World War 1 , Australia Western Australia, 1826 GILLAM, 44 Battalion, 1918
1918Studio portrait of 1826 Private Jack Clifford Gillam Military Medal
The 44th Battalion was established in February 1916 in Claremont, Western Australia, as part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. Commanded initially by Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge, it earned the nickname "Old Bill's Thousand." The battalion left Australia on 6 June, arrived in Britain for additional training, and reached France in late November. It saw its first frontline action on the Western Front on 29 December.
Throughout the winter of 1916-17, the 44th Battalion alternated between frontline duties and work in rear areas, interrupted only by a major raid on 13 March 1917. Its first significant battle was at Messines in Belgium from 7 to 10 June. Following this, the battalion was actively engaged in the Ypres sector, participating in the battle for Broodseinde Ridge and enduring severe losses. Of the 992 men involved, only 158 returned unscathed by the time the battalion was relieved on 21 October.
For the next five months, the 44th Battalion rotated between rear and front lines in Belgium. When Germany launched its last major offensive in March 1918, the battalion was quickly deployed to France, helping halt the advance on Amiens. As the Allies prepared their own offensive, the 44th took part in the battle at Hamel on 4 July and was involved in the major Allied push starting on 8 August. The battalion's final action was breaching the Hindenburg Line at the St Quentin Canal in late September. Severely depleted by then, it was relieved from the front before the war's end and disbanded in May 1919.
Details
Details
Brothers: 655 Trooper Hubert Evelyn GILLAM, 10th Light Horse Regiment, died of wounds, 29 August 1915; 618 Pte Sydney Davenport GILLAM, 10th Light Horse Regiment, died of wounds, 29 August 1915; Cousin: 1825 Pte Charles Thomas GILLAM, 44th Bn, died of wounds, 3 April 1918.
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- World War 1 , Australia Western Australia, 1826 GILLAM, 44 Battalion, 1916 (0.02km away)
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Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
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