Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

# 1741  DAVIDGE Alfred James                      15th Battalion
 
Alfred Davidge was born in Harrow, Middlesex in January 1885 to parents James and Harriet Davidge. Alf attended Harrow College and emigrated, probably as a single assisted migrant, to Queensland at the age of 21. It is likely that he gained work as a commercial traveller. Prior to enlistment, Alf was married to Eva and had a daughter Lillia. The family lived in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane but Alf’s employment meant that he was often away from home.
 
Alf presented himself for enlistment in the AIF on 28th January 1915. His attestation papers show his occupation as labourer which is at odds with the information provided by Eva on the Roll of Honour Circular. Curiously, Alf answered “No” to the question; “Are you married?” He named his father in England as his next of kin.
 
Alf was taken on by the 4th echelon of reinforcements for the 15th Battalion which had departed for Egypt a month earlier. The reinforcements embarked on the “Star of England” in Brisbane on 8th April and disembarked at Suez on 10th May. While the reinforcements had been at sea, the 15th Battalion had landed at Gallipoli and was engaged in heavy fighting on the ridges above Shrapnel Valley.
 
The 15th battalion was one of the four battalions which comprised the 4th Brigade AIF under the command of Colonel John Monash. The battalions of the 4th Brigade spent time in the trenches at Quinn’s post; named after a captain of the 15th, for most of May. On 19th May. Private Albert Jacka of the 14th Battalion, the sister battalion of the 15th, became a national hero when his actions earned him the first Victoria Cross awarded to an Australian in the war.
 
On 2nd June, Alf came ashore at Anzac Cove, having been promoted to corporal while in Egypt. His promotion probably was a result of his education, his age of 29 and his height of almost six feet. Alf took part in operations near Quinn’s post for the next two months.
General William Birdwood, the British Commander at Anzac, was under some pressure to secure a breakthrough to the heights above the Anzac beach-head. The ultimate goal was the commanding hill named Chunuk Bair and in early August, a series of coordinated attacks was planned to drive the Turks from the high ground.  The first of these offensives (diversions really) were the attack on Lone Pine and the famous charge by the Light Horsemen at the Nek. The main offensive was planned for the northern sector of the Anzac beachhead which entailed an advance at night along the beach before turning inland to scale a series of ridges towards the heights of Hill 971 also known as Sari Bair. The 4th Brigade would be part of this action on 8th August.
 
As was often the case at Anzac, the planning did not live up to expectations and the 4th Brigade soon found themselves lost in the dark in a bewildering tangle of gullies; primarily due to a reliance on Greek guides who communicated through interpreters rather than the maps which had been issued. The force met heavy resistance from higher positions and as casualties mounted, the 4th brigade Commander ordered a withdrawal under the cover of machine gun fire. The war diary of the 15th Battalion, written by the Battalion Commander Lt Col James Cannan describes the action of 8th August in great detail including the casualty list of 100 killed, 185 wounded, 95 wounded and missing.
 
Among the missing were Lt Colonel Cannan’s elder brother, Duncan; and Corporal Alfred Davidge. Enquiries instituted by the Red Cross located a Lance Corporal Palmer who stated that he had seen Alf Davidge, accompanied by two other men charging towards a Turkish position but they were not seen again. A court of enquiry conducted in April 1916 determined that Alf had been killed in action on 8th August 1915; the location of his remains was unknown.
 
Alf’s wife, Eva, contacted the authorities when the allotment from Alf’s pay ceased. This was the first time that the authorities learned that Alf had a wife and a young daughter and Eva was requested to provide their marriage certificate to prove her status. The marriage question on Alf’s attestation papers was altered to “Yes” and Eva was named as his next of kin. Eva and Lillia each were awarded a pension which amounted to 2 pounds a fortnight but was increased to 2 pounds 12 shillings and threepence to take account of Alf’s promotion to corporal.
 
Alf Davidge is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli. He is one of almost 5000 Australians who died during the Gallipoli Campaign and have no known grave. His name amongst those on the Nanango War Memorial is probably the result of his travels as a commercial traveller before the war.