Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Francois Berthout

Pte 3235 Ubert Victor Willis
55th Australian Infantry Battalion,
14th Brigade, 5th Australian Division AIF
 
Above the battlefields of the Somme, float proudly in the wind the colors of Australia, of this great and beautiful nation whose daughters and sons whom we like to call with affection and tenderness Diggers, fought here alongside their brothers and French friends with the greatest courage, with devotion and honor united in the friendship and solidarity of two countries whose fraternal bonds were born in the blood and mud of the trenches of the Somme. in Amiens, in Pozieres and Villers-Bretonneux , in gold letters are inscribed the words "Do not forget Australia", a country with which we share so many values for which so many men, in the prime of their lives gave their today and who, in the silence of sacred grounds, still watch solemn and proud behind the rows of their white tombs and which remind us of what we owe to so many young boys who did not have the chance to grow old and who, among the poppies, on the soils of a friendly country, found the peace and silence of their final resting places. Never forgotten, I will always watch with love over the memory of these young men who, for France, so far from home, for peace and freedom, gave their lives and who today, through remembrance, in a friendship of which we are proud, bring together Australian and French families and who, together, will always watch over the memory of these heroes whom we will love forever like our sons whose faces and stories will live forever.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and with the deepest gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these men, of one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today for our tomorrow.I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 3235 Ubert Victor Willis who fought in the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion, 14th Brigade, 5th Australian Division of the Australian Imperial Force, and who died of his wounds 105 years ago, on the 20 July 1918 at the age of 32 on the Somme front.

Uber Victor Willis,who was affectionately known as "Bert", was born on December 4, 1885 in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia,and was the son of Jonathan Willis and Emily May Willis (née Tickner), of Kangaloon Road, Bowral.He came from a large family and was the eldest of seven children, with younger brothers Harry, Charles, Joseph, Camden and Jack, and a younger sister Mary. He also had a large extended family in the district as his father Jonathan, or Jack as he was known, was one of eleven kids.

Interestingly, Ubert was originally to be named Hubert Victor Willis. However one of his uncles suggested that if the "H" was dropped from his first name, his initials would read U.V.W. which his uncle thought would be nice! And so his parents did, and Bert was born as Ubert Victor Willis.

As a student, Bert attended Bowral District School. After school he found employment as a butcher, though he had also done training as a brick maker. Brick making ran in the family as Bert’s grandfather Timothy Willis, after emigrating from England in 1839 aboard the "Cornwall,"later moved to Bowral where he established a brickworks to supply bricks for the railway tunnel between Bowral and Mittagong, which opened in 1886. Bert’s father Jonathan was also a brick maker and helped his father on the railway tunnel project. Bert too had been trained as a brick maker, although at the time of enlisting he was a butcher. This too was most likely due to his father’s influence, as Jonathan after brick making became a butcher and had a slaughter yard in Bowral. He became a successful and prosperous business man in Bowral where he built a large homestead, "Rookwood," on Kangaloon Road. It was described as a large and beautiful terrace style two story house, decorated with much iron lacework. This was where Bert grew up and was the address used for his next of kin, his mother, in all his records during his service. Prior to enlistment Bert had been a member of the Bowral Association Band, and he often wrote letters home to his youngest brother Jack during the war.
Ubert enlisted on October 2, 1916 at Goulburn, New South Wales, in the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion, 8th Reinforcement. The 55th was raised in Egypt on 12 February 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 3rd Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 3rd, the 55th was mainly composed of men from New South Wales. After a short training period of just over a month, Ubert embarked with his unit from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A29 Suevic on November 11, 1916 and sailed for England.

On January 30, 1917, Ubert arrived in England and was disembarked at Devonport then joined the 14th Training Battalion at Hurdcott for a period of extensive training with exercises in realistic war conditions which were to prepare the men for the trenches of northern France but despite numerous exercises including bayonet fights and attacks in the open, nothing could prepare them for the horrors and brutality of the Somme fields, then a few months later, ready to join the front line overseas, he embarked on May 22, 1917 from Southampton to France.

On May 23, 1917, ready to do his duty, Ubert finally arrived in France and was disembarked at Le Havre where he joined the 5th Australian Divisional Base Depot then the following month, on June 12, 1917, was taken on strength in the 55th Battalion at Beaulencourt, in the Pas-De-Calais where the battalion followed a period of training including assaults with bayonets then on June 16, they moved to the small village of Millencourt, in the Somme where they were billeted in good conditions and on June 30, were granted a leave to Amiens where they undoubtedly visited our beautiful cathedral which left an indelible memory in the hearts of the young Diggers who came here.

On July 7, 1917, the men of the 55th Battalions left Millencourt and marched for Mailly-Maillet where they enjoyed a period of rest but also sports competitions such as a cricked competition between companies and platoons but also followed many tactical exercises to keep the battalion at a high level of efficiency then on July 20, moved into billets in Rubempré, near Amiens, where again they followed a period of training including musketry exercises and on July 30, moved to Lynde (Hauts- De-France) where they remained until September 17.

On September 18, 1917, Ubert and the men of the 55th Battalion left Lynde for Steenvoorde then for Reninghelst, near Ypres, in Belgium the next day and will know in this sector, their most important major engagement during the battle of Polygon Wood on September 26.

The battle of Polygon Wood was the 1st ANZAC component of a larger British and dominion operation staged as part of the third battle of Ypres. This operation was the second of the "Plumer battles", a series of well-planned, limited advances supported by large volumes of artillery, masterminded by the British general Herbert Plumer. The name "Polygon Wood" derived from a young plantation forest that lay along the 1st ANZAC's axis of advance.

Scheduled to begin on 26 September 1917, the attack was almost derailed by a German attack on the British 10th Corps to the south of the 1st ANZAC. A day earlier, Australian troops of the 15th Brigade, preparing for their attack, took part in fending off the Germans; however, their advance the next day began with continuing uncertainty as to the security of their flank.

The British and dominion advance began on schedule at 5.50 am on the 26th, with the 4th and 5th Divisions, on the left and right respectively, taking the lead in the 1st ANZAC sector. The infantry advanced behind a heavy artillery barrage, the noise of this was compared to a roaring bushfire,and they secured most of their objectives without difficulty. To the south, the 15th Brigade, which after its efforts the previous day had been reinforced by two battalions from the 8th, secured not only its own objectives but those allocated to the neighbouring 98th British Brigade. The Germans launched several counter-attacks but these were thwarted by the heavy defensive artillery barrages used to protect the infantry consolidating on their objectives; this was a feature of the Plumer battles. The battle cost 5,770 Australian casualties.

After the Battle of Polygon Wood and a quick stop at Dickebush on October 1, 1917, Ubert and the 55th marched to a camp at Reninghelst then were sent to "Halfway House", east of Ypres on October 13 and on October 17, moved to the front line, in a support position at Westhoek during the Battle of Passchendaele.

After furious fighting in the Westhoek sector, Ubert and his comrades moved into billets to Patricia Lines Camp at Wippenhoek where their time here consisted of combat drills and rest and remained here until November 4th then the next day marched to Outtersteene, in the north of France, where they underwent a period of general training far behind the front line. At the same time, the 55th Battalion received new reinforcements and were ready to return to the front line.

On November 12, 1917, the men of the 55th Battalion returned to the Ypres salient and fought at Lindenhoek then Wytschaete under the fire of German artillery which pounded intensively the positions held by the 55th in this sector and then on November 29 were relieved by the 59th Australian Infantry Battalion and moved back on rest to Lindenhoek where they remained until 13 December.

On December 14, 1917, Ubert and the 55th Battalion left Lindenhoek and marched for Desvres, in Pas-De-Calais then the next day, moved into billets at Halinghen and followed a training period there until December 28 and the next day were sent to Wulvergem, on the Belgian front where Bert and his unit again occupied the trenches of Wytschaete in which they fought previously and received here the visit of General William Riddell Birdwood who congratulated the men of the 55th for their admirable conduct on the front line but also their high level of efficiency and discipline which they showed under enemy fire then on February 20, received clean uniforms, which improved the comfort of the men in the trenches. During their second stay on the front at Wytschaete, enemy activity is described as "very calm, enemy attitude not aggressive but very alert" but from March 1, the Germans of the 56th Regiment launch several raids towards the trenches of the 55th but the young Diggers, very trained and brave repelled them without difficulty and captured many enemies then the Australians counterattacked and on March 3, a raid led by Lieutenant Coless and 24 men towards an enemy position known as "Whiz Farm" was successful and killed 18 Germans, captured a machine gun and a prisoner.

In the days following this raid the war diary of the 55th Battalion described the Germans as "very nervous" and from March 10 "they became very aggressive and very observant" but in no way afraid, the men of the 55th held their ground and launched a second raid led by Lieutenant Miller and 21 men towards the enemy lines and once again, the fighting spirit of the battalion led this raid to success and received high congratulations from General Herbert Plummer then on March 21, the machine gunners of the 55th , armed with their Lewis Gun, decimated the waves of an enemy raid whose objective was to capture several Australian observation posts then the same evening, were finally relieved by the 54th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched through Vierstraat, Reninghelst and arrived into billets at Wippenhoek on March 26 and two days later embarked by train for Mondicourt, in Pas-De-Calais before joining the Somme front to prevent the success of the German spring offensive which, desperate but still strong, had as main objective to capture the vital railway junction of the city of Amiens.

On March 28, 1918, Ubert and the 58th Battalion arrived in the village of Louvencourt, in the Somme, where they were billeted until April 5 and then the next day, joined the front line at Villers-Bretonneux where they relieved the 3rd Dragoon Guards then on April 9, were relieved by the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion and put in reserve line. The next day, orders were received for the men of the 55th to be ready for an attack in the sector of Villers-Bretonneux, between the Bois De Vaire and Warfusée-Abancourt but the attack was cancelled. In this sector of the front, which was rather calm, the battalion's war diary noted that the only enemy activities were those of German airplanes bombarding Amiens whose cathedral was visible from the positions held by the 55th but from April 16, the Germans relentlessly pounded the trenches of Ubert and his comrades, partly with gas shells then on April 20, only five days before the victorious counter offensive on Villers Bretonneux led by the Australians and Sir John Monash, the men of the 55th were relieved by the Rifle Brigade and the 54th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched in reserve to Aubigny where they learned the next day that Baron Manfred Von Richtoffen had been shot to the ground then on April 26, reoccupied the trenches in the Villers-bretonneux sector where they fought until May 31.

On June 1, 1918, the men of the 55th Battalion marched for Daours then the next day moved into billets at Pont-Noyelles, 12 kilometers north east of Amiens and followed a period of training then rest and on June 16, relieved the 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion near Bonnay and on June 26, entered the front line north of Sailly-Le-Sec then intensely pounded by German artillery but the 55th Battalion had already seen worse and on July 4, a large-scale raid led by Captain Wyllie, 5 officers and 192 men and supported by an intense barrage fire taken place. The raid was a success warmly congratulated by General Birdwood and Lieutenant General Sir John Monash.

The following days were put to use in improving lines of communication and fortifying trenches but on July 19, Ubert met his fate and the Germans unleashed artillery fire including phosgene gas shells and, badly gassed, he was evacuated and admitted to the 15th Australian Field Ambulance in Querrieu where he died the next day,on July 20, 1918 at the age of 32.

In an article printed in the local Bowral newspaper after his death, Bert was described as being "of a very quiet and unassuming disposition, greatly esteemed by all who knew him, and many friends in Bowral and district will mourn his death."

Today, Ubert Victor Willis rests in peace alongside his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at the Querrieu British Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "Though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil."

Ubert, brave and animated by a patriotic heart, it is with determination and faith in the future, in your comrades, that you answered the call of duty by carrying high and proud on your shoulders and between your hands the colors of Australia, the hopes of an entire freedom-loving people for whom, in Belgium and France, you fought with so much energy and dedication on the battlefields of the great war through which your friends and brothers, a whole generation of young boys, who, driven forward by a desire to do what was right, bravely did their part and stood together proud and strong.Coming from the other side of the world and listening only to their hearts, these young men left behind the golden coasts and the Australian bush to march through towns and villages alongside their friends and under the loving eyes of their loved ones who, with a heavy heart, after a last gentle embrace in the arms of their sons, their husbands, had to say goodbye with the hope that they would return from the front line and slowly, to the sound of the drums, saw the slow steamers depart which carried a whole generation of men in the prime of their lives towards an unknown destiny, towards the darkened skies of a world at war which, through the poppies of the Somme, sank into the abyss and the madness of murderous battles which, under shells and bullets, claimed the souls and lives of so many of these heroes who gave their youth, their today and their everything for a country they knew little but for which they did so much and under the lugubrious howls of the artillery, as their friends did at Gallipoli then at Fromelles, they came out united from the trenches of Pozieres and moved forward united and guided by the ANZAC spirit, their heads held high under their slouch hats and their Shoulders straight, in tight lines, they rushed towards the enemy lines, towards a horizon streaked with lightning and buzzing with hundreds of machine guns which spat rains of bullets on them but, united in the most beautiful bond of camaraderie and brotherhood, despite their fears and the visions of horrors they witnessed, they never backed down and fought with valor on the sacred fields of beautiful France on which they shed their tears and their blood side by side among the barbed wire and the shell holes , on valleys once green and golden by the ears of wheat.Little by little, the great adventure that these young boys had heard so much about was stopped, like a shattered illusion in the face of the reality of war and on this gray and charred no man's land, found only death which mowed down their friends and brothers. From the trenches, the last relative shelters, they heard death in long laments addressed to god and heard their best mates who, unable to move, riddled with bullets, wounded, called their mothers who could not join them in their last moments of too short lives that they gave for the greatest causes and for their country. This death, present at every moment, martyred the hearts and the hopes, it gnawed the thoughts and the stomachs of too young men who hoped so much from life , who hoped to find their homes, the love of their families, the promises of the future and in the name of peace and freedom, sacrificed their lives in the fields strewn with white graves which still bear the scars of war but to Amiens, in Villers-Bretonneux, the memory of the young Diggers who fell here remains strong and alive, we cherish them with love and care and for me, will always be, much more than ordinary men, I would admire them, love them and honor them always like real heroes. They are much more than names engraved for eternities in stone, they will forever be the sons of France, my boys from the Somme, over whom I will always watch with the highest respect and gratitude so that they will never be forgotten. In the Somme, their souls and the ANZAC spirit will live forever.

Thank you so much Ubert, for all that you and your comrades have done for us and our country whose love, respect and gratitude will always be yours. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him,we will remember them.