Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

# 4994 CARNEY Matthew (Matt)                   26th Battalion
 
Matt Carney was born at Warwick on 26th August 1898. There are no details provided via the Roll of Honour Circular so it is uncertain where he went to school. He was probably working as ani itinerant labourer in the Crows Nest district prior to enlisting
 
Matt attended the Darling Downs Recruiting Depot on 27th January 1916. He stated he was 21 years and 5 months old. However, from his birthdate above, Matthew was only 17 years and 5 months old. His youth is evident from the studio photograph supplied by Leisa Carney to this page. Matt stated his occupation as labourer and named his mother, Margaret Carney of Montague Road South Brisbane as his next of kin. Matt was allocated to depot battalion at Enoggera before being assigned to the 13th reinforcements of the 26th Battalion. The reinforcements embarked for overseas at Pinkenba on the “Seang Choon” on 4th May. The embarkation roll shows that Matt had allocated 3/- of his daily pay of 5/- to his mother.
 
The “Seang Choon” docked at Suez in Egypt on 15th June and the reinforcements made their way to the Infantry Depot at Tel el Kabir. After a period of expansion, the bulk of the AIF, with the exception of the Light Horse, had been sent to the Western Front in France from Egypt and by June of 1916, there were very few infantry battalions still in camp. On 2nd August, the last remining reinforcements still in Egypt boarded the “Franconia” bound for Southampton, England. The 13th/ 26th Reinforcements were marched out to the 7th Brigade Training Battalion at Rollestone where they would await deployment to France. During this time, Matt overstayed a period of leave by several days and had his pay stopped for an appropriate period. On 12th December, Matt and a cohort of reinforcements crossed the English Channel from Folkstone to the 2nd Division depot at Etaples on the French coast. The severest winter in living memory produced ice and frozen slush which made movement of men and equipment impossible. While still in the huts at Etaples, Matt contracted a case of mumps and spent some time in the 18th General Hospital. On 5th February 1917, Matt at last was taken on strength by the 26th Battalion which was at that time moving up to the support positions at Gun Pit Road near Le Sars. The 26th Battalion was one of four battalions which comprised the 7th Brigade of the 2ndDivision of the AIF. The 26th worked closely with another Queensland battalion, the 25th, throughout the war.
 
In the lull in fighting over the winter of 1916/17, the Germans constructed a 150 kilometre long defensive barrier, which the British labelled the Hindenburg Line, some distance to the east of their previous positions astride the Somme. As the German forces began a strategic withdrawal to this new position in the Spring, the British forces (including the AIF) cautiously followed, taking the town of Bapaume along the way. By the first week in April, elements of the 5thBritish Army under General Gough, which included two Australian divisions, came up against the Hindenburg defences at Bullecourt. For six weeks, the British commanders put divisions into the fight in an attempt to break through the Hindenburg Line. The 26th was included in one of the final assaults at Bullecourt in the first week in May, in a support role. This was Matt’s first exposure to a major battle and he was fortunate to have come through unscathed. Failure at Bullecourt convinced the British command of the futility of throwing division after division against the formidable defences of the Hindenburg Line. Attention turned to the Ypres salient in Belgian Flanders.
 
The 1st and 2nd Divisions AIF which had endured much of the heavy fighting in the latter half of 1916 and then Bullecourt were scheduled for a long period of rest which allowed the battalion to spend time taking on reinforcements, training and engaging in inter battalion sports while in comfortable billets well behind the front in Northern France. The plan for the 3rd Battle of Ypres (most often referred to as Passchendaele) was based on a strategy of “Bite and Hold” in which small strategic gains, supported by overwhelming firepower, would provide a series of stepping stones along the line of the Ypres to Menin Road. The first phase involved driving the enemy off the Messines Ridge, which the Germans had occupied since 1914. This was achieved after heavy fighting and the firing of nineteen underground mines on 7th June 1917. The 2nd Division of the AIF was not part of the Messines battle but their turn would come soon.
 
On the 9th September, the men of the 2nd Division moved up to positions at Steenvoorde in preparation for an assault on Westhoek Ridge, the high ground that overlooked the main route east from the ruined city of Ypres; the Menin Road. A detailed model of the ground had been constructed with planks suspended over the sand so that officers and NCOs could familiarize themselves with the battlefield and the objectives they were expected to take. The 26th Battalion, in conjunction with the other three battalions of the 7th Brigade were in position at the jumping off tapes by midnight of the 19th and at 5:40am on the 20th, a massive artillery barrage crashed down on the German positions. As the barrage crept forward, the infantry kept pace, dealing with isolated pill boxes and gun emplacements whose occupants quickly surrendered. The Battle of Menin Road was, by the terms of the time, a great success. The battalions of the two AIF divisions that had taken part at Menin Road were relieved and two other divisions took advantage of the result to push the line even further into Polygon Wood and the approaches to the high ground of Broodseinde Ridge and the villages of Zonnebeke and Passchendaele.
 
On 4th October, twelve British Divisions (which included three AIF Divisions and the NZ Division) attacked Broodseinde Ridge along a thirteen kilometre front. As the 26th Battalion men rose up to follow the creeping barrage up the slope towards Zonnebeke, they encountered German infantry advancing up the reverse slope. Both the British and the Germans had made plans to attack on the same day, and at the same time. The Australians got the better of the encounter. The 26th Battalion advanced to the objective, Zonnebeke railway station, and by 10:00am the position was secure.
 
The Flanders campaign had progressed well in the four months since Messines and the first week of October heralded the promise that the village of Passchendaele could be taken before the end of the month. This bright forecast was soon shattered with the arrival of heavy, unseasonal rain. The low lying ground that was the battlefield had been drained for centuries by canals and dykes constructed by the local farmers. The introduction of heavy artillery from both sides since 1914 had smashed the drainage system. Heavy rain flooded the ground, filling shell craters with water and turning the roads and tracks into stinking cloying mud which could claim men and animals, and hopelessly bog wagons and artillery. To add to the misery, the Germans saturated the field with poison gas; mainly mustard gas.
 
The British commander, Douglas Haig, made a decision to push on regardless. This decision dammed him in the eyes of many soldiers who roundly criticised decisions made by staff who had no concept of the conditions under which men were being sent to struggle through mud up to their thighs with no artillery support. The Flanders campaign which had begun with such dazzling (but costly) success had floundered in the Flemish mud. Young Matt, still only 19, had endured a harrowing few months and survived unharmed.
 
The winter of 1917/18 again curtailed much of the fighting on the Western Front. The entire AIF was relieved and went into winter quarters around the township of Poperinghe in Belgium. Divisions took turns to spend a month at a time in rest camps in French seaside towns while the usual routine of trips to the divisional baths for clean uniforms and underwear, and sports contests, prepared the men for the resumption of hostilities. For two weeks in January, Matt enjoyed a period of leave in England.
 
As had happened in 1917, the spring of 1918 presented the Germans with as strategic opportunity. The end of hostilities against Russia at the end of 1917 released entire armies from the Eastern Front which the German commander, Ludendorff, could use for a massive assault against the British and French. The British and French had no way of knowing where the thrust of the expected offensive would be aimed. When Operation Michael began on 21st March 1918, the main thrust was aimed at the dividing line between the French and British forces, along the valley of the Somme River.
 
British planning had assumed the main attack would be in Belgium. Within days, the British 5th Army was overrun by the superior German force. All of the old battlefields along the Somme that had been taken with so much blood in 1916, such as Lagnicourt, Bapaume, Pozieres and Albert, were recaptured within two weeks. To strengthen his defences in front of the vital communication hub of Amiens, Haig ordered four of the five divisions of AIF infantry then in Belgian Flanders to rush south to strengthen his weakened and demoralized troops. The 2nd Division began the rush south on 2nd April 1918, travelling by forced march, train and busses. The battalion arrived at Doullens on 6th April.
 
At Doullens, Matt was detached from his company to act as batman, a kind of manservant, for a Captain Cameron who had been appointed as the town provost martial. Doullens was the rail junction through which most of the AIF passed either heading to the front of passing back to the rest areas. Matt returned to his battalion on 26th April.
 
Matt’s return to the 26th coincided with a significant action by two AIF brigades at the village of Villers Bretonneux which effectively put an end to further German advances along the Somme, but the enemy were far from beaten. Around that time, soldiers from the 26th Battalion came across a stranded and abandoned German tank in Monument Wood. The 26th immediately claimed the tank as a war trophy. The tank, named Mephisto, was transported back to Queensland, the home state of the 26th, and went on display at the Queensland Museum. After extensive renovations at the Railway Workshops at Ipswich, Mephisto was re-instated at the Queensland Museum as one of its primary exhibits.
 
The commander of the 3rd Division, Major General John Monash encouraged the Australians in the front lines to engage in “peaceful penetration”; harassment of the enemy by stealthy penetration of no man’s land at night with the object of gaining intelligence, taking out forward posts and in some cases capturing enemy soldiers who were handed over to intelligence officers for interrogation. This activity made the Germans very nervous and increased their level of unease. During this period, the 7th Brigade rotated in and out of the line engaging in minor skirmishes.
 
On 1stJune 1918, Monash was promoted to Lieutenant General and given field command of all five divisions of the AIF. His immediate intention was to increase the level of peaceful penetration and plan for the elimination of troublesome points which the Germans still occupied and from which they could observe the Australian lines. For the first time in almost seven months, the British forces would go on the offensive and the AIF would play a central role.
 
On a rise above the village of Hamel in front of Villers Bretonneux, the Germans had established an observation point called the Wolfsburg. From that vantage point, the enemy had a clear view of troop and equipment movements. Monash resolved to take the Wolfsburg through meticulous planning and the coordinated use of his resources. At 3:10am on 4thJuly, the artillery firing explosive, smoke and shrapnel shells rained down on the German line. Ten AIF battalions, including the 26th, began the advance behind the smoke screen supported by tanks and aircraft dropping ammunition and water. Monash estimated it would take 90 minutes to achieve his objective; it took 93 minutes.
 
The success of Hamel brought Monash and the Australians to the attention of Field Marshall Haig. Monash was tasked with planning a far bigger battle in which he used the tactics which he had employed at Hamel to push nine divisions (Australian, Canadian and British) forward along an eleven mile front. The Battle of Amiens, on 8th August 1918 became the pivotal engagement which would turn the course of the war. As the 26th was preparing to move up to the start position for Amiens, Matt went AWL for 6 days. He was dealt with quite severely, receiving 28 days of field punishment #2 and was docked 34 days pay. Matt presumably was back with his platoon by the 8th and took part in the Battle of Amiens.
 
The 2nd Division AIF began their advance from just in front of Hamel with the Somme River on their left and the 3rdDivision on their right. Upon reaching the green line at Cerisy, they dug in and allowed the 4th Division to leapfrog over them who then continued to the red line at Morcourt. The 2nd Division then leapfrogged over the 4th Division to the Blue line at Proyart. The outcome of the battle was staggering with thousands of prisoners taken (many who surrendered willingly), artillery pieces and machine guns captured by the hundreds (many of which have ended up in parks and war memorials across Australia) and the front progressed a staggering eleven miles (at the time advances were measured in yards).
 
Haig pressured Monash to push on with his five divisions during August knowing he had to prevent the Germans from having time to organise a coordinated defence or counterattack. Monash kept up the pressure on both the enemy and his men, who were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. On 13th August, just five days after the Battle of Amiens, Matt went AWL for the second time. He may well have been suffering from battle fatigue because the 26th had been in constant action since the 8th. Matt was awarded a further period of field punishment which he had to serve in the Field Police compound.
 
Matt rejoined his unit on 5th September; just after the heroic capture of Mont Saint Quentin by the 2nd Division. After this battle, the 26th went into camp for a prolonged rest. Once Mt Saint Quentin and the strategic fortress town of Peronne had been taken, the retreating Germans were forced to retreat east to the Hindenburg Line, from which they had launched Operation Michael back in March. On 2nd October 1918, the 7th Brigade, by this time dreadfully depleted but in good spirits moved up to attack the Hindenburg Line at Beaurevoir. The start position overlooked the Torrens Canal with the village of Beaurevoir on the other side protected by three lines of trenches bristling with barbed wire. It looked a hopeless situation but the Germans had suffered so many defeats since 8th August that their morale was at an all time low while the Australians, supplemented by raw but enthusiastic American troops were in no mood to back down. The plan called for the 25th Battalion to cross the canal, which was dry, and take the Beaurevoir Line with the 26th Battalion then passing through the 25th and on to the heights above the village. At 6:05am the artillery barrage opened up and the 25th moved out meeting very little resistance. As the 26th Battalion moved up to pass over the 25th, the German resistance intensified and artillery began to target the advancing men.
 
Eye witnesses reported that Matt Carney was killed outright when a 5.9” shell landed between the members of Matt’s Lewis gun team. Matt according to several witnesses was blown to pieces. Initially Matt was reported as missing but once statements from witnesses could be taken, he was declared Killed in Action. In the heat of the fighting, there was no time to deal with Matt’s remains. No burial report was filed. Matt had just turned 20.
 
During the course of his service, Matt had endured close fighting at Bullecourt, Menin Road, Broodseinde, Passchendaele, Villers Bretonneux, Hamel and Amiens without sustaining any injury. Beaurevoir was the 26thBattalion’s last battle and it is quite ironic that Matt should fall when the end was in sight.
 
Matt Carney’s remains were never recovered. In 1938, some 20 years after the end of the First World War, the Australian Government constructed the Australian National Memorial at Villers Bretonneux. The memorial was dedicated by the newly crowned King George VI. The memorial records the names of over 10,000 Australian soldiers who lost their lives in France and have no known grave; Matthew Carney among them.