Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Archibald Neil Davies was known as ‘Mickey’ to his mates. He was born in 1895 the fourth of ten children, having three brothers and six sisters. He attended Raymond Terrace Public School. His attestation papers show he was born in Crocodile Creek in the Gulf Country of Queensland. Who knows why he would say that as his birth was registered at Stroud so therefore it is doubtful that he was in fact born in Queensland. Perhaps this is how he earned his nickname by taking the Mickey out on those around him.

His brother Stanley G. who was 2 years younger than him also served. He enlisted on the 17th July 1916 with the 35th Battalion at the age of 18 yrs. 5 months. Both parents gave their permission for him to enlist. Stanley would return on the 30th January 1918 suffering from chronic nephritis.

Mickey was working as a fireman on locomotives when on the 17th of August 1914 he began the enlistment process. The process would be completed at Randwick a week later on the 24th August 1914. He had been in compulsory training with the 16th Infantry Battalion at the time.

At some time in his past Mickey had picked up a few injuries. He had three scars on his back, three scars on his right arm and one on his knee. However, neither these nor the wart on his eyelid would prevent him enlisting . Presumably, his parents had given their consent as he was only eighteen at this time. He would celebrate his nineteenth birthday at Randwick prior to embarking. Mickey was in good company, joining other local men like Eric Solling, Victor Williams and David Heugh in the 2nd Battalion. They would train and leave Australia for Egypt together as members of the 2nd Battalion.

On the 5th April 1915 they boarded the “Derflinger” to travel from Alexandria to Lemnos and then to Gallipoli.

Mickey suffered gunshot wounds to the right rib cage on the 30th April 1915 The wounds were serious enough that he required admission to No. 2 General Hospital Cairo. Following initial treatment he was transferred to Base details on the 3rd May 1915. His parent were advised of his wounding by the Secretary of Defence on the 6th May 1915.

Once recovered, Mickey would rejoin the 2nd Battalion at Gallipoli on the1st June 1915. A few days later he became very unwell, reporting sick on the 4th June 1915. He was embarked on the SS ‘Guernia’ and admitted to Hospital in Malta with Ptomaine poisoning on the 6th June1915. He would be hospitalised there for over a month until he embarked on the ‘Seang Bee’ on the 12th July 1915 bound for rehabilitation in Egypt.

He would not rejoin his unit at Gallipoli until the 26th July1915. However this time he was able to serve for three months before being admitted to the Casualty Clearing station with eventual transfer to the Hospital ship ‘Nevasa’. He disembarked at Alexandria and was admitted to No 1 Hospital Heliopolis suffering from Jaundice on the 7th November 1915. Mickey’s illnesses took a toll on his health and he was admitted to the Convalescent Hospital Helouan on the 2nd December 1915. He would be discharged fit for active service Cairo 8 days later on the 10th.

Mickey was still in Cairo as the survivors of the Gallipoli evacuation returned. Hardly surprising that many reunions would take place and many more lost mates would be farewelled with wakes in their honour. Mickey was charged with “Missing a parade” on the 30th January 1916. His punishment was the loss of 1 day’s pay. No doubt Mickey and his mates would have thought the money well spent.

As the AIF regrouped and more reinforcements flooded into the camps disease once more became their unseen enemy. Mickey was admitted to No.1 General Hospital Heliopolis with Influenza on the 27th February 1916. His parents were advised of this admission to hospital suffering ‘Influenza mild’ on the 6th March 1916. Once more he spent time in the Helouan Convalescent Hospital prior to his discharge for overseas service on the
28th March 1916.

On the 8th April 1916 Mickey took the time to make out his Will naming his parents as beneficiaries.

Mickey would spend the first anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli (the 25th April 1916) in No 2 Hospital Tel el Kebir suffering from a Cellulitis infection of the face. While there, on the 1st May 1916, he was posted to a training unit based in England. He would not arrive at No. I Training Battalion Perham Downs until the 31st July 1916.

By the 1st August 1916 Mickey disembarked at Etaples France rejoining his unit on the 11th August 1916. Mickey would now rejoin his surviving mates and the new reinforcements as they worked through the routine of trench warfare.

On the 4th September 1916 Mickey was rostered for post duty at night guarding his mates as they slept in their trench. By morning he would have been glad to have been relieved by the oncoming guards and ready to relax and unwind as best as possible back in the trench.

Mickey had his last three birthdays away from home, his 19th at Randwick on enlistment, his 20th at Gallipoli and his 21st was now just 4 days away and he would have it in Belgium.

The German army had, contrary to the British army, foreseen the new order of warfare, and had invested in the development of large trench mortars. From 1914 onwards these ‘Minenwerfer’ wreaked havoc amongst the Allied lines. The first types were mostly simple in design, and often only intended as a stopgap. In 1916 the German artillery was reorganised, and with this came new weapons. The old ‘Minenwerfer’ were replaced by a new generation. These were the heavy, powerful 25 and 24-cm mortars, the medium 17-cm mortar, and the light 7.58-cm mortar.

Mickey came off his post duty and was resting on the edge of a dugout. A large ‘minenwerfer’ came over and went right inside burying him and several others. When unearthed he was dead. He was taken back in the night and buried behind battalion headquarters with all the others killed that day. Mickey could have returned home as he was wounded twice but he opted to stay until his death on the 5th September 1916. His mates remembered him as being a good soldier.

The dreadful irony of war, would see that the railway man who had died four days before his twenty first birthday would be buried at a railway dugout in Belgium, a world away from his locomotives. Mickey is buried at the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground Belgium Plot 6 Row M Grave 20.

Mickey Davies is remembered on the Raymond Terrace War Memorial, the Raymond Terrace Public School Honour Roll, the Honour Roll in St Phillip’s Anglican Church, Edith Street Waratah, the Hamilton Loco Employees Honour Roll and Waratah Park Memorial Gates as well as Panel 32 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial.

Archibald Neil DAVIES (Service Number 505) was born on 31 August 1895. He began his Railways career on 6 May 1914 as a cleaner at Hamilton, in the Locomotive Branch. He joined the AIF very soon after, on 8 August 1914, at the age of 19, and he was allocated to the 2nd Battalion.

He was killed in action on 5 September 1916 at the age of 21 in Belgium, in the Ypres Salient. An account from one of the soldiers in his battalion states that he was ‘blown to pieces by a shell’ whilst resting in a dugout. He was buried in Railway Dugouts Burial Ground, one and a half miles SSE of Ypres, Belgium.