Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Francis Scully enlisted under an assummed name after being discharged from the AIF under his real name of Sydney Joseph Skelly.  Sydney Joseph (Brickey) Skelly was the fourth child of John Skelly and Caroline Wade, born in the Forbes district in 1878.  He most likely had his schooling at the Nyngan Convent as did his younger brother, Tom, after the family moved to that area some time before 1883.

Brickey's mother, Caroline Wade, (her real name was Wedge) was the daughter of a white man Edward (Ned) Wedge and an aboriginal mother.  

Brickey enlisted in the AIF on 22 November after two of his brothers had already joined.  When enlisting Brickey claimed that he had previous military service of 21 months in South Africa, however, extensive searching of what Australian records available has failed to prove this.   He was given the Service Number of 207.

The Dubbo Training Camp was to be Brickey's home for the next three months.  He was unmarried and named his half sister Mrs K Barden at Brisbane Street Dubbo as his next of kin.  This name is a mistake as the Skelly boys had only one sister, her name was Catherine Ann Byrum.  Both parents of the Skelly boys died when they were young and their older half sister, Catherine Byrum took over raising all of her half brothers.  

Brickey's occupation was miner he was a tall man standing 6 feet and 1 inch, complexion was dark, brown eyes and black hair.  He was a typical larrikin of his time and as two other brothers had done he spent most of his initial training drunk.  From 7 December 1915 to 17 March 1916 Brickey had committed at least fifteen offences from drunkenness while on duty, escaping from custody, breaking camp and AWL plus many others.  On 17 March 1916 Brickey was finally  discharged, had his uniform taken away and fined all pay due.  This obiously was not what Brickey wanted as within three days he had travelled from Dubbo to Bathurst where he immediately re-joined the AIF.

Brickey re-enlisted 20 March 1916 under the name of Francis Scully, his address was given as Bathurst, his sister, Catherine Byrum, was his next of kin,however this time her name was spelt correctly, his age had dropped from 38 to 31 years but his occupation was still a miner, he was given the Service Number of 5769.  Over the next three months of his training Brickey never put a foot wrong as his record shows.

Initially his unit was 18th reinforcement, 2nd Battalion embarking with this unit from Sydney on board HMAT Kyarra on 3 June 1916.  After his arrival at Plymouth on 3 August he proceeded overseas to France leaving England on 9 September arriving at the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 11 September.

By 23 September Brickey was in Belgium heading for the trenches on the Western Front however, on 29 September he was transferred to the 1st Pioneer Battalion.  This particular battalion was formed in Egypt 15 February 1916 by Lieut Col EJH Nicholson, CMG, DSO, the battaion arrived in Marseilles 1 April 1916.  Originally a British concept which proved successful during the First World War they were known as the fighting labour force but entry into the battalion was by invitation only and about 75% were accepted and 25^% rejected, the fact that Brickey was a miner would have been a factor in the request for his entry into the battalion. 

The 1st Pioneer Battalion was stationed in Ypres from 5 September until 14 October 1916, the main works being 'dugout accommodation with bunks for 1,500 men in Zillebere Railway embankment, also working around Verbrandenmolen and reconstruction of front line trenches near Zillebeke to Hill 60'.  From 17 to 22 October 1916 the battalion was stationed near St Omer, the headquarters of the 1st Division before moving to the Longueval - Montauban region on 26 October where they constructed the tramline though Delville Wood.  The battalion then constructed roads and a tunnel 1,800 yards from Delville Quarry to Bulls Road and the reconstruction of the support line.

As winter approached the work carried out by the 1st Pioneers was made very difficult by the ever increasing rain and with the constant shelling by the Germans, the area became a vast quagmire of mud which was impossible to even walk through.  Brickey and his fellow companions had the task of laying duckboards and the making of roads suitable to carry the weight of the artillery guns that were needed for the coming offensive.  

Bernafay Wood in particular is frequently mentioned as an evil place by the Australian soldiers writing home.  In the middle of the Australian sector of the Somme battlefield of 1916, Bernafay Wood had been heavily fortified by the Germans, and their machine-gunners, concealed by the shell torn tree stumps, inflicted many casualties.

It was in this region when on the 5 January 1917 Brickey was killed in action by artillery fire.  He is buried in the Bernafay Wood British Cemetery that was established on the very edge of the wood.  122 Australians are there, the first was buried in September 1916 and the last in May 1917 however, the greatest number arrived there during that dreadul winter of 1916-17.

Major General Sir H Walker, Commander of the 1st Division in a letter writing of the 1st Pioneer Battalion said 'on showing I consider the 1st Pioneer Battalion was and still is the best Pioneer Battalion in France probably in the world.'

Brickey's personal effects were sent back to his sister, Catherine, they were, purse, money belt, metal wrist watch (damaged) and strap, badges, metal match box, his disc, 2 devotional books and a coin.  

Catherine Ann Byrum was to die of influenza July 1919 and as Brickey had enlisted under another name when it came time to pass his medals onto family this prove difficult.  Brickey's medals were then marked as 'untraceable'.

Submitted by Patricia Kennedy