CRUICKSHANK, Errol
| Service Numbers: | 181, 181, Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 15 September 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 September 1895 |
| Home Town: | Largs Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Pulteney Street School, St Peter's College, and University of Adelaide (Law) |
| Occupation: | Law Student |
| Died: | Shell blast, Messines, Belgium, 25 December 1917, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Kandahar Farm Cemetery, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium (I.D.5.) |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Members of the Legal Profession & Students at Law WW1 Honour Board, Adelaide National War Memorial, Adelaide University of Adelaide WW1 Honour Roll, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Largs Bay St Alban's Church Roll of Honor, Largs North Port Adelaide Sailing Club Roll of Honor, St Peters Heroes War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 15 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 181, 3rd Field Ambulance | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 181, 3rd Field Ambulance, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Medic embarkation_ship_number: A7 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 181, 3rd Field Ambulance, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 11 Nov 1915: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 2 Mar 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 3 Mar 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 12 Apr 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, Gunshot Wound leg - evac to his old unit 3 Fd Ambulance | |
| 13 Jul 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 25 Dec 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, Commissioned Officer, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 10 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-12-25 |
Recovering in England
2nd Lieutenant Errol (Bill?) Cruickshank is mentioned in a 10-page letter my great uncle Lieutenant (later Captain) Harold Walklate wrote home to family on 3 June 1917.
Both men would have been recuperating from their wounds - Cruickshank with gunshot to knee and Walklate with shrapnel wounds to arm and chest.
Harold had been invited by the Countess of Harrowby to a visit Scottish farm with one other guest. In Harold's letter he describes meeting Cruickshank (who he calls "Bill") at Edinburgh station, and together they travelled by train to Forfar, Scotland to be guests of the Maxwells – a farming family near Forfar. The letter offers some insight to the experiences of Australians of their time in England whilst recovering from wounds.
Following is an extract from Harold’s letter written 3 June 1917…
“Visited Countess of Harrowby and got option for self and Lt Panton 55th Batt to go to Sir John Gladstone’s residence or Scotch farm (Mrs. Maxwell’s) - decided on latter. Owing to strike missed train next morning by 5 minutes, no taxi’s, had to walk and catch tube (train) so made sure of next train by getting on station 1 1/4 hours too early - long wait. Got to Edinburgh 11.30pm and stayed at Caledonian Hotel (Edinburgh), best in place and some hotel, very flash and expensive too.
Lt Panton decided to go to Inverness so got Lt Cruickshank of 10th Batt who was with us to take his place. Telephoned through to Forfar & Mrs. Maxwell said be alright and I said we would go Monday 21st. (May)”...
“Monday packed up & met Lieut. Cruickshank at station.
12 noon & got reduced rate for train fare from R.T.O. 6/ only from Perth to Forfar. Our Inverness ticket taking us a far as Perth then branch off.
Mr. Maxwell met us at station with flash dog cart. Jolly old scotch gentleman. Farmer & produce (potato) merchant. Does no work himself except Managing Director of a Jute factory which paid handsomely. Bought for £70,000 & I believe the machinery as scrap iron was worth that. Bought after war broke out.
Lovely bed & bedroom. Mrs. Maxwell & Miss very kind & a lively lot, especially mother.
Tuesday (22nd) drove by wagonette to Glamis Castle. Mowed lawn, played tennis & drove kiddie to school in morning about 3 mile to Kirriemuir.
Tennis they were not much at, first few shots I couldn’t reach net but arm soon got into shape & after that no trouble only required exercise you see, won every set & nearly every game singles or doubles. Vive (Harold’s brother) will say they weren’t much – quite right - .
Wednesday (23rd) went to Arbroath fishing town on coast. Mrs. & Miss M & self by train others in car & coming back I came in car. Not room for all.
Mr. & Miss Ford came to stay at Maxwells Tuesday & came to Arbroath also, they were from Essex he is a large fruit broker & also has small farm. Believe he thought Cruikshank was struck on his daughter & he sent Miss Ford ahead whilst he enquired what his position in Australia was, put the wind up Cruicky. Mr. F invited him down to Essex but C wasn’t having any, result avoided one another, after all causes good fun. I let them know (I) had a lassie in Australia so of course wasn’t so interesting. On way back we picked up 2 girl friends of Maxwells with a load of music and songs & took them home to supper & for the evening. One a Miss Lawson had good voice and so had Miss Ford so o.k.
Cruickshank and I drove them home & got lost coming back result landed home 2.15 am after trying scores of roads & giving horse his head hoping he would go home himself but no luck. Couldn’t get collar off horse so left it on all night. Got chaffed at next morning by all & sundry.
Thursday (24th) went to Kinnettles school Empire Day & spoke to the kiddies. Lady Baxter met us there & gave us welcome.
Two tiny kiddies (all young about 70 in school) presented us with engraved silver match boxes, a girl made presentation to me & a boy to Cruicky each child made a speech & so did Cruicky & I. Very touching ceremony, some sentiment displayed & we both felt heart full to think that these Scotch folk could welcome & do so much for us. Lady Baxter was simply beautiful (in character) & quite won our hearts, she said they thought so much of we Australians for coming to fight for them & were constantly thinking of our mothers, fathers and sisters in Australia & hoped they knew it. Poor woman (about 35) had tears in her eyes & ours were not far from it.
We got the kiddies a ½ holiday & it was a huge success.
Cruicky was training to be a barrister & he prepared a speech, I wasn’t going to say anything but had to when presents came to light & I got cheered & thanked for what I don’t know. Cruicky says I knocked him flat told them I wouldn’t speak & then to come out with it like I did but I was so worked up by the right royal welcome & patriotism of these folk & children.
All the kiddies had tiny flags & we all saluted the flags whilst kids sang national anthem.
Evening went to Forfar town for supper.
Mr. Isles, friends of Maxwells & I saw over the factory making hessian bags & cloth, very interesting indeed. Poor old Cruicky belonged to a rifle club before the war and has done a lot of shooting. Well there was a little rifle range (private then) so Bill (Cruickshank) suggested a shot. I said oh I can’t shoot & arm too stiff for that. Anyhow Bill started off 6 shots for 1 bull’s eye & other scattered in about 6” circle.
I went next & could feel arm & shoulder muscles stiff but bust me if I didn’t get 3 bulls & 2 just outside bull in 5 shots. What oh!
Bill won’t believe me now if I say I can’t do anything. I went pretty white in face straining myself to keep gun steady but it soon passed off. Bill said I looked mighty bad, don’t know it really was, as was fit and am now & never before or after has such a feeling come over me.
Friday 25/5/17,
Went shooting with Keeper & dog, black retriever & 3 ferrets, had good day for 15 between us. Keeper the most, had sore arm and shoulder next day but soon got right. It was a treat to watch the dog working so intelligent & keen & a beautiful animal.
At night went to Dunkenny, a Mr. & Mrs. Young’s farm about 3 miles odd away we drove in dog cart. Billy Cruickshank & Mary Maxwell in front & Miss Ford & self rear. Had a lively evening, Highland Flings & Irish jigs from the girls – I sang A Perfect Day, Vive’s (Harold’s brother) old song but Miss Ford was star of evening in the singing. A Miss Francis & Mary Maxwell did the dancing. A Mr Will, not Wills, Lieut. (possibly Joesph Herculees Will from Launceston) was staying at Dunkenny Farm, before we went there & is or was in this camp (Perham Down), from Launceston - I believe has a fruit orchard & Cruikshank thinks he is a bit struck on the Miss Francis referred to above. I have not met him as yet.
Saturday 26/5/17
Went down to breakfast in a flash dressing gown 8.30am. Left for Clova in the Highlands at 10.30am about 40 odd mile there & back. Had 2 cars one hired from Forfar by Mr Maxwell we never paid for anything (they supplied tennis balls, racquets, shoes cigars etc. etc.)
Splendid run rather rugged scenery black headed sheep long coats of wool hanging to the ground, quite different to our sheep in Australia. Rabbits by 100’s on the hills but do no damage there. Shepherds live in the hills & look after the sheep which are owned by rich folk perhaps are miles away or may be not living in Scotland at all. The valleys are choked with snow in winter & there is no exit for the shepherd who gets in a food supply of food to carry him through till the snow disappears sufficiently to allow passage through.
Returned to the Clova Hotel for tea (we had lunch at hotel then went further on by car & walk at end up the valley) then back to Ballingry & I wrote letters till 1 am or later & retired.
Sunday 27/5/17
Stayed in bed till 11am referred (skipped) breakfast in bed and had good lunch to make up afterward.
Monday 28/5/17
Left for Edinburgh, Billy staying on til evening.”
Both men would return to their units in July and both would be killed in action before the end of the year. One can imagine the grief felt at home would be shared by the Scottish folk on learning of the men's demise.
Submitted 9 December 2024 by Phil Walklate
Biography
From the book Fallen Saints
Errol Cruickshank of Largs Bay, South Australia was born in Melbourne, Victoria in 1895. While at St Peter's College he served four years in the naval cadets and upon leaving school entered university to study law and for three years served in the Australian Army Medical Corps, Citizens Force. He enlisted at Morphettville Camp on 16 September 1914 and was posted as a supernumerary to B Section, 3rd Field Ambulance, 1st Division AIF.
Private Cruickshank sailed from Adelaide with that unit aboard HMAT Medic on 20 October and after further training in Egypt took part in the Anzac landing at Gallipoli; according to the embarkation roll his regimental number on embarkation was 181 however by the time he reached Gallipoli this had been changed to 119.
He was hospitalised twice in September and evacuated on 4 October via HS Glenarth Castle to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Heliopolis, Egypt.
He was discharged for duty to the overseas base at Mustapha, Alexandria on 22 October and three days later sailed aboard HMT Canada for Mudros where he was attached to 1st Field Ambulance until the evacuation in December.
On 23 August 1915 the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Field Ambulance recommended Private Cruickshank for an award.
Devotion to duty in attending the wounded and getting them into shelter during heavy shrapnel fire at Browns Dip Aug 6th.Subsequently he worked all night & rest of next day under fire dressing wounds in Victoria Gully. [i]
Result - He was mentioned in Sir Ian Hamilton’s despatches of 11 December 1915.
Back in Egypt he rejoined the 3rd Field Ambulance and was appointed lance corporal at Tel-el-Kebir Barracks on 23 January 1916 and towards the end of March boarded the SS Kingstonian and sailed for France. Between 14 December 1916 and 5 January 1917 he was granted leave in England and commenced his officer training in late January.
On 3 March he was appointed second lieutenant and taken on the strength of the 10th Battalion reinforcements and joined the battalion in the line at Lagnicourt on 16 April 1917. That same day he was taken to his old unit, 3rd Field Ambulance suffering with a severe a gunshot wound to the right knee and evacuated via 9th Casualty Clearing Station to 2nd Red Cross Hospital Rouen and then back to 4th General Hospital, Denmark Hill London.
At the end of June he rejoined the battalion in France and was promoted to Lieutenant on 13 July 1917. He was granted leave to the United Kingdom commencing 21 October and when he returned on 11 November was in time to join the battalion in their move to Bezinghem.
On 16 December the 10th Battalion with a strength of just over 750 all ranks relieved the 31st Battalion in the line at Messines sector and remained there until relieved by the 12th Battalion on Christmas Eve. The battalion moved back to the reserve trenches at Wulverghem where they spent a bitterly cold day huddled in the dugouts and late that afternoon Lieutenant Cruickshank was killed by shell-fire; he was 23 years of age.
During an interview conducted on 26 February 1918 at Australian Camp Rouelles, France, Private Cecil McNiece who had known Lieutenant Cruickshank for four months described him as, ‘short, nuggetty, dark, about 33, a lawyer in civil life from Port Adelaide.’ He said Lieutenant Cruickshank was in the company of Lieutenant Brown; ‘when a shell fell, and Lieut Cruickshank was hit by a piece. Death was instantaneous. I was within a few yards of him and saw it occur. I helped to bring him down to Kandahar Farm. He was buried there next morning. I was at the burial and saw a Battn cross put up over the grave.’ [ii]
The following extract is from a letter dated 26 February 1918 written by Chaplain Edward Makeham;
... Lt Cruickshank was killed by shell fire on the afternoon of 25-12-17 and was buried by me at Kandahar Farm Military Cemetery, Grave 1 A, Plot 1, Row C.A cross has been erected by the Battn. … [iii]
[i] Australian War Memorial, Honours and awards (Recommendations: First World War) Recommendation for E Cruickshank viewed 2 January 2008
[ii] Australian War Memorial, Australian Red Cross wounded and missing enquiry bureau files – Cruickshank, Errol - File 0850307 – Viewed 23 November 2005
[iii] ibid
Click images to start slideshow.