With war raging across the globe for the past two years and the dead numbering into the tens of millions, the Tasmanian government pledged to make a difference in the Great War.
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As the 3rd division was being formed in early 1916, Premier John Earle declared he would assist in the war effort by contributing a battalion comprised entirely of Tasmanians.
The state battalion was the first of its kind in Australia’s brief military history.
Military historian Doug Wyatt said World War I was not going as planned for the allies when the battalion was formed.
“The 40th came in for 1916 – two years after war had been declared and things were looking pretty bad on the Western Front," Mr Wyatt explained.
“So they wanted to recruit and support the war effort by recruiting a battalion uniquely from Tasmania.”
More than 1000 of Tasmania’s finest young gentlemen, lead by Colonel John Ernest Cecil Lord, were gathered to fight for King and country on the battlefields of France and Belgium.
In no other unit was the pride of origin and sense of responsibility to the people it represented stronger than in the 40th.
- General Sir John Monash
The unique formation and subsequent character of the island battalion drew attention from the furthest vestiges of the Australian armed forces.
The 40th Battalion was renowned even among the highest holders of military office.
General Sir John Monash expressed high words of praise for the all-Tasmanian fighting squad in a letter penned during the war.
“In no other unit was the pride of origin and sense of responsibility to the people it represented stronger than in the 40th,” he wrote.
“The fact that it was composed wholly of the men of a small island state gave it a special stimulus to the highest emulation of all other units.”
The battalion arrived in France on November 24, 1916, at Le Havre in Normandy.
However, the soldiers were unable to discover the picturesque countryside of the region and instead were transported directly to the blood-soaked Western Front.
Every man who fought in the battalion, along with every Australian to put on the uniform, would become what literary icon Gertrude Stein described as “the lost generation”.
Over the next two years the battalion would suffer casualties in excess of 2000, with more than 200 dying in the trenches.
While many reinforcements were required for the battalion from back home, the fighting spirit of the 40th was a constant reminder of the Anzac spirit.
At the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, 79 soldiers from the battalion were among the 400,000 soldiers, both allied and German, who perished.
The battalion also suffered heavy casualties at the notoriously brutal Battle of the Somme.
Casualties numbered almost 500 for the battalion during the four-month battle, with 156 of them never returning home.
Mr Wyatt said the sacrifices made by Australian troops along the Western Front were often not given the recognition they deserve.
“We seem to focus on Anzac Cove [at Gallipoli] on Anzac Day, but there were greater losses to Australians and Britons on the Western Front in France and Belgium than there was at Anzac Cove,” he said.
“It was a far bigger battle and it lasted a lot longer.
“We had to withdraw from Anzac Cove and, although it was remarkable and successful withdrawal, the matter of the fact is that we din’t win at Gallipoli.
“We did on the Western Front.
“If you go to Villers-Bretonneux in France and visit their primary school there is a sign at the primary school that says never forget the Australians and a number of streets are named after Australian cities.”
Among the dead were two brothers from New Norfolk – Arthur and Albert Clark.
A letter penned by Alfred, and addressed to their parents, survived the war and was recorded in Mr Wyatt’s book covering the 40th battalion.
Both young men paid the ultimate sacrifice on the fields of Flanders.
“Just a line & I am packing a few little things up, if any think [sic] happens you will get them as there is a big stint on & we might not get through it but I think it will be all righ [sic],” he wrote.
“But just listen if we don’t we wont be only ones. So don’t worry dears.
“Well dears I am writing this on my old tin hat. So if any think [sic] does happen don’t fret over us.”
The letter, dated June 6, 1917, was the last that was ever heard from either of the Clark brothers.
While many brave and selfless men fought side-by-side at the battlefront, there were two in particular who stood out among the crowd.
Two members of the 40th battalion were awarded the most prestigious military prize available in Australia – the Victoria Cross.
Beaconsfield’s Sergeant Percy Stratton was awarded a Victoria Cross for a string of selfess acts in the face of enemy fire.
On August 12, 1918, Sergeant Stratton drew fire from German soldiers to allow the rest of the battalion to advance, before rushing four machine gun posts and neutralising two of them.
Later that day he rescued two men while under heavy fire from the opposition forces.
Sergeant Lewis McGee, from Ross, was awarded the cross for his efforts at the Battle of Passchendaele on October 4, 1917.
Sergeant McGee individually stormed a machine gun post armed only with a revolver.
He eliminated the entire gun crew, ensuring his platoon could continue the previously delayed advance.
It’s a day to commemorate, to remember, to reflect and just hope that war never occurs again.
- Military historian Doug Wyatt
Mr Wyatt said the efforts of these two men represented the indomitable spirit of Tasmanians fighting in the war to end all wars.
“There were two Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the battalion that suffered heavy battle losses in every battle they encountered,” he said.
“The commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Lord also ended up as the Tasmanian Commissioner of Police.
“Tasmanians were awarded 11 Victoria Crosses in total and that’s, per rate of population, quite a lot higher than any other state in Australia.”
Mr Wyatt said Anzac Day should not be a glorification of World War I or the portentous suffering it caused across the globe.
“It’s a day to commemorate, to remember, to reflect and just hope that war never occurs again,” he exclaimed.
“’Lest we forget’ is the saying and let’s hope we never forget the lessons learnt from both wars.”
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Stefan Boscia
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
Stefan came to The Examiner after working as a copywriter at a digital media firm in Melbourne and interning at The Conversation. He is enthusiastic about reporting on business, local government and environmental issues. When he is not chained to his work desk, Stefan enjoys getting brunch, reading Saul Bellow novels and watching Carlton games.
