Virtual
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Australia

From ‎François Berthout‎, Australia and New Zealand in WWI

Today, the Somme sun shines on the memory of one of my boys and it is with very deep respect that I would like to present a very respectful tribute to Private number 4528 Edward Charles Gudopp who fought in the 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion and who was killed in action 102 years ago,on June 24, 1918 at the age of 20.

Edward Charles Gudopp was born in 1898 in North Pine, Brisbane, Queensland, and he was the son of Charles and Emily Gudopp and they lived in Dakabin, North Coast Railway Line, Queensland. Before the war, Edward worked as a labourer.

Enlisted on May 19, 1916 at the age of 18 in the 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion, 12th Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Sydney, New South Wales on board HMAT A64 Demosthenes on December 23, 1916 for England where he arrived on 3 March 1917 in Plymouth and received his training at Hurdcott in the 8th Training Battalion. He then embarked with his unit from Codford, England, on November 20, 1917 for France and was disembarked the next day at Le Havre before joining the trenches of Somme front.

Unfortunately, seven months later, on June 24, 1918, Edward was killed in action at Vaux-Sur-Somme at the age of 20.

Today, Edward Charles Gudopp rests in peace at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "In memory of our only dearly loved son (Laddie) R.I.P

Edward, Sir, it is with the greatest of respect and with deep gratitude that I bow in front of you to say to you, from the bottom of my heart, that I wish to say thank you. You who were a young man full of life, you answered the call of duty to fight alongside your friends, alongside all these brave men from australia with whom you put on your uniform to fight for noble ideas, armed with a valiant and innocent heart, the heart of a child saying goodbye to his family, heartbreaking farewell to an unknown future.turning your gaze one last time towards the Australian rising sun for the darkness of war, you fought and served with bravery on the soil of France, on the lands of the Somme, under the gray sky torn by the thunder of the canons and by a hail of lead hiding the sun but the courage never left your heart, leaving your innocence of child behind you,you fought like the bravest of men by the side of all your brothers in arms for peace and for freedom, to make the sun shine again. Today the light shines on your name by keeping in our hearts your young face and the respectful and fraternal remembrance of France and the Somme who will never forget all that you did for us, with bravery, by giving your life and your today for our tomorrow. The Australian Souvenir will always shine in our hearts, we will never forget.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.🌺

GUDOPP Edward Charles  #4528   31st /32nd Battalion

Edward Gudopp was born in 1897 at North Pine (Petrie). He was christened with the names Carl Teodor, son of Carl Adolf Franz and Emily Johana Gudopp. The outbreak of war in 1914 brought with it almost hysterical anti-German sentiment and the Gudopp family probably like many others with German heritage and German sounding names changed their Christian names to something that did not sound as foreign. Carl Adolf Franz became Charles and Carl Teodor became Edward Charles.

Edward as a boy attended North Pine State School and then left to work as a labourer, perhaps on the family farm. At some stage the family moved to Dakabin and it was from there that Edward presented himself for enlistment on 19th May 1916.

Edward gave his age as 18 years and 9 months. Enlistments under 21 years needed their parent’s permission, usually by completeing a permission form. There is no such document in Edward’s file so his father may have accompanied him to the Brisbane recruiting depot.

After spending almost seven months at Enoggera where he perhaps trained as a signaller, Edward was posted as reinforcement for the 31st Battalion, part of the 8th brigade of the 5th Division. A week before embarkation, Edward made out his will at a firm of solicitors in Queen Street naming his mother as sole beneficiary. He boarded the “Demosthenes” in Sydney two days before Christmas 1916. The embarkation roll shows he had allotted 4/- of his daily pay to his mother. Edward arrived in Portsmouth on 3rd March 1917 and was immediately hospitalised at Hurdcott with mumps.

The major part of 1917 was spent in a training battalion at Codford. Edward was transferred from the 31st Battalion (Comprised of Queenslanders and Victorians) to the 32nd Battalion (South Australians and Western Australians) as a signaller. On 24th November 1917, Edward was taken on strength by the 32nd. During the winter of 1917/18 the five Australian divisions were in Flanders following a rotation pattern with two divisions in the line and one in support, one division in winter training quarters around Poperinghe and one division in camp on the French coast at Boulogne enjoying sports, furloughs and rest.

In January it was the turn of the 5th Division to enjoy the delights of the French seaside. By February and March they were back in the rotation at Warneton near Messines.

The German spring offensive across the Somme on 21st March caused Haig (British Commander) to rush available units of Australians south from Messines to meet the German advance in front of Amiens. By 27th March, the 32nd Battalion was at Louvencourt and were then moved to the Amiens defensive line at Corbie where the River Ancre flows into the River Somme. The 5th Division held the line there through April (with the German advance halted by two brigades of Australians at Villers Brettoneux on 25th) and May. During this time the newly promoted corps commander, Lt Gen John Monash (who like Edward had changed his name from Monasch to Monash to sound less German) called for continuous raiding to put the Germans of guard while he planned a counter offensive.

In June 1918, the 32nd Battalion was still holding the line around Corbie and Vaux sur Somme. The battalion war diary reports that on 24th June, there was a night air raid on a ration dump on the Bray Corbie Road. One bomb scored a direct hit and 16 men were killed and 11 wounded. One of the 16 was Edward Gudopp. He was buried at Vaux sur Somme in a temporary grave.

Edward’s family enquired into the circumstances of his death through the Red Cross Wounded and Missing Service. Eye witness accounts related the story of the air raid, although the casualty numbers were somewhat embellished. Curiously the witnesses both gave Edward’s age around 32 or 33 years old. He had in fact not yet turned 21 when he was killed.

In due course, Edward’s mother received a parcel of her son’s personal effects, two china ornaments in the shape of a boot, one of which was broken. In 1923 Edward’s remains were reinterred in the Villers Brettonneux Military Cemetery, which became the Australian National Memorial in 1938 when opened by King George VI. In 2018 The Monash Centre was opened at the same site.

Edward Gudopp is remembered on the Pine Rivers Shire Roll of Honour, North Pine State School Roll of Honour, the North Pine Presbyterian Roll of Honour and the Narangba and Dakabin Honour Roll.