PERSONAL LIFE

Oscar Aubrey Ebeling was born on 15th June 1899 in Maclean, son of Olaf Henry & Mary Dorothea (Borge) Ebeling. He was one of six children

ATTESTATION

Oscar enlisted in Murwillumbah on 2^nd July 1916 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was born in Maclean, was 19 years and 1 month old and a single man. He gave his occupation as farmer. His next of kin was his father, Olaf, of Crabbes Creek and he had spent 3 years in the Byron Bay cadets.

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

OATH

On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Oscar Aubrey Ebeling, 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

His medical showed he was 5ft 11 ½ inches tall (1.81m), weighed 142 lbs (65kgs), with a fair complexion, grey eyes & brown hair.

His eyesight was good and he was dentally fit.  He had varicocele in his left testicular but it was not serious.  Oscar was Church of England

LETTER FROM RECRUTING OFFICE LISMORE JULY 1918

Oscar’s father received the following from the Recruiting Office Lismore

“I beg to advise you that your son EBELING Oscar Aubrey enlisted at this depot, giving his age as 19 years 1 month and his date of birth 15/6/1899.

If you are aware that your son has enlisted, and the above age is correct, will you please sign this letter and return it to the above office to enable your boy’s papers to go to Brisbane

I ask the above not because your boy’s word is doubted, but as a number of young fellows come along to enlist, give the wrong age and same is incorrect, thereby causing untold trouble to himself, parents, and this office

Thanking you for the above reply as soon as convenient

The statement “I give my consent to my boy’s enlistment and state age as given is correct” was signed by his father Olaf”

Oscar was then sent to the training camp

 CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER

This is completed during the recruits training. In case Oscar’s case on 21^st August 1918 at Rifle Range camp, Enoggera

The officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He accordingly approves, and appoints him to as a private into the 6^th General Service Reinforcements with service No 64344

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.  Oscar passed his riding test

HOME LEAVE

While at the training camp Oscar received home leave from 7^th August to 11^th August

VOYAGE OVERSEAS FROM SYDNEY TO EGYPT

On 14^th October 1918 his unit caught the troop train from Brisbane to Sydney and on 16^th October 1918 they embarked on the SS Malta.

Alongside his comrades, Oscar 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 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.

APPROACHING EGYPT

After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the sandy training grounds of Egypt, preparing for what lay ahead.

HOSPITALISED NOVEMBER INFLUENZA

Conditions aboard Malta were cramped and uncomfortable. Space was at a premium, and the long voyage across the Indian Ocean was stiflingly hot below decks. The men were kept busy with physical drills, lifeboat practice, and lectures on discipline and hygiene, but as the voyage progressed, sickness began to spread. The influenza epidemic that was sweeping the world had found its way on board. Within days, dozens of soldiers were showing symptoms — fever, coughing, weakness — and the ship’s medical staff were quickly overwhelmed.

Oscar was among those who fell ill during the voyage. He was admitted to the ship’s hospital, a converted section of the upper deck partitioned with canvas screens and rows of bunks. Medical orderlies worked tirelessly, though supplies and medicines were limited.

SUEZ NOVEMBER 1918- HOSPITALISATION

When Malta reached Suez, the sick were carefully disembarked and taken by ambulance train to hospitals inland. Oscar was transferred to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Ghezireh, located on an island in the Nile opposite Cairo. The hospital was housed in a former luxury hotel, its verandas and ballrooms now filled with rows of iron beds. Here, doctors and nurses treated the steady stream of influenza and pneumonia cases arriving from ships and desert camps.

DECEMBER 1918

By December, Oscar had recovered sufficiently to leave hospital. The war in Europe had ended the previous month, but in the Middle East the Australian Mounted Division was still carrying out patrols, maintaining order, and guarding vital supply routes. Many reinforcements, including Oscar, were absorbed into these units to replace men returning home.

MARCHED INTO 1^ST LIGHT HORSE REGIMENT DECEMBER 1918

On 21 December 1918, he was marched into the 1st Light Horse Regiment, then a few weeks later, on 4 January 1919, he was taken on strength with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment “in the field.” By this stage the regiment was part of the occupation force in Palestine, its men scattered in small detachments around the Jordan Valley and along the old Turkish lines.

Although no longer engaged in combat, their duties were varied and demanding. They guarded depots, assisted with the rounding up of surrendered Turkish equipment, and cared for their horses in the extremes of heat and dust. Disease and fatigue remained constant challenges, and with limited comforts and the long delay in repatriation, morale could waver.

For Oscar, this period would have been one of steady routine rather than action — long days of stable work, patrols through villages, and maintenance of camp lines. Still, it gave him the chance to serve alongside the seasoned Light Horsemen whose fame had spread throughout the AIF.

In May 1919, with the gradual demobilisation of the Australian forces in Egypt and Palestine, Oscar embarked for home. Like so many of the late reinforcements, his war had been brief and far from the great battles of earlier years, but he had answered the call, endured the hardships of voyage and illness, and served honourably overseas in the closing chapter of the Great War.

GOING HOME

Oscar returned to Australia on the Ulimaroa which Suez on 13^th March 1919. However, due to illness Oscar disembarked in Fremantle on 8^th April 1919. There are no details as to what the illness was. He then embarked the Dunbar Castle on 15^th May and arrived home at Sydney 20^th May 1919. He was discharged on 3^rd June 1919

 

 

 

 

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