Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Story of Edward Michael Dodds, MSM

Edward, aka Ted, was born 12 Dec 1914, the son of Edward Patrick Dodds in Petersham NSW

While working as a Storeman Clerk in the Engineering field, he enlisted in the A.M.F on his 18th birthday in 1932 as a Sapper (S/N 159428) with the 5th Field Company RAE

Ted transferred to the CMF as Sergeant (S/N N107491) with the 9th Workshop & Park Company on 26 Mar 1941

Ted & the 9th W/S & Pk Coy were sent to Darwin on 22 Apr, where they were primarily based at Larrakeyah Barracks & employed to help improved the defences around the Darwin area

Ted remained in the NT area as a WO2 where he was present during the initial Bombing of Darwin on 19 Feb 1942 as well a further 50 attacks that occurred between Feb 1942 & Jan 1943 before marching out to NSW on 28 Jan for a period of leave at home

On 23 Apr Ted posted to RAE Training Centre at Kapooka as an Instructor with the 4th Training Battalion

He marched out to North QLD on 17 Sep & embarked from Townsville for New Guinea on board HMAS Katoomba on 11 Nov arriving at Port Moresby & posting back to 9 W/S & Pk Coy on the 15th

On 29 Nov Ted transferred to the AIF (S/N NX191935) still appointed as WO2 with 9th W/S & Pk Coy

While based at Moresby, Ted was initially allocated to the RAE Stores & in charge of the census data of the areas Mechanical Engineering Equipment. He was later employed in the Town Power House in charge of the Orderly Room & admin of detachment

On 9 Jul 1943 the unit received orders to prepare for their return to Aus on arrival of their relief - 51st Fld Pk Coy

From 21 Aug, 51st Fld Pk Coy had taken over all commitments in the Moresby area & as most of his unit were returning to the mainland for leave, Ted remained behind detached to the 51st as a rear party of 117 personnel

As part of the last group of 55, 9th W/S & Pk Coy, Ted returned to Aus on board SS Ormiston, disembarking in Townsville on 19 Sep

After a period of leave, Ted was posted back to the RAE Training Centre at Kapooka on 7 Dec & attended & passed a Reinforcement Instructor (non-Inf) course before being posted as an Instructor with the units 3rd Training Battalion on 8 Jan 1945

The Kapooka Tragedy - 21 May 1945

‘It was the Australian Army’s worst accident, a tragedy so grim and gruesome it tore the heart out of a country town’

WO2 Dodds was the Acting Key Instructor during the events of the Kapooka Tragedy of 21 May 1945 when 26 sappers were killed in an explosion while training at what was then the Engineer Training Centre (the Kapooka Tragedy story follows at the end this post)

Ted was briefly posted to the 1st Aus Infantry Brigade, Headquarters in Sep, back to 1 RAE Training Unit in Oct & to 2nd Aus Engineering Stores Base Depot on 13 Nov

On 13 Nov 1947 Ted transferred to the ARA (S/N’s NP30693 & 2/1455) as WO2 in the RAAC with the Eastern Command Carde

He marched out to the Armoured School in Jan 1948 & was later posted to 1st Armoured Regiment (RNSWL) as A/Platoon Commander on 28 May. The unit was re-designated as 1st Royal New South Wales Lancers in Jul 1949

In Nov 1950 Ted attended & passed a National Service Instructor course at the School of Infantry & was posted to 12th National Service training Battalion in Feb 1951 as A/Lieut Platoon Instructor

Ted posted back to 1st RNSWL in Nov 1952 as T/WO1 acting as RSM

In Dec 1955 the unit amalgamated with the 15th Northern River Lancers to form the 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers, equipped with a small number of Centurion tanks

Ted posted to the Armoured School in Sep 1957 & was appointed SSM

In Feb 1963 the unit was re-designated as the Armoured Centre (known today as the School of Armour)

While posted to the Armoured Centre, Ted was known to be "firm, but fair" by those who still remember him

Ted was posted to the Eastern Command Recruiting Centre in Dec 1963 & appointed A/Capt (later A/Maj-back to A/Capt) as a Recruiting & Display Officer until discharge on 12 Dec 1969 after having reached compulsory retirement age of 55 year

Sadly Ted passed away in Thornleigh NSW on 18 Apr 1980 at the age of 65 years, 4 months, leaving behind his widow, Joyce & two kids. He is buried in the Macquarie Park Cemetery & Crematorium, North Ryde, Section H, Row 10

Ted served for a total of 37 years & was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Australia Service Medal, GVI Australian Efficiency Medal w/1st CLASP, EII Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal [AUSTRALIA] & the EII Meritorious Service Medal [AUSTRALIA]

His Efficiency Medal & clasp was awarded on 29 Sep 1946 by the Governor-General of Australia, H.R.H. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Long Service & Good Conduct Medal was awarded in 1965 & the MSM was awarded in 1966, the citation reading  : "Warrant Officer Dodds has served with this unit (Eastern Command Recruiting Unit) for approximately three years, during which period he has been employed on administrative & recruiting duties. His wide knowledge of recruiting, together with his readiness on all occasions to accept responsibility above that normally demanded of his rank make him in every way worthy of the award of the MSM"

Story - The Kapooka Tragedy of 1945

On 21 May 1945 at 0825 the troops assembled for Monday Parade. This was a time for mapping the day’s activities & reminding rank & file their responsibilities in what were potentially hazardous situations. Three squads, led by demolition area specialists Sgt Pomeroy, Sgt Tafe & Cpl Conwell, greeted their new charges for Day One of Week Four training

WO2 Dodds, the acting Key Instructor, read all assembled the ‘Standing Orders Demolition Area’. The orders required personnel to carry their rifles to & from the area, instructors to make clear safety precautions before beginning training, instructors to have absolute control over personnel & instructors to manage carefully all explosives in their care, including their guarding in the absence of the squad from the training area

WO2 Dodds then read the releases for the day: nine Sappers from Sgt Tafe’s squad & two from Cpl Conwell’s were assigned other duties. The three squads of trainees & area specialists & their assistants then marched the mile or so to the Demolition Area, first with rifles ‘at the slope’ & after leaving the camp area less formally at ‘trail’

The Demolition Area is now a sheep paddock not far from Kapooka’s main gate, but outside the camp’s present boundary. There were four dug-outs scattered across the paddock that served variously as shelters, training rooms & storage facilities

The dug-out Sgt Pomeroy & his squad headed toward on that cold day measured about twenty-one feet long & nineteen feet wide. No more than seven feet high at its centre & tapering down at each end, it was more than half-buried in the local red clay. Supporting wall & ceiling timbers were made of rough sawn bush timber. A nine-inch opening around the structure at ground height allowed both light and air into the space. The roof of cement-coated hessian on arc-steel mesh was covered with a thick layer of dirt

Instructors & trainees entered the dug-out using steps at its northern end. On the right was a large blackboard used by the instructor or his assistant. Sawdust covered the floor and trainees sat around the edges on old ammunition boxes. The area could accommodate up to thirty-five personnel

Sgt Pomeroy & his assistant, the unusually tall Cpl Bill Cousins, began

their work with their trainees at about 0900. Because of the cold weather they chose to conduct all training and introductory explosives handling in the dug-out, its construction providing a naturally stable environment

At 0930 Spr Musto, a storeman, delivered to each dug-out one hundred pounds of Monobel quarry explosive, ten pounds of gelignite, a range of electric &

safety detonators & about thirty-five feet of fuse. Pomeroy used his permitted discretion & placed the explosives, packed in several wooden boxes, in the dug-out not far from his right as he faced his students, rather than leave them outside guarded by two trainees, depriving them of valuable training time

At 1100 Sgt Kendall released most of his squad for guard duty & kept three

back to prepare detonators for the scheduled Day One night exercise. As Sgt Tafe similarly had only three of his original twelve trainees a suggestion was made that Kendall’s & Tafe’s men be sent to Pomeroy’s dug-out, with one man staying with Kendall to help lay down wires for the night exercise. Kendall’s two men would remain under his and Pomeroy’s supervision & prepare the fuses in Pomeroy’s dugout. WOII Dodds agreed to the suggestion

At 1230 the Demolition Area trainees stopped for a hot lunch followed by another Parade & physical training exercises. During this period six more men arrived to be assigned for training. Dodds sent three to Conwell & yet another three to Pomeroy. This meant twenty-six recruits were now under Jack Pomeroy’s care

At 1330 Kendall transferred Tafe’s issued explosives close to the entrance of Pomeroy’s dug-out. He then led his men into the dug-out, to the immediate left of the blackboard & set them to work preparing the fuses. They used

the explosives issued to Pomeroy

Pomeroy’s men arrived at about 1430. According to Kendall’s account, Pomeroy first said, ‘We will now get on with the preparation of hand charges’ & commenced the training session. In keeping with the suggested protocol Pomeroy would have demonstrated cutting & crimping safety fuse wire, attaching it to a detonator & then placing the detonator into a tennis ball-size plug of monobel

Only one trainee at a time would be permitted to repeat the demonstration under the strict supervision of either Pomeroy or Cousins. Spr Allan Bartlett of South Australia, sitting in the far right corner of the dug-out, waited his turn. He noticed Corporal Cousins move to his right & pick up the fuses already completed by Kendall’s men. Kendall had just left the dug-out to check the night exercise wiring work. Bartlett then turned to talk to one

of his mates

Kendall checked the electrical firing cable & found it to be sound. He then moved back to the dug-out, but decided not to enter immediately. He reached a point about seven yards from the entrance & suddenly felt enormous heat, heard a deafening sound & was propelled violently backwards the unmistakable force of a catastrophic explosion. He fell to the ground & noticed part of a body close to his left side. He also noted through the dusty haze that the roof of the bunker had collapsed. Sgt Tafe about 150 yards away, exclaimed surprisingly, ‘sounds like a crater charge’. Sgt McNabb working with him, yelled, ‘The dugout’s gone

In the following ordered mayhem twenty-seven personnel were removed from the

destroyed dugout, plus the seriously injured Sgt Kendall. Spr Bartlett, burned & profoundly deaf but alive, was embedded in the hard clay of the far wall, most probably surviving because of the shielding effect of his mates beside him. He was carefully excavated from the wall by Sgt Tafe. Two of Bartlett’s companions survived with him, but died later of their terrible injuries. The camp’s three ambulances worked laboriously to ferry the dead & injured to the camp morgue & hospital

At 1600 Sgt Sherwood of the Wagga police arrived, but soon left as under the National Security Regulations a civilian inquest was not required for an

incident involving Army personnel

Later at 2000, death certificates were issued for twenty-six fatalities. Nineteen were identified by identity discs; the remaining seven, being unrecognisable, were identified through personal possessions, including

wedding rings, dental records & and labelled clothing, including braces & civilian underwear. Pomeroy, one of the seven, was identified by his engraved watch; Cousins, another, by the size of his torso & bone structure

In the aftermath, two final stages closed the Kapooka Tragedy to national memory. On 24 May a mass funeral was held in Wagga Wagga that attracted national attention, partly because of the magnitude of the event and partly because of the publicised insensitivity of Army censors to release the victims names until the evening of 23 May. Wagga’s Daily Advertiser reported ‘Men have been forbidden to mention the explosion. Many were very upset they could not let their relatives know they were safe.’ A lorry of wreaths & four flag-draped semi-trailers carrying the coffins drove sombrely past half of

Wagga’s assembled 14,000 population. After separate denominational funerals, the coffins were lowered simultaneously into the prepared graves. The emotion of the event continues to reverberate in local folk memory to this day

At the end of the inquiry the Court surmised that, the accident most likely occurred after Bill Cousins picked up the charges being prepared by Kendall’s men and moved to place them next to the explosives on Pomeroy’s right & tripped in the process, bringing the fuses in direct contact with the opened explosives, the only way they could be ignited