FAMILY LIFE

Stanley Albert Reeve was born c 1898 in London, son of Stanley Albert & Sarah Ann Reeve.

APPLICATION

Stan was a farmer, single 18 years 11 months old when he enlisted on 9^th February 1917 as a private in the in the 2^nd Light Horse 27^th reinforcements. 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, but had been residing in an exempt area since as food production was important to Australia.

He had travelled to Brisbane to complete his application and 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

The Examining Medical Officer stated that Stanley “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, 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 … SO HELP ME, GOD.” 

LIVERPOOL TRAINING CAMP

His training began soon after enlistment. Liverpool Military Camp was the main centre in New South Wales to provide basic military training. Conditions at the camp were generally poor throughout the war. 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.

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.

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.

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

His unit embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Sydney on 9^th 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.

MOASCAR ISOLATION CAMP

They disembarked on the Suez 20^th June 1917. On 21^st June he was taken on strength with the 1^st Infantry Battalion but transferred to in the 2^nd Light Horse 27^th reinforcements on 4^th 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.

SINAI & PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

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 20^th April 1918 Stanley was admitted to hospital, but no details.  He joined the 1^st Light Horse but was taken on strength with the 2^nd again on 22^nd June.

HOSPITALISATION VENEREAL DISEASE AUGUST 1918

On 3^rd August he was admitted to the 14^th Australian General Hospital in Port Said with VD. On 24^th August he was transferred to the rest camp and rejoined his unit 14^th September 1918.  On 5^th October he was again admitted to hospital, no details, and transferred to the 31^st General Hospital on 20^th October.  On 30^th October he was marched in to his unit in Boulac.

14 DAYS LEAVE- WAR ENDED

He was given 14 days leave on 11^th November. 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 29^th April 1919 for home. He was discharged 29^th May 1919.

FOR HIS SERVICE

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

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