Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

from Ballarat & District in the Great War

The McKenzie Boys from Buninyong.

‘…Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye…’

John McKenzie arrived in Victoria in 1852 – a young man with hopes for a new and exciting future. A highlander from the village of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, he brought a wealth of Scottish ancestry with him. It was the lure of gold that brought him here, but it was his success as a storekeeper that cemented his future.

He married late in life – his wife, Sarah Ann Wilkins, who was born in the small district of Grassy Gully at Grenville, was only 20 years old when they married in 1881. Together they would have thirteen children. Three of their sons would march away to war…

The soldier sons of John and Sarah McKenzie were Donald David, born 7 June 1891, Morrell, born 5 June 1893, and Norman, born 16 January 1898. The two older boys were born at Grenville, whilst Norman arrived in Ballarat East, after his parents had opened a grocery store in Geelong Road.

Strangely, both Don and Norm (the eldest and youngest of the trio) went to the Golden Point State School, but Rell was educated at the Buninyong State School. As a result, Don and Norm received training with the school cadets, but Rell apparently did not. The family did eventually settle in Buninyong, where John and Sarah opened the Caledonian grocery store in Warrenheip Street.

The three brothers had very differing career paths, too. Don began as an apprentice to Ballarat saddler, Terence W. Purdue, of Sturt Street. He completed his three-year indenture before choosing to work with his father as a grocer. Norm became a bank clerk, whilst Rell joined the Education Department as a State School teacher.

When war broke out in August 1914, the boys were well settled in the beginnings of their adult lives. Rell was the first to volunteer. He presented himself at Charlton, where he had been teaching, on 10 June 1915. After being passed fit, he was posted to the 29th Infantry Battalion.

Norm was the second to enlist – he joined up, with his parent’s consent, at Ballarat on 14 July 1915. Although he claimed to be 18 years and 6 months of age, he was, in fact, just 17. He was also assigned to the 29th Battalion.

Don followed his brothers on 14 February 1916. He enlisted at Ballarat and was posted to B Company of the newly raised 39th Infantry Battalion.

Comparing descriptions of the trio was an interesting exercise…all the boys had brown hair, and were a similar height – with Rell the tallest at 5-feet 5½-inches, Don just a quarter of an inch shorter, and Norm the shortest at 5-feet 4¾-inches. There was a degree of difference in their weight: Rell was quite slight of build at just 136-pounds, but could expand his chest to 36-inches. Norm was heavier at 152-pounds, but could only increase his chest from 31 to 33½-inches. Don was easily the heaviest of the three, weighing 170-pounds and could get a chest expansion of 36½-inches.

Complexions and eye colour, however, varied completely. Don had a florid complexion with “yellowish” eyes, Rell had a fair complexion with blue eyes and Norm was dark with brown eyes.

Rell and Norman sailed together on 10 November 1915 onboard HMAT Ascanius. After a period of months in Egypt the pair embarked for France in June 1916. Rell, who was keeping a diary, made a short, but telling entry on 11 July:

‘…Left trenches at 8:30pm in route. Then in platoons and lastly in tens, in single file. Many bullets whizzed close by, but no casualties. Norm in firing line…’

Don followed his brothers on 27 May 1916 – coincidentally also onboard the Ascanius. Before he left for active service, he and his mate, Bailey Coxall, scratched their names on the Rotunda in the Buninyong Gardens. “AIEF – 10th Brigade, A. B. Coxall, D. McKenzie 39th Battn B Coy sailed for Egypt May 27th 1916.” Unbeknownst to the two young soldiers, they were not to stop in Egypt, but continued on to England. Don disembarked at Plymouth on 18 July – the day before his brothers went into battle at Fromelles.

Given the dramatically high casualty rate of the Battle of Fromelles – 5533 in a 24-hour period – it is not surprising that both Rell and Norm were wounded. Rell suffered gunshot wounds to his “upper extremities”, and Norm received a bullet wound to his left foot, but they were relatively lucky in that the severity of the wounds did not require them to be evacuated any further than Étaples on the French coast. And they were together.

Norm re-joined his battalion on 29 August. Rell took longer to recover and did not return to the 29th Battalion until 20 December. By that time, Don was also on the Western Front, having landed on 23 November.

Sickness was to incapacitate both Norm and Rell – Norm fell ill with influenza and bronchitis at the end of November and was evacuated to England. In April 1917, Rell succumbed to a bout of trench fever and he, too, was invalided across the channel. The pair were to spend the remainder of 1917 in England. Fortunately, their sister, Flora, had undertaken her own war work, and was employed at the Headquarters at Australia House in London. Norm and Rell took every opportunity to visit her while they were in England.

Meanwhile, Don had gone into action with the 39th Battalion in their first major engagement at the Battle of Messines on 7 June 1917. After being caught in a gas attack, Don was admitted to the 51st Casualty Clearing Station for treatment for gas shell poisoning. He was then transferred to the 26th General Hospital in Étaples and was out of the line for over two months. The 39th Battalion was in billets at Campagne near St Omer, when Don re-joined them on 21 August 1917.

The McKenzie brothers, like most of the boys on active service, all loved receiving letters from home and they responded accordingly. The following letter was written by Don to his brother, Bill, and his sister-in-law, Edna.

‘…January 8th 1918
In the Field, in the Trenches, France

Dear Bill and Edna,
As I haven’t written to you for a good while, I think it is up to me to write and let you know how I am going. I am quite allright up to date. I haven’t heard much of late, I suppose you are still in Ballarat at work, not a bad place to be anyhow. I wouldn’t mind if I was back there, anyhow, she’s a rough life here.

We have been in the trenches now for a couple of months, was holding it for over one month and am now about three miles from Fritz, and living in a dugout that was made by that horrible man. They have the wind up a bit along this front as they think he might be having a try to push, but he’ll get more than he wants, if he attempts to.

Our Artillery is pounding at him day and night, it’s nothing but shells buzzing over our heads day and night, he must get a rough time of it all round, he doesn’t throw much back here. If it’s a bright day, we have to look out and don’t show ourselves too much. But you see there’s nearly always a fog on and the ground is frozen, one has to look out when he is walking, it’s that slippery.

Well, I’ve seen a bit since I left, but I’ve seen enough now. I wish I could get back, but there’s no chance while a man’s right, he’ll have to stop here. I was in Paris a few months back, she’s a fine City, plenty to see, and nice clean fine streets, and lovely buildings, more to see there than London, I think.

Well, I’m due for Blighty leave, and by the time you get this, I suppose I’ll have had my leave there. I’m going to Bonnie Scotland, if I get across there. You see I’ve been in the trenches that long that I haven’t had a chance to cable for a few quid, so I have written to Flora and asked her for a lend until I can get some across, so I’m waiting for a reply. If she lends it to me I’ll be right, you see going to Paris costs a bit, it’s a case of bang goes sixpence you bet.

I heard that Monty is married to Zelma Whykes, I suppose it’s a fact, good luck to him. Well conscription didn’t get in, I’m just as well pleased, so don’t you think of coming here, if you have any sense. There’s more chance of peace, I think, but I suppose we have to carry on with the murderous game.

Well, look after yourself, and have a good time, be like me, and take things as they come. Well, I must now draw to a close. Hoping to back with you all soon. Love to Edna and the little ones.
I am Your Loving brother,
Don…’

Don was fortunate to receive two leave passes to England in a relatively short space of time. The second leave (7 to 22 February 1918) was a special opportunity for a family reunion. Rell recorded the events in his diary.

15th Feb 1918 – 4 Days leave to see Don. Raid on London.
16th Feb 1918 – Raid on London. Norm in Hospital with mumps.
19th Feb 1918 – Met Don. Went to Flora’s, W. [William Francis, from Buninyong] Palethorpe there.

After a few months back in France in the thick of the German Spring Offensive, Don finally found time to write once more to Bill and Edna.

‘…From the Trenches in France 1918
May 12th 1918

Dear Bill and Edna,
Just a line to let you know I haven’t forgotten you, or have I got any letters from you for about six months. I know you have been on the move and plenty of business worries, etc, so I excuse you for not writing, well, Bill old boy I hear a lot about you, although you don’t write, and your in business, well that’s the stuff, they say you are doing well, and I wish you every success.

Old boy keep well away from this job, whatever you do, she’s no bon and a waste of time, and everything else, we are wasting the best of our lives over here, but a man has to carry on until something happens. I’ve had a good run, too good for me, but I can’t see any end of it at all.

The Boch is shelling heavier now than ever, a man never knows where he’s safe. We are about ten miles from him here, and he comes dropping bombs at night round here, well damn him. I’ll say no more, I just take things as they come. Have just got a letter from Rell and Flora, they are both just it, and say that Norman and Bill P are allright. I haven’t seen them yet, I am looking forward to more leave when it starts again, that is the best part of this game, Gay Parie is Tray bon for the troops.

Well, Bill, I haven’t much to write about at present. It keeps me going, answering letters. I must now close hoping this finds you all well and in better conditions than I am.
I am Your brother Don.

PS – Love to Edna and the two little ones. Tat tar…’

By July the three McKenzie brothers were all back in France .

Entries in Rell’s diary briefly described what must have been the worst two days of his young life.

‘…28th July 1918 – Back in Front Line with Norm. News about Don. (Killed in Action). Norm moved tonight [transferred to the 30th Infantry Battalion].
29th July 1918 – 8th & 14th Bdg successful. Norm reported killed in action. 12 hours after reported seriously wounded in head…’

For their sister, Flora, the way she was to hear of Don’s fate was something you could only imagine in a film script…she was on duty at Australia House when she saw her brother’s name listed as “Killed in Action” on the notice board. It was a memory that was to stay with her for the rest of her life.

The 39th Battalion had been in action at Vaire Wood on 15 July 1918, when one of their posts was attacked by a German raiding party.

‘…At 10:30am hostile party of 30 attacked one of our posts constructed during the night, killing 2 men. After a severe fight the garrison withdrew after accounting for 3 Boche killed & several wounded. At 3:30pm the garrison __ post counter-attacked and re-took the post without any casualties…’

Don was one of the two Australians killed. He was buried in the small cemetery at Vaire Wood (2¼ miles south-south-east of Corbie) by Chaplain William Moore.

In the meantime, Norm, who had also been reported as killed, was still very much alive, although severely wounded. He had been shot through the head while crossing “No Man’s Land” on 29 July. Perc Burton, from Charlton, risked his life to carry Norm back to the trench, and bandaged him up. Norm felt he owed his life to Perc – it’s certain that he would probably have bled to death without his care.

He was hospitalized in France with a bullet which went through his right eye and lodged in his head. The Red Cross brought Flora from London to his bedside, and when he awoke to see his sister there, Norm said, “I must be in Blighty.”

His parents, in the meantime, had been informed that their youngest soldier son was ‘dangerously ill’. This coming so soon after news of Don’s death must have been devastating for the couple.

Norm lost his eye. He had 18 operations to graft skin into the eye socket, and was eventually fitted with a glass eye. He was the first of the McKenzie boys to return home, sailing for Australia on 20 November 1918; he was discharged from the AIF on 5 October 1920.

In May of the same year, John and Sarah McKenzie were notified that Don’s body had been exhumed and he had been reburied in the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery that now leads up to the Australian National Memorial.

Rell was repatriated to Australia on 7 April 1919. He resumed his teaching career and spent several years at Hesket in the Macedon Ranges. In 1939 he married Bertha May Constance Usher. They moved several times over the ensuing years as Rell was transferred to various schools by the Education Department, before finally settling in Geelong. Rell died there on 18 August 1981.

After he had sufficiently recovered, Norm returned to working as a bank official. He worked for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney in various Victorian branches until he retired. He married in 1923 – his wife was Buninyong girl, Estelle Marion Ferguson. When the Second World War was declared, it was their son, Kenneth John, who was to carry on the McKenzie family tradition in the military by serving as a warrant officer with the Royal Australian Air Force.

He died in Geelong on ANZAC Day 1967.

As one of the McKenzie family wrote many years later, ‘…Enlisting in the war must have seemed like a great adventure to a lot of the young men. It was a chance to travel and see the world, but they had no idea what hardships lay ahead of them. Living in trenches in appalling conditions, being shelled constantly, and not knowing if they would survive…’

For Rell McKenzie, the reality was a sadness he was always bear. When he met Don on leave in London in February 1918, he had said goodbye to his brother. When they met again unexpectedly before Don returned to active service, Rell said goodbye again. Rell never saw Don again. From that day forth, Rell would never ever say goodbye more than once to anybody. It seemed that in some way he felt responsible for the death of his brother…

Such heavy burdens that nobody should ever carry.