Maurice Fitzgerald was born c 1894 in the New England area.

ATTESTATION

Maurice travelled to Brisbane on 26^th April 1916 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was born in the New England area, was, 22 years and 11 months and a single man. He gave his occupation as labourer. His next of kin was his mother, Hannah, of South Murwillumbah and he had spent one year in the Murwillumbah Infantry, from which he resigned

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

Maurice also agreed to allot three fifths of the pay payable to him from time to time during his service to the support of his mother

OATH

On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Maurice Fitzgerald 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 EXAMINATON

His medical showed he was 22 years 11 months old, 5ft 5 inches tall (1.65m), weighed 153 lbs (69kgs), with a fresh complexion, grey eyes & dark brown hair.  His eyesight was good. He was Roman Cathedral and had a scar on his right leg.  

 

CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER

This is completed during the recruits training. On 10^th August 1916 certified that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. I accordingly approve, and appoint him to the 41^st Infantry Battalion – 3^rd Reinforcements with service No 2067 as a private

TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA

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

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 FROM BRISBANE TO ENGLAND

On the 7^th September 1916 the recruits left Brisbane, sailing upon the             HMAT Clan McGillivray A46. Alongside his comrades, Maurice marched aboard, his boots ringing on the gangway. As the ship’s lines were cast off and the quay began to slip away, the reality of war lay ahead, but for now, the sea breeze carried only the sound of voices and the excitement of men bound for adventure, duty, and the unknown.

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 the voyage, due to overcrowding, training was limited to mainly to lectures and a little physical training.

Sleeping & Living Arrangements

Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.

Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.

Daily Routine

Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.

Meals

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. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.

Health & Sanitation

Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.

The Voyage Experience

Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. To keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.

The 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

CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY

The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.

SIGHTS AT SEA

On the way to Egypt, where the ship would refuel & take on supplies, the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.

SECURITY

By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes. The danger was greatest in the Western Approaches near Britain, where U-boats patrolled choke points like the English Channel and Irish Sea.

EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. They could on wonder at the sights and sounds they could see as they watched the ship being refuelled and goods taken on board

ENGLAND

On 2^nd November 1916 the men finally saw the green shoreline of England. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the training grounds of England, preparing for what lay ahead. They disembarked at Plymouth

LARKHILL TRAINING CAMP

When Maurice & the recruits arrived, they were sent to Larkhill Training Camp. During an interim period, soldiers typically:

·      Recovered from the voyage: After long sea travel from Australia, troops needed time to rest and regain strength.

·      Underwent medical inspections: To check for illnesses, infections, or conditions like venereal disease that might delay their training.

·      Received equipment and uniforms: This included British-issued gear better suited to the Western Front.

·      Were assigned to training battalions: Administrative processing sorted soldiers into reinforcement drafts for specific front-line battalions.

·      Drilled lightly: They performed light drills, parades, and familiarisation routines while waiting for formal training slots to open.

Then Maurice & the recruits were marched into the full training camp on 16^th November 1916. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the English training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind.

Training involved trench warfare techniques, bayonet drills, live fire exercises, gas mask use, and coordination with British units.

Their accommodation was tents or wooden huts, often cold, damp, and muddy — especially in the British summer/autumn. The weather was very different from Australia-wet, overcast conditions were common, and many Australians found the climate miserable compared to home.

The parade grounds, rifle ranges, gas training areas, bayonet fighting pits, and mock trench systems were built to simulate battlefield conditions. The training included the use and maintenance of the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifle, grenade throwing (often live grenades) & Lewis Gun handling and section tactics

Regular drilling included building and occupying practice trenches, night operations and trench raids & rotations simulating life under shellfire and gas attack.

Gas Warfare Training was very important and they were trained in the use of PH-type gas helmets and box respirators & drills in gas chambers using low concentrations of chlorine or phosgene to acclimate soldiers.

Close-combat techniques using bayonets — aggressive training with thrusts, parries, and charges were held

Tactical training included understanding platoon and company movements & signals training (flags, lamps, runners).

The recruits’ daily life began early with reveille at dawn, PT, then drills. Route marches in full kit were common — often 10–15 miles across the chalky countryside. Evenings often included lectures or maintenance. Pay parades, church services, and mail from home offered some morale boosts however the cold, wet conditions were physically hard, and sickness was common (influenza, bronchitis, trench foot-like conditions).

Use of Mills bombs and defensive bombing techniques in dugouts or trench corners was carried & section-level manoeuvres with live ammunition — dangerous but essential for battlefield realism

Training at Larkhill was tough, realistic, and intense. It forged untested Australian recruits into soldiers ready for the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front. While some men found it exhausting and bleak, it undoubtedly helped save lives once they reached the trenches of the Western Front. Training would normally last 3 months.

HOSPITALISED DECEMBER 1916

Maurice was hospitalised in Fargo Hospital, Larkhill on 11^th December, no details and returned to his training on 24^th December 1916

HOSPITALISED DECEMBER 1916 VENEREAL DISEASE

Two days later, on 26^th December, Maurice was again hospitalised in Fargo Hospital, with venereal disease. 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

REJOINED TRAINING MARCH 1917

After 71 days treatment Maurice rejoined the training camp on 6^th March 1917

FRANCE MAY 1917

Maurice completed his training and sailed for France on 2^nd May 1917. After crossing the Channel Australian soldiers were sent to the Australian Infantry Base Depots (AIBDs) in Etaples

At the Base Depot, soldiers:

·      Were accommodated temporarily in tent lines or huts.

·      Underwent further medical checks and physical conditioning.

·      Received final kit issue or replacements, like steel helmets or trench gear.

TAKEN ON STRENGTH MAY 1917

On 10^th May 1917 Maurice was taken on strength with the 41^st Battalion

WESTERN FRONT & TRENCH WARFARE

The soldiers now found themselves fighting the Germans 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.

41^ST BATTALION

At that time, the men are in training and preparation for a major attack — the Battle of Messines, planned for June. The 41st Battalion is billeted near Steenwerck and Ploegsteert, south of Ypres, rotating in and out of the front-line trenches.

Maurice spends his first weeks learning the ropes: how to move under shellfire, how to carry rations through deep mud, how to dig and repair trenches in the dark. The air smells of cordite and churned earth. He is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel A. S. MacNaughton, who keeps his Queenslanders and northern New South Welshmen steady and disciplined.

JUNE 1917 – THE BATTLE OF MESSINES

In early June, the 41st Battalion takes part in one of the most spectacularly planned operations of the war — Messines Ridge.
At 3:10 a.m. on 7 June 1917, a series of enormous mines explode beneath the German lines, shaking the ground like an earthquake. Maurice and his mates climb from their trenches and advance behind a rolling barrage of artillery fire.

The 41st Battalion’s role is to support and consolidate captured positions near Ploegsteert Wood and the Douve River. The fighting is brutal — machine-gun nests, shellfire, and counterattacks. Casualties are heavy, and Maurice would have seen friends wounded or killed. But the attack succeeds; the ridge is taken, and for the first time in months, the Australians feel they have gained real ground. After the battle, Maurice helps rebuild trenches, carry wounded men, and haul ammunition. The battalion withdraws for rest near Neuve Église, where he finally has a chance to clean up, write home, and collect himself.

JULY 1917 – BACK IN THE LINE

By July, the men are again in and out of the front line. The weather is miserable — rain, mud, and lice are constant companions. German artillery keeps up a steady bombardment, and gas shells are frequent.

Maurice spends his days repairing duckboards, standing sentry, and doing working parties at night. Even away from direct battle, danger is everywhere. It is physically exhausting, mentally grinding work.

1 AUGUST 1917 – HOSPITALISED EXHAUSTION

In the first days of August 1917, Maurice would have been evacuated through a Field Ambulance or Casualty Clearing Station, then perhaps to a Base Hospital in Boulogne or Étaples. The diagnosis was simple but serious — “exhaustion” — the army’s understated term for what we might now call battle fatigue.

Maurice had been through months of unbroken strain: the gruelling routine of the trenches near Messines, the endless shellfire, sleepless nights, and days of carrying sandbags, rations, and wounded mates. His body had given out before his spirit did.

The hospital offered quiet — rows of canvas tents, the scent of antiseptic, and nurses who spoke softly in the half-light. For the first time in months, Maurice had clean sheets and hot tea instead of muddy water. But even rest had its limits; by the end of the week, the Army needed men.

REJOINED UNIT AUGUST 1917

On 7 August 1917, declared fit for duty, Maurice was sent back to the line. Maurice rejoined the 41st Battalion near Ploegsteert, on the southern edge of the Ypres sector. The men were rebuilding and training after the heavy fighting at Messines Ridge in June.

The 41st was part of the 11th Brigade, 3rd Australian Division, commanded by Major General John Monash — one of Australia’s most capable officers. The Division was preparing for its next major operation: the upcoming Ypres–Passchendaele offensive.

For Maurice, daily life meant trench routine — stand-to at dawn, repair dugouts, haul ammunition, and endure the pounding of enemy artillery.
Every night, working parties went forward to repair the wire or dig communication trenches under the eerie glow of flares. The smell of mud, cordite, and decay never left them.

SEPTEMBER 1917 – TOWARDS THE SALIENT

In early September, the 41st Battalion left the Ploegsteert area and moved north toward Ypres, Belgium. The Australians were to take part in the British Third Battle of Ypres, a massive offensive to push the Germans off the ridges east of the ruined city.

The 41st bivouacked near Steenvoorde and later near Dickebusch, where the men trained for open warfare — attack formations, bayonet work, and moving behind the creeping artillery barrage. Maurice’s unit was reorganised, issued fresh supplies, and told to be ready for action at short notice. The ground they were moving into was infamous — a flat, waterlogged landscape of shell holes and shattered trees, churned into a swamp by months of rain and bombardment.

SEPTEMBER–EARLY OCTOBER 1917 – THE BATTLE BUILDS

The 41st was held in reserve during the first stages of the offensive — the Menin Road (20 September) and Polygon Wood (26 September) battles.
But their turn was coming. Orders came down: the 41st would take part in the next major attack — the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October 1917, followed by further operations toward Passchendaele.

On 4 October, the battalion advanced through the early-morning mist. The earth shook under their boots as thousands of shells exploded ahead of them. Maurice and his comrades followed the creeping barrage, climbing over the shattered remains of German trenches near Zonnebeke.

Despite ferocious resistance, the Australians took their objectives. The 41st Battalion captured the ridge and held it under relentless shellfire. It was one of the most successful days for the AIF in the entire war — but it came at a terrible cost.

OCTOBER 1917 – THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE

After Broodseinde, the men had little rest. The 41st Battalion was again ordered forward into the mud-churned nightmare of Passchendaele Ridge.
Heavy rain had turned the battlefield into a sea of slime. Shell craters filled with water; men drowned trying to cross them. Horses and mules sank where they stood. The famous Australian historian C.E.W. Bean would later call it “the worst battlefield conditions ever endured by troops in war.”

Maurice trudged forward with his platoon through knee-deep muck, the sound of the guns a constant thunder around them. Every step was agony; rifles clogged with mud; boots pulled from feet by the suction of the swamp.

The Germans, high on the ridge, poured down machine-gun fire and shells. There was no solid ground to dig in, no place to hide — only mud, death, and endurance.

12 OCTOBER 1917 – WOUNDED IN ACTION

On the morning of 12 October 1917, the 41st Battalion took part in the assault on Passchendaele village itself. The plan was for the Australians and New Zealanders to seize the ridge, but the weather and enemy fire made it impossible.

The artillery barrage fell short, and the men had to advance across open ground under heavy machine-gun fire. The mud was so deep that movement was almost impossible — men sank to their knees, even their waists. Maurice Fitzgerald was among those caught in the maelstrom.
Somewhere between the Keiberg Spur and the outskirts of Passchendaele, he was wounded in action.

On 12th October 1917, during the bitter fighting near Passchendaele, Maurice was wounded in action, suffering a severe gunshot wound to his ankle. The injury would have left him unable to move unaided, and amid the chaos of battle, stretcher-bearers worked tirelessly to reach men like him. The 41st Battalion suffered heavy casualties that day — the attack faltered in deep mud under relentless enemy fire, and the ground they had fought so hard to gain was soon lost again.

For Maurice, the ordeal that followed was long and painful. He was carried back through the casualty chain — first to the Regimental Aid Post, then to a Field Ambulance, and on to a Casualty Clearing Station behind the lines. EVACUATED TO ENGLAND OCTOBER 1917

His wound was serious enough to require evacuation to England, and on 17th October 1917 he was transported across the Channel to the Kitchener Military Hospital at Brighton for treatment. The Kitchener Hospital, a large converted workhouse overlooking Brighton’s seafront, was one of the principal hospitals caring for wounded Australians. There, Maurice would have received skilled medical attention, rest, and a measure of peace far removed from the Flanders mud.

TRANSFER TO 3^RD AUXILIARY HOSPITAL DARTFORD NOVEMBER 1917

After several weeks of recovery, he was transferred on 12th November to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford, a convalescent facility specialising in rehabilitation. At Dartford, patients were encouraged to regain strength through light duties, physiotherapy, and time outdoors when weather permitted.

FURLOUGH NOVEMBER 1917

SUTTON VENEY DEPOT NOVEMBER 1917

Maurice was granted furlough from 14th to 28th November, giving him a brief opportunity to enjoy civilian comforts and perhaps visit Australian friends recovering elsewhere in England. At the end of his leave, he reported to the Sutton Veny Depot, one of the AIF’s main training and convalescent camps on Salisbury Plain. There, men recovering from wounds were assessed to determine whether they were fit to return to duty or would remain in England until repatriation. For Maurice, the months that followed would have been a slow process of healing — learning to walk without pain, and rebuilding strength

DISCIPLINED DECEMBER 1917

Whilst at Sutton Veney Maurice did not return from his leave until 2pm on 30^th November.  He was admonished by he commanding officer & forfeited 3 day’s pay.

LONG DEVERILL DECEMBER 1917

By December 1917, Maurice had recovered enough to return to duty. On 19th December, he was posted to Long Deverill, one of the AIF’s base depots on the Salisbury Plain, where men were re-equipped and underwent further training before being sent back to France. The months spent there were a mixture of routine drill, route marches, medical inspections, and waiting for orders — the cold English winter offering little comfort after a year of hardship.

FRANCE & GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE JUNE 1918

On 26th June 1918, Maurice left England from Folkestone, bound once more for the Western Front. Disembarking at Rouelles, he rejoined the 41st Battalion on 4th July 1918. The battalion at that time was serving in the Somme region, near Strazeele and Méteren, areas which had seen fierce fighting earlier in the year during the German Spring Offensive. By July, the front was quieter, though far from safe — artillery exchanges, gas shelling, and night patrols were daily occurrences. Maurice would have spent his first weeks back in the line repairing trenches, improving defences, and regaining his footing among his mates.

HOSPITALISED VENEREAL DISEASE JULY 1918

However, his return to the front was short-lived. On 12th July, he was admitted to hospital suffering from venereal disease, an unfortunately common affliction among troops after years in the field. On 16th July, he was transferred to a Casualty Clearing Station, then on 20th July to the 39th General Hospital, where his condition was noted as NYD (Not Yet Diagnosed) until doctors confirmed the details. After several weeks of treatment, he was discharged to duty on 29th August and rejoined his unit on 5th September 1918.

HINDENBURG LINE SEPTEMBER 1918

When Maurice rejoined them, the 41st Battalion was preparing for the final Allied offensives that would end the war. The Australians took part in the advance toward the Hindenburg Line, fighting in and around Péronne, Bouchavesnes, and Le Verguier during early September. These were among the last major battles fought by Australian troops — fierce, costly actions that pushed the German army back toward its defensive heartland.

By late September, the 41st had helped breach key sections of the enemy’s line and capture strategic villages under heavy fire. The men endured long marches, sleepless nights in sodden trenches, and constant shellfire, but morale lifted as news spread that the German forces were finally crumbling.

OCTOBER WITHDRAWAL

In October 1918, the Australians were withdrawn from the front to rest and reorganise, many of them physically worn out and understrength after years of fighting. They remained in France as the tide of war turned completely in the Allies’ favour.

ARMISTICE NOVEMBER 1918

On 11th November 1918, when the Armistice was declared, Maurice and the 41st Battalion were still in France, awaiting further orders amid the stunned quiet that followed four years of near-constant battle.

ONSTRENGTH NOVEMBER 1918 TO MARCH 1919

He remained on strength with his battalion into March 1919, part of the long and uncertain period of waiting as the AIF began the enormous task of demobilisation. For Maurice — who had endured the mud of Passchendaele, serious wounding, and return to the front — it marked the end of an arduous but courageous chapter of his life.

RETURNING HOME JUNE 1919

Maurice returned home on the Themistocles on 12^th June 1919 and was discharged on 10^th August 1919

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service Maurice was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the Bilambil First World War Honour Board 

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