINING LIVERPOOL LIGHT HORSE DEPOT
After his enlistment at the Liverpool Light Horse Depot, Stan began his military training amid the dust and bustle of one of New South Wales’ busiest camps. The Light Horse Depot was a lively place — rows of tents and stables stretched across the paddocks, with constant movement as new recruits learned the routines of mounted service.
Stan would have spent his first weeks learning the fundamentals of soldiering: drill, physical fitness, and discipline, before moving on to the skills that defined the mounted man. He was taught to ride with a military saddle, to control his horse at all paces, and to manoeuvre in close formation. Daily sessions included mounting and dismounting at speed, guiding the horse with knee and rein, and practising extended trots and canters across open ground. The instructors — many veterans of earlier campaigns — were firm but fair, ensuring each man could care for his mount as well as himself.
Horsemanship was only one part of the training. He learned the use of the Lee-Enfield rifle both on foot and in the saddle, as well as the sword or bayonet for close work. He was trained to move quickly from mounted to dismounted action — the Light Horse fought on foot, using their horses mainly for mobility. Camp life also included route marches, stable duties, grooming and feeding routines, cleaning tack and gear, and long days of drill under the Australian sun.
INNOCULATIONS
All recruits were given a range of inoculations while in camp. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid – indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.
THE UNIFORM
The recruits were issued with their uniform- service dress jacket was made of Australian wool and its loose fit gave the wearer more allowance for movement. The four large pockets were very useful. A unique feature designed for comfort was the pleated back, which provided a double thickness of cloth down the back that the pack rubbed against. Breeches were corduroy worn with wool wrap puttees. The famous khaki felt slouch hat or early service cap is probably the most distinctive part of the uniform. turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge.
SOLDIER’S KIT
Australia's World War I soldiers went to war weighed down by almost 30 kilograms of clothes, weapons, tools and kit.
· Breeches: made from khaki woollen cord fabric, with side pockets and button flies. Soldiers were issued with two pairs of breeches, plus a pair of dungarees. The breeches ended above the ankles and the gap was filled with puttees.
· Braces: worn with breeches.
· Puttees: The men wound these strips of woollen cloth, almost three metres long, upwards from the ankle to just below the knee. Soldiers disliked the puttees, probably with good reason: the tight binding restricted circulation and might even have contributed to the high incidence of trench foot. Mounted troops wore leather leggings.
· Shirt: Soldiers were given two grey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus a military shirt.
· Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.
· Socks: Made from wool or cotton. Soldiers were issued with three pairs.
· Greatcoat: the khaki woollen coat (which weighed about 3kg) often doubled as a soldier's bedding and was his chief protection against the cold and wet. The coat came into its own when snow hit Gallipoli in November 1915 and also on the Western Front.
· Jersey
· Singlets: Soldiers were issued with 2 woollen singlets.
· Cotton "drawers" (underpants): Soldiers were issued with two pairs.
· Abdominal belts: a sort of cummerbund that was issued to keep soldiers warm and supposedly ward off disease.
· Backpacks and webbing: The main backpack was a rectangular sack measuring about 15 inches x 13 inches, closed at the top by a folding cover secured by two straps. The webbing included a web belt, cartridge pouches, small haversack, bayonet frog, an entrenching tool holder (plus another holder for its handle), and a water-bottle holder.
· Identity disc: Soldiers were initially issued with one medal "dog tag" on a cord, but later in the war they were given two tags, made of compressed fibre.
· Soldiers were also issued with a "housewife" - a sewing kit containing such items as needles, thimble, thread, wool and button so they could carry out running repairs.
· Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle, a rifle sling, a bayonet and scabbard, and an "entrenching tool" (they were "diggers" after all). This came in two parts, with the helve (handle) separate from the spade part.
· Soldiers were issued with eating equipment (knife, fork, spoon, an enamel mug, water bottle (with two-point capacity), and a mess tin with carrier.
· They also had a clasp knife (with marlin spike, tin-opener and lanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap, comb, two towels, field dressing (carried in the tunic's inside pocket), and a hold-all, in which they could pack their private possessions.
· No item was probably looked after more carefully than their service pay book: privates were paid five shillings a day
By May 1917, after roughly ten weeks of this hard routine, Stan would have been a confident and capable Light Horseman — fit, disciplined, and bonded with his horse
VOYAGE OVERSEAS SYDNEY TO THE SUEZ MAY 1917
His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Port Sydney on 9th May, 1917. 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.
The Port Sydney was specifically designed as a combined troop and horse transport and could carry approximately 524 troops and 511 horses. The voyage that left Sydney on 9 May 1917 was bound for Suez and carried Light Horse reinforcements, making it highly likely that horses were aboard.
For a Light Horse reinforcement such as Stanley, the horses on board would not necessarily have been allocated to individual troopers. By 1917 many reinforcements travelled separately from the horses they would eventually ride. Nevertheless, horses remained absolutely essential to the campaign in Sinai and Palestine, and replacement mounts continued to be shipped from Australia throughout 1917.
SAILING WITH HORSES
When Stan stepped aboard the Port Sydney he was not only beginning his own long journey to war but also taking responsibility for a living companion — a horse. Unlike the infantrymen who embarked with little more than their rifles and kit, the Light Horsemen spent much of the voyage tending to the animals that would carry them through future battles.
Below decks, the sip had been fitted with rows of stalls. Each morning at first light, Alexander and his comrades made their way down into the cramped, airless hold to feed, water, and clean up after their horses. The heat, smell, and flies could be overpowering, but the routine was strict and unrelenting: feed measured out carefully, water rationed, and the heavy work of mucking out stalls done daily to keep the animals healthy. When weather allowed, the horses were brought on deck to stretch their legs, led slowly around the ship, or lifted in slings to keep their muscles supple.
The rest of the day was divided between horse duty, parades, and training. On deck, the men drilled with their rifles, practised bayonet work, and kept up their physical fitness. The ship was crowded, hammocks and bunks jammed together, and meals were plain—bully beef, hard biscuits, and tea—but the men kept themselves occupied with cards, writing letters, or impromptu concerts. Seasickness was common, especially in the early days, and many struggled with the reek of horseflesh combined with the rolling sea.
There were lighter moments, too. The men organised boxing matches and games, and the bond between soldier and horse grew stronger each day. Alexander, like many of his regiment, came from country life and was used to handling horses; brushing down his mount or leading it carefully around the deck gave him a small sense of normality amid the voyage’s monotony.
The journey was not without loss. Some horses sickened and died despite the best efforts of their handlers and veterinary officers. Their bodies were solemnly hoisted up from the holds and buried at sea, a sight that reminded the men of the fragility of both beast and soldier in the campaign ahead.
MOASCAR ISOLATION CAMP
They disembarked on the Suez 20th June 1917. On 21st June he was taken on strength with the 1st Infantry Battalion but transferred to in the 2nd Light Horse 27th reinforcements on 4th August 1917. The unit then went to the isolation camp in Moascar. During World War I, this camp provided the final preparation for entrainment to Alexandria and the Western Front. The isolation camps screened soldiers arriving in Egypt as reinforcements for two weeks, checking for any illnesses such as measles which can break out when people are crowded together for long periods. Ismailia is a city in north-eastern Egypt, situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in a training camp, 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.
The Sinai and Palestine campaign was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. Stanley would have been part of the Stalemate in Southern Palestine was a six-month standoff between the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Army. The two hostile forces faced each other along the Gaza to Beersheba line during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, with neither side able to force its opponent to withdraw.
HOSPITALISATION NO DETAILS APRIL 1918
On 20th April 1918 Stanley was admitted to hospital, but no details. He joined the 1st Light Horse but was taken on strength with the 2nd again on 22nd June.
JUNE TO AUGUST 1918
Stanley remained with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment during operations in the Jordan Valley. Although his service record contains no personal entries during this period, the regiment was actively engaged in patrols, reconnaissance and outpost duties against Turkish forces. The work was demanding rather than spectacular, involving long hours in the saddle, constant vigilance and the daily care of horses in extreme heat. The Jordan Valley was notorious for its oppressive climate, dust, flies and disease, and many soldiers considered it one of the most uncomfortable postings of the war. Stanley's days were likely spent alternating between mounted patrols, camp duties and defensive tasks as the regiment maintained pressure on the enemy while preparing for the major offensive that would eventually begin in September 1918.
HOSPITALISATION VENEREAL DISEASE AUGUST 1918
On 3rd August he was admitted to the 14th Australian General Hospital in Port Said with VD. The sense of adventure, the loneliness, and the loss of family life that overwhelmed many of the overseas volunteers during the First World War often found them on leave in large cities or small towns where alcohol and women were plentiful, and a lack of available prophylaxis allowed the spread of diseases such as gonorrhoea and syphilis to reach epidemic levels. Historians claim that the average incidence rate for this disease in the AIF was around 12 per cent
Treatment for venereal disease in the Australian Imperial Force during WWI primarily involved hospitalisation, strict rest, and medical therapies available at the time. Soldiers were often treated with salvarsan (an arsenic-based compound) or mercury-based preparations, which were administered by injection or topical application. These treatments aimed to cure the infection but could be uncomfortable and required careful monitoring due to side effects. In addition to drug therapy, patients were given regular medical inspections, hygiene instruction, and restrictions on activity until fully recovered. Lengthy stays in hospital—often several weeks or months—were common, as doctors ensured soldiers were no longer infectious and fit to return to duty
REST CAMP AUGUST 1918
On 24th August he was transferred to the rest camp where he would convalescence
REJOINED UNIT SEPTEMBER 1918
He rejoined his unit 14th September 1918.
HOSPITALISED NO DETAILS OCTOBER 1918
On 5th October he was again admitted to hospital, no details, and transferred to the 31st General Hospital on 20th October.
REJOINED UNIT OCTOBER 1918
On 30th October he was marched in to his unit in Boulac.
14 DAYS LEAVE- WAR ENDED
He was given 14 days leave on 11th November. But at 11 am on 11 November, 1918, the guns fell silent. The November armistice was followed by the peace treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919. Between November 1918 and May 1919, the men of the 2nd Battalion returned to Australia for demobilisation and discharge.
GOING HOME
Stan embarked on the HR Ulimaroa on 29th April 1919 for home. He was discharged 29th May 1919.
CLOTHING AND NECESSITIES GIVEN TO SOLDIERS FOR SOLDIERS PROCEEDING TO AUSTRALIA FOR DEMOBILISATION
Badges Hat Badges Collar (2) Bags kit universal
Bags kit sea Braces (pair) Brush, shaving
Brush, tooth Breeches M.S (Military service)
Cap comforter (warm cap) Comb, hair
Disc identity with cord Drawers (2 pairs)
Great Coat Hat, Khaki fur Hat, white
Holdall Housewife (compact sewing kit)
Jackets Cardigan Jackets S.D (service dress)
Leggings 1 pair Laces, leather 1 pair
Puggarees, small (a traditional Indian head wrap, worn in warm conditions
Puttees, 1 pair (cloth bandages worn by soldiers, to provide support and protection for the lower leg)
Razor Shirts, flannel (2) Socks, 3 pairs
Singlets (2)
Strap chin Soap piece Suit, working
Towels, hand (2)
Titles “Australia” (4)-
Australian soldiers and
non-commissioned officers wore an “Australia” title at the base of their
shoulder straps. Each serving soldier also
wore unit titles above this which
indicated the units to which they belonged
FOR HIS SERVICE
For his service, Stan was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.
AFTER THE WAR
Stan married Irene Gladys Stevenson in Murwillumbah in 1928. He died on the 27th September, 1984 (aged 86) in Murwillumbah, and is buried in Murwillumbah General Cemetery, Plot CoE, C-18
If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.
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