FAMILY LIFE

Ernest Albert Bowles was born 6 January 1895, son of Prosper Lewis Bowles & Marion (Persia) Bowles. His name was registered as Albert Ernest Bowles. Ernest had a younger sister. His father is listed on the Banner St Memorial, Murwillumbah which lists the 2348 pioneer settlers of the Tweed district and the family are buried in Murwillumbah Cemetery.

APPLICATION

He was single farmer, eager to do his bit. He travelled to Lismore on 16^th May 1917 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his mother, Marion, of Brisbane St, Murwillumbah. He had 3 years as a senior cadet & 2 years in the militia. His medical showed he was 22 years 3 months old, 5ft 4 inches tall (1.62m), weighed 8 stone 4 lbs (52kgs), with a fair complexion, blue eyes & fair hair. His eyesight was good. Ernest was Church of England and had a scar on his left cheek.  He was enlisted as a private into the 4^th Pioneer Battalion – 11^th Reinforcements with service No 4041

 

4^TH PIONEER BATTALION

The 4th Pioneer Battalion was an Australian infantry and light engineer unit raised during World War I as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Formed in March 1916 in Egypt, the battalion was assigned to the 4th Division and served on the Western Front in France and Belgium until the end of the war in November 1918. Its service is remembered for its versatility and dedication under challenging conditions

AUSTRALIAN 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 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

VOYAGE OVERSEAS

He embarked at Sydney aboard HMAT Medic on 1 August 1917. The recruits 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. 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. 

SUTTON VENEY TRAINING CAMP

He disembarked at Liverpool on 3^rd October 1917. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the English training camp at Sutton Veney, 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. They left England for Le Havre in March 1918 and he was taken on strength on 12^th April 1918

TRENCH WARFARE

In 1918 the 4^th Pioneers were fighting the Germans in the trenches. 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.

BATTLE OF VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MARCH & APRIL 1918

Ernest had arrived when a massive German offensive swept across northern France in March 1918, it seemed for a time that German troops might reach the Channel coast. The Australian Corps, most of whose infantry was concentrated in the area around Messines in Flanders, was spared the bloody fighting of the offensive’s opening days but was soon sent south to plug gaps in the disintegrating British line.

In late March and early April, soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) fought a series of difficult defensive battles, at Hébuterne, Dernancourt, Morlancourt, Villers-Bretonneux, Hangard Wood and Hazebrouck. Just one name in that list stands out. Villers-Bretonneux was the scene of battle on 4 and 5 April when Australian and British troops repelled a determined German attack. Three weeks later, British units were holding the town while the Australians manned a line from Villers-Bretonneux northwards to the Somme.

On 24 April the Germans made a second attempt on Villers-Bretonneux.  With the vital British transport hub at Amiens, less than 20 kilometres away, the town was a significant prize. From there, Amiens could be brought under artillery fire, and if the German advance continued, taken by infantry. The Germans struck at dawn with gas, artillery, infantry, and tanks – the first German use of this weapon to support an attack. Facing them were, in the words of senior British officer Sir Henry Rawlinson, “young boys … under fire for the first time,” shaken by the bombardment and unnerved by the sight of tanks emerging from the morning mist. Villers-Bretonneux was soon in enemy hands.

No British counterattack succeeded in dislodging them and as the day wore on the situation grew increasingly dire. In the afternoon Rawlinson insisted ‘we must get it back whatever happens’. Elliott, as senior Australian commander in the area, resolved to counterattack as soon as possible, but hours passed as British attempts to retrieve the situation failed. All the while the Germans strengthened their newly won positions and were pushing out beyond the town. An attempt to capture Cachy, 4 kilometres from Villers-Bretonneux led to the first ever battle between tanks. British armour prevailed, routing the German infantry who were unable to gain their objective

GOING HOME

The end of the war was in sight and on 11^th November the fighting was officially over so Ernest prepared to return to Australia. After the Armistice, the Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes insisted Australian troops be repatriated (returned home) as quickly as possible. This logistical challenge was enormous with 135,000 troops brought home from Britain in 147 voyages, and 16,773 troops from the Middle East in 56 voyages, mostly on a first come, first go basis. There was a lack of suitable ships to transport personnel home and many had to wait several months before they were headed back to Australia. Ernest was given leave in France from 19^th February to 9^th March. Soldiers who were waiting to go home would have duties and work to do in France. Ernest returned home on the Takada disembarking on 7^th September 1919. He was discharged on 9^th October 1919.

AFTER THE WAR

For his service, Ernest was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Maclean Public School Great War Roll of Honour. Ernest died on 3^rd June 1967 in Queensland and is commemorated at Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, Holland Park, Brisbane, Columbarium 12, Section 14

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