Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Ballarat & District in the Great War

LCpl Stanley James Speed MM

It’s a little-known fact, but when serving policemen wished to enlist in the Great War, they were required to seek permission from the department to do so. It was essential to maintain the strength of the police force despite events around the world, and to allow members to enlist en masse would have created a potentially dangerous situation on the home front. Just 138 Victorian policemen served during the conflict, with 27 making the ultimate sacrifice.

Many were also decorated for bravery under extraordinary circumstances; these included Ballarat’s Stan Speed – an outstanding young policeman, who served his country with distinction.

Glen Park is a beautiful place to grow up. Many times I’ve driven down the single road that runs through the area and delighted in the vista, with the farms seeming to fold down the hill towards the White Swan Reservoir. Of course, the landscape was very different over 100 years ago – there was no large water catchment and the bush extended further across the land. It was to this area that Edwin Speed brought his young wife, Ellen Maria Hayward.

The Speed family came from the small English village of Barrington in Cambridgeshire, which was known more for brickmaking than farming. John Speed eventually settled at Springs near Bungaree after arriving in the Colony in 1854. Interestingly, his farm, and Springs, now lie beneath the White Swan Reservoir.

Whilst Edwin Speed was actually born at Chilwell in Geelong, he grew up in Ballarat. His wife was also of local connections, having been born at Carngham. The Hayward family had originally come from Tissington in Derbyshire – her father having been convicted of larceny and sent to Tasmania as an 18-year-old.

When Stanley James Speed was born at Glen Park on 17 March 1893, he was Edwin and Ellen’s fourth child and second son. The family eventually grew to six children altogether, with the addition of a further two daughters.

Stan received his education at both the Bungaree and Glen Park State Schools. But it was a case of illegal trespass heard at the Town Court in Ballarat on 31 July 1903 that was to give the clearest indication of his intellect and honesty. His mother had sued her neighbour John Jones for damages after he had allowed his cattle to wander onto the Speed property, and, more precisely, into Ellen’s garden. One of the honorary magistrates, Mr James Long, recused himself because it was stated that he knew both parties well.

It was inferred at one point that the cows had been deliberately let onto the Speed property, but Ellen was too clever to be pressed into a defamatory statement by defence counsel, well-known Ballarat solicitor, Fred Ham.

Stan and Edwin were then called to give corroborative evidence on behalf of their mother and were questioned at length. It could have been a daunting experience for a 10-year-old boy, but it was noted that Stan was ‘a bright, intelligent little fellow.’ When Mr Ham asked Stan if he knew what motive his mother had for instigating proceedings against his client.

‘The boy apparently did not fully comprehend Mr Ham's meaning, but with juvenile frankness, volunteered the explanation that "she summoned him because Mr James Long advised her to.”’

His response elicited a considerable amount of amusement in the courtroom – and offered a more than adequate explanation for Mr Long stepping down from the case. Ellen was eventually awarded £1 damages, with £1 14s 6d in costs, but young Stan had earned the beginnings of a fine reputations.

James Long, who had been Mayor of Ballarat East, did indeed have a close connection to the Speed family. His property, Longwood, was at Springs, and he had links with the Glen Park Methodist Church.
‘…It is believed that he may have paid for the building of this church. Families linked with the establishment of this church were the Longs, Rumlers, Ralstons, Kneeshaws, Peterkins, Goldsmiths, Clarkes, Copleys, Speeds, Shaws, Ratrays, Chaseys and Welsh families. The Glen Park Methodist Church was moved to a site opposite the school (where the CFA shed is today) in 1906…’

After leaving school, Stan joined his father on the farm. But it soon became evident that he had plans that would take him far beyond Glen Park. On 28 October 1914, Stan joined the Victoria Police Force. He was designated constable number 6058 at the Bourke District Depot in Richmond before his first posting at Russell Street Police Headquarters.

Of course, while Stan Speed was forging a new career path, the world had descended into the worst conflict in history – the “war to end all wars.” When it became clear that the war would not be over by Christmas, Stan began to question his own need to volunteer.
He had been transferred to the station at Bourke Street West, when he decided to enlist. On 28 July 1915, Stan presented himself at the Melbourne Town Hall Recruiting Depot for his routine medical examination.

Clearly, at 22 years-of-age, Stan was an ideal recruit – physically, he was very well-built: he had a barrel chest that measured 42-inches when expanded, and at 5-feet 9½-inches tall and 13-stone, Stan cut a powerful figure. Captain John D. King Scott, who was the doctor in attendance that day, described Stan as having a ruddy complexion, with brown eyes and dark hair; he also noted vaccination marks on Stan’s left arm and scars on his right leg.

Because of the distance from Glen Park to Ballarat, Stan had been exempted from the local units, so, did not receive any formal military training. However, he was quite an excellent rifle shot and his experience in the police force more than compensated for the lack of a military background.

On 3 August 1915, Stan completed his paperwork, signed the oath, and was pronounced officially a member of the Australian Imperial Force. He joined the 74th Depot Company at the Seymour Camp the following day.

Less than a week later, Stan was transferred to the Ballarat Showgrounds Camp, but by the middle of September, he was on his way to the main camp at Broadmeadows. On 17 September, he was allocated the regimental number 3495 and allotted to the 11th reinforcements destined for the 14th Infantry Battalion – the famous “Jacka’s Mob.”

As news spread of the imminent departure of a number of local boys, hasty arrangements were made to farewell them from the Bungaree Hall. Brothers, Frank and Fred Calway, and Pat O’Malley, all from Leigh Creek, and Stan Speed from Glen Park, were to be accorded the honour and given a wristlet watch as a farewell gift.

The community needed to be quick – on 11 October, Stan and Frank Calway (who was also with the 11/14th) boarded HMAT Nestor at the Melbourne docks. As troopships went, the Nestor was slightly larger than many at 14,501 tons and was fine looking steamer. She been leased by the Commonwealth from the Ocean Steam Ship Company Limited of Liverpool – the Blue Funnel Line.

Once again, reinforcements arrived in Egypt too late to take part in the Gallipoli Campaign – but, it also spoke to the authorities not rushing new men through to the Front before they received adequate training. There was also a realisation at the highest levels that the campaign was coming to an end and there was no legitimate point in sending in fresh troops. As a result, Stan Speed spent the first few months with a training battalion in camp outside Cairo and at various outposts. It wasn’t until 4 March 1916 that he was taken on strength of the 14th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
The 14th was amongst the last of the AIF units to be transferred to the Western Front. The battalion, minus their transport section, embarked onboard HMT Transylvania from Alexandria at 7:30am on 1 June. The sea remained calm for the entire voyage and the troops were kept busy with practice at submarine alarm and boat stations, ship’s inspection and Church Parade.

The Transylvania berthed at Marseilles on 7 June. Embarkation was staggered and the companies were divided for the trip north to Bailleul. A and D Companies left by train the same day, with B and C following a day later.

It was a long three days in covered goods wagons that were marked “Hommes 40 Chevaux 8” (40 men or 8 horses). The route took them through Orange, Macon, Les Laumes, Montereau and Abbeville before finally arriving at Bailleul at 9:30pm on 10 June.

Over the coming days, the men settled into billets, with company training and route marches being the order of the day. Corps Commander of the AIF, General William Birdwood (known by many of the troops as “Bullshit Birdy”) arrived on 13 June to inspect the men and billets.

Stan’s first experience of the trenches came on 27 June, when the 14th Battalion moved into the frontline at Bois-Grenier. It was a relatively gentle introduction in an area dubbed the “nursery sector”, but the shellfire was still intense and Ballarat’s Bertie Pring was the first to pay the ultimate price when he was struck by shrapnel and died of wounds on 29 June. There were also a number of men wounded, which reinforced the need to keep your head down.

The 14th remained at Bois-Grenier well into July. An important trench raid, consisting of 6 officers and 83 men, was launched late on 2 July. Ballarat’s Harold Wanliss led a section of the raiding party and performed in outstanding fashion, despite being wounded several times. He was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order – the first lieutenant in the AIF to receive this decoration.

Whilst it is not known if Stan Speed took part in the raid, he would still have been very aware of the heightened situation surrounding all the men of the 14th.

After finally being relieved on 12 July, the 14th moved to billets on Jesus Farm at Erquinghem. They were to enjoy a period of three and a half weeks out of the line – it was a well-earned rest that prepared them for one of the most significant actions for the 14th Battalion: the Battle of Pozieres.

On 6 August, the men moved through Sausage Valley to the shattered remnants of Pozieres to take over from 26th and 28th battalions. By this stage the village was little more than brick dust, with nary a whole brick to be found. This was an entirely new experience for Stan Speed. They were “welcomed” that night by the most severe bombardment yet experienced on the Somme – something those involved would never forget. It also led to one of the most outlandishly brave actions of the war, by the redoubtable VC-winner, Albert Jacka, which only served to reinforce the reputation of the battalion as a whole.

Their first tour at Pozieres came to an end on 13 August, when they were relieved by the 49th Battalion. Three days later, at Warloy, the men were congratulated by General Birdwood, who made a speech on their work at Pozieres.

At 8pm on 26 August, the 14th returned to the trenches, taking over the line at Mouquet Farm northwest of Pozieres. An attack on enemy strong points two days later achieved mixed results and the 14th sustained a number of casualties.

Following an extended period in and around Ypres, the 14th returned to the Somme in November, where there was a new enemy – the weather. Stan learned quickly that a cold winter in the trenches made complaints about Ballarat’s weather seem trivial: a frost would freeze the ground solid, whilst heavy rain turned the same ground to a quagmire.

Therefore, it was a treat to spend Christmas 1917 in billets at Rainneville after the battalion had completed an extended time in the trenches at Flers. On Boxing Day, Stan was informed that he had been appointed to the rank of lance-corporal.

In March, Stan was detached for duty with Traffic Control as part of the Assistant Provost Marshall to the 4th Australian Division – effectively, he was now a policeman in a war zone.

On 23 August, Stan was promoted to the temporary rank of corporal while continuing to do his duties with the Traffic Control detachment. Whilst his rank was never confirmed as more than temporary, he retained the rank for the duration of the war.

During the Third Battle of Ypres (Battle of Passchendaele) the TCD dealt with the logistical nightmare of keeping the roads clear to maintain the flow backwards and forwards to the frontline. The continual shelling of the Ypres-Menin Road resulted in a major blockage of traffic. Stan Speed volunteered to go into the area to assist in clearing the road. He was confronted by a haunting spectacle: the road was strewn with dead men and horses, and all manner of debris. Showing utter disregard for his own safety, Stan continued to work until the road was cleared and the ambulance cars carrying wounded from the frontline could continue on to the nearby dressing stations. His courage and its effect on those around him, was duly noted and Lieutenant Oscar D. Hassam (who was to later died of wounds on 20 May 1918) recommended him for a Military Medal. Stan was awarded the decoration on 14 December.

Back in Glen Park, Ellen Speed, was surprised to received a personal letter from Major-General Ewen Sinclair-MacLagan, congratulating her on Stan’s ‘conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty under shell fire.’

Although Stan continued to serve with the TCD until the end of the war, nothing further is known of his experiences throughout the German Spring Offensive of 1918 and the Allies 100 Days Offensive. The next snippet of information available was a happy one – Stan was granted an extended leave pass to Paris on 9 October. He was able to enjoy two weeks in the French capital before returning to his unit on 24 October and was still in France when the guns fell silent on the Western Front.

Stan was fortunate to be one of the earlier returns to Australia – he reached England on 24 January 1919 and was stationed at the No4 Australian Command Depot at Hurdcott whilst he awaited orders. On 23 March, he boarded the Union Castle steam liner Cluny Castle at Devonport to begin the voyage home. The trip took them via Cape Town, giving Stan the opportunity to add further to his overseas experiences.

The troops onboard the Cluny Castle were landed at Adelaide’s Outer Harbor Wharf on 21 May and were transferred overland by special train. They arrived at Spencer Street railway station at 10am on 22 May.
Stan was discharged from the AIF on 14 July 1919 and immediately returned to his former position with the Police Force. In May 1920, he was involved in a lengthy chase through Melbourne Streets, when he arrested a William Bennett, who had stolen the poor box from St Vincent’s Hospital. Bennett was sentenced to 9-months imprisonment for his trouble.

In 1920, Stan married Mildred Mary Ivory, a 19-year-old from Sheffield in Tasmania. The couple made their home at 1 Oliver Street, and Stan continued as a police constable in Ballarat East.

After their father’s death on 20 October 1920, Stan and his brother, Edwin, had the sad task of acting as coffin-bearers. Edwin Speed had been ‘ailing’ for some time before his death; he had retired from the farm and set his affairs in order. As a result, Stan also had the duty of sole executor to his father’s Will.

Like most jobs that involve transfers, Stan and Mildred moved quite frequently. By 1925 they were living at 318 Lydiard Street north in Soldiers Hill. Then, in 1928, they had moved to nearby Clarendon Street. Their final home in Ballarat was at 333 Armstrong Street north.

Stan also found continued camaraderie by joining the Central District Police Rifle Club, where he often figured in competitive successes. In July 1923, he was the winner of the B Grade Quarterly Aggregate, which included the prize of a tea set worth £2/2/.
On 18 November 1924, the results of the annual police examinations were announced and Stan had passed for the rank of sub-officer.

Clearly, Stan Speed was a fine example of community policing. When a young man made an application for a collector’s license at the Ballarat Police Court in January 1928, Stan Speed and Senior-Constable Edwin Ryan spoke on his behalf.

‘…'This man, crippled in both arms, cannot obtain a pension because the pension referee says he is not permanently incapacitated,' said Sen-Const. E. C. Ryan; in the Ballarat Police Court on Thursday, when an application was made by Harry Beacham for a collector's licence. Continuing Sen-Const. Ryan said there was a conviction against the young man 18 months ago for the illegal use of a motor car. It was a drunken-freak, and not a felony, and since then the applicant had behaved himself. The police were anxious to see him get a chance to earn an honest living for himself. Const. S. J. Speed endorsed the remarks of the senior-constable, and added that he had visited the applicant's home, which he found in very poor circumstances. Beacham had a wife and two children and the police desired to help him. Mr A. J. Pittard, J.P., said the Bench had listened sympathetically to what had been said and were going to give the applicant a chance by granting him the licence. It was kind of both Sen. Const. Ryan and Const. Speed to have pleaded for the young man…’
Stan continued his rise through the ranks when, on 29 August 1929, he was appointed as a first-class constable.

In 1934, after promotion to senior constable, Stan was transferred to Footscray. He moved his family, which now consisted of a son and two daughters, to a home in The Crescent at Footscray North.
During April of that year, Stan gave character evidence in court after a young man was charged with wounding another youth in a suspected gang fight. In his statement to the court, Stan said that he was ‘a lad of good character who had never given the Footscray police any trouble.’ His testimony was instrumental in the boy receiving a suspended sentence.

Now, police work during the 1930’s was often very different to what we would expect and Stan was called to deal with a variety of offences. For example, in June 1936, he broke up an illegal two-up game in Footscray. However, a more hair-raising occurrence came in September 1938, which was reported as “Constable's Race After His Car.”

‘…Patrick William Malone, 31, shearer, was charged at Footscray court yesterday with having used a motor car without the consent of the owner, Senior Constable S. J. Speed. Evidence was given that a fatal accident had occurred on Geelong-road some days previously, and Senior Constable Speed and another policeman were on duty on that highway taking measurements, when Speed saw his car driven off. Running after it and jumping on to a running board, Speed switched off the ignition, and said to the man at the wheel, who was Malone, "What are you doing in this car?"

Defendant replied, "I am going to Smith's." Malone struck the policeman in the face. Speed pulled defendant out of the car, and Malone dealt him a blow in the stomach. Malone said he was formerly employed at a dairy at Brooklyn. He had taken some liquor and had no recollection of incidents related by Senior Constable Speed. The bench fined Malone £5…’
Stan was with the Footscray CIB at the time of this event.

Following a brief stint back at Russell Street Headquarters in 1940, Stan was transferred to a new station at Sandringham, where he saw duty on the Victoria Docks. Initially, he and Mildred lived at 26 Abbott Street, but they eventually moved to 178 Bay Road, where they lived for many years.

When Stan’s health resulted in him being hospitalised at the Repatriation Sanatorium at MacLeod during March 1945, Mildred wrote to the Base Records Office enquiring on his behalf.

‘…My husband who is a patient in the Rept Sanitorium at MacLeod has doubts as to his having received any deferred pay after the last war. Would you please advise me if he is entitle to still receive the money…’
She also wanted to know if there were any benefits attached to his having won the Military Medal. Clearly, his illness had placed financial constraints upon the family.

Stan retired from the Police Force later that year. It was noted that his record contained many commendations and his service was described as ‘exemplary.’

Fortunately, Stan was able to enjoy a long retirement with Mildred at their home in Bay Road. He died at the Repatriation General Hospital at Heidelberg on 10 February 1973.