Private Edward Baker
Service #: 4113
Summary
FAMILY LIFE
Edward Baker was born c1894 in Murwillumbah, son of James Joseph & Mary (Burke) Baker of Bray St, South Murwillumbah. He had 7 brothers & sisters. His parents & three of his siblings lived & died in Murwillumbah. His parents were pioneers of Crystal Creek when they took up selection in 1887 & engaged in dairying.
Edward was single labourer, living in Murwillumbah, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Brisbane on 31st December 1915 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his mother, Mary, of Murwillumbah. His medical which showed he was 21 years 7 months old, 5ft 3 ½ inches tall (1.61m), weighed 130 lbs (59kgs), with a dark complexion, grey eyes & brown hair. His eyesight was good. He was dentally fit with a partial upper denture and does not require a lower denture. He was Roman Catholic and had enlisted as a private into the 25 Infantry Battalion – 10th Reinforcements with service No 4113
25TH INFANTRY BATTALION
The 25th Infantry Battalion, part of the 7th Brigade, 2nd Division of the Australian Imperial Force, was raised in March 1915 at Enoggera, Queensland. Their service is remembered for their resilience and contributions to key victories.
ENOGGERA TRAINING CAMP
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 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.
On the 28th March, 1916 the regiment left Brisbane, sailing upon the HMAT Commonwealth. They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. 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. It was a foretaste of what was to come.
They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over more tough months, in the Training Camp in Egypt, 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 normally last 3 months.
HOSPITALISATION MAY 1916- MUMPS
During this time, on 4th May 1916 Edward contacted mumps and was admitted to the Suez Hospital till being discharged on 9th May.
THE WESTERN FRONT
The 25th battalion were stationed at Gallipoli when Edward arrived in the Suez. However, they were returned to the 2nd Division, with which it subsequently served on the Western Front after being transferred to Europe. On the 30th May 1916 he embarked the HT Tunisian at Alexandria & disembarked at Marseilles on 5th June 1916. More training was now needed and the troops were subjected to intensive training in gas warfare, bayonet drill, becoming focused on the prevailing conditions of trench warfare, and on the Allied position of taking the offensive.
TRENCH WARFARE
On 4th August Edward was taken on strength. The soldiers now found themselves fighting the German in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats
The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:
· Front-line trenches: Soldiers typically remained here for about 4–6 days at a time. This was where the fighting was most intense and the conditions were the harshest.
· Support and reserve trenches: After time on the front line, soldiers were rotated to these positions for around 6–12 days. These trenches were set further back and offered slightly better conditions.
· Rest periods: Soldiers were then moved away from the trench system entirely for rest, training, and recovery, often lasting several weeks, depending on operational needs.
The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.
THE BATTLE OF POZIERES
The 25th first significant battle came at Pozières on 28 July 1916 where the battalion suffered heavily during a night-time attack on the heights, losing 12 officers and 350 other ranks killed or wounded, many of whom were caught in thick wire obstacles that had been left intact by the pre-attack artillery bombardment. The Battle of Pozières took place during the Battle of the Somme. Australian forces played a crucial role, capturing the village of Pozières and enduring relentless German artillery bombardments, losing as many men in a few weeks as they did over eight months on Gallipoli.
Less than one third of the Australian reinforcements had fought at Gallipoli; they were largely inexperienced and ill-prepared to deal with the deadly onslaught of the battle-hardened machine that was the German Imperial Army.
The battle was marked by intense fighting, with Australian divisions suffering heavy casualties—over 23,000 men, including 6,800 killed or dying of wounds. Despite the losses, the Australians secured the high ground, which was vital for further Allied operations. On 29 July 1916 official Australian war correspondent Charles Bean recorded in his diary: “Pozieres Ridge is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth”
WOUNDED IN ACTION
A follow-up attack on 4 August added more casualties, bringing the total loss for the 25th in its first battle on the Western Front to 785.
On the second day of fighting, 5th August, Edward was one these casualties, wounded in action with a gunshot wound to the thigh.
HOSPITALISATION AND REST CAMP
He was admitted to the 37th Field Ambulance on 13th August. (A Field Ambulance was a mobile front line medical unit (it was not a vehicle), manned by troops of the Royal Army Medical Corps.) He was then transferred to the 37th Southern Hospital in Boulogne and on 4th September transferred to a rest camp. Here he would convalesce but continue with drilling & training as the technology and techniques were rapidly changing and soldiers had to be up to date when they were ready to rejoin their units.
DISCIPLINED
On 6th September he was, whilst on active service, absent from 9am to 5.30pm and forfeited 2 day’s pay
WOUNDED IN ACTION 2ND OCCASION
He rejoined his unit on 10th February which was engaged in operations following the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. This involved advancing through fortified outpost villages and conducting a series of engagements as they approached the main German defensive line and on 17th February 1917, he was again wounded in action with a gunshot wound right foot & pneumonia, dangerous.
HOSPITALISATION & COMMAND DEPOT
He was transferred to England on the 13th March 1917 on the HS Warilda where he spent several months in the OC Kitchner Military Hospital in Brighton. On 25th May he was sent to the No.4 Command Depot in Wareham which received men who will be fit for duty in periods ranging from 3 weeks to 3 months. Here he again would convalesce but continue with drilling & training as the technology and techniques were rapidly changing and soldiers had to be up to date when they were ready to rejoin their units.
DISCIPLINED
He was given furlough from 21st May to 5th June then report to Wareham but on that he went AWL again from 3.30pm to 9pm on the 6th June. He was given FP 2 for 2 days and forfeiture of 4 day’s pay. FP stand for Field Punishment and No 2 is where the prisoner was placed in fetters and handcuffs but was not attached to a fixed object and was still able to march with his unit.
THE BATTLE OF MENIN ROAD SEPTEMBER 1917
He rejoined his unit on 12th August and the battalion on 18th August. The 25th had taken part in many battles in the past months and on 20th September the Battle of Menin Road, near Ypres, Belgium began.
KILLED IN ACTION 20TH SEPTEMBER 1917
On the first day of battle Edward was killed in action. Edward’s body was not found and he is commemorated at the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium with the inscription No known grave - "Known unto God". His effects consisting of kit store book no 12, a balaclava, a devotional book, rosary, match box, key, medallions, 2 metal chains & 2 bag handles were received by his mother in April 1918. Further effects of wallet, photos and postcards were forwarded in May.
FOR HIS SERVICE
His mother was granted a pension of 30 shillings per fortnight from 5 December 1917. His war medals were sent to his father on
5th January 1922 and the memorial plaque in September.
For his service, Edward was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is located at panel 103 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial
If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.
Memorial Location
Murwillumbah RSL roll
Buried Location
Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium
