Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Trooper Peter Zeisser

Born: January 1894
Age
(Enlistment): 19 years 8 months
Age
(Death): 20 years 7 months
Occupation: Labourer
Description: 5’ 5” 165cm
140lbs 63.5kg
Dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair
Religion: Church of England
Enlisted: 22nd August 1914
Service No. 168
Unit: 1st Light Horse Regiment
Departed Australia: 20th October 1914
KIA 7th August 1915
Medals: 1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal



Peter had enlisted on the 22nd August 1914 at the age of 19 years and 8 months . He had been born in Ultimo in Sydney and was the 6th of eight children to Antoin and Bella Zeisser (nee Williams). Peter and his older brother Frank were to enlist. Peter in 1914, Frank 2 years later in 1916 .

Peter gave his occupation as a labourer, after spending his younger years in Raymond Terrace. He was a member of the local football team and had undertaken compulsory military training. He had served 1 year of cadets with the 14th Infantry and at the time of enlistment he was a serving member of the 6th Light Horse Regiment (Hunter River Lancers) serving under Colonel Meredith. Given his previous military experience he was posted to A Squadron of the 1st Light Horse Regiment.

The regiment sailed from Sydney on the 20th October 1914 aboard A16 Star of Victoria and disembarked in Egypt on the 8th December.

The freedom that Egypt offered the young Australians is now the stuff of legends. Young men away from home, on the adventure of a life time, with their mates was a recipe for trouble.

The antics of the Australian Light Horse in Egypt have been well documented. We must remember that these young men had been constrained by Victorian values influencing family and the conservative local communities in Australia. These were the "virgin" soldiers Australia had sent away to war. Very few wanted to remain that way before they saw combat and perhaps would not return
Like many of them Peter contracted what was politely referred to as the ‘Scarlet Scourge’ or ‘Scarlet Plague’ which was in fact, gonorrhoea. So prevalent was venereal disease amongst Australian Soldiers that the AIF considered the contraction of it as a self inflected wound and soldiers were punished accordingly. For Peter his punishment was the stoppage of pay for 7 days.

Peter landed with his regiment at Gallipoli on the 12th May 1915 and was attached to the New Zealand and Australian Division. Mostly they performed defensive tasks in support of other units. Only once would his regiment be used for an offensive which occurred on the morning of the 7th August 1915 with an attack on a Turkish position known as "the Chessboard".

While the action may be well recorded, how Peter died or the circumstances of his death are not and have long since passed with time. It is listed in his records that he died at Pope’s Hill on the 7th August.

Peter was buried on the 7th August 1915 by the 1st Light Horse Regiment’s Chaplain E. N. Merrington in Shrapnel Gully Gallipoli.

The mere act of burial was a hazardous activity on Gallipoli. Shrapnel Gully cemetery was only some 1,000 yards (914 meters) from the Turkish lines and was constantly exposed to enemy sniper fire.

News of Peter’s death was carried in the September 3rd edition of the Raymond Terrace Examiner. He was described as:

“ Always of a fearless nature, and brave to a fault, it was felt by those who knew him that if given the opportunity he would be fighting in a place where the battle was the fiercest, heedless of the danger surrounding him. Poor Peter was always the same when taking part in games of football here, always in the front of the ruck and taking the hardest knocks without a murmur.

The following week the paper also carried a photograph of not only Peter but his mate Alfred Poole. These were the only two photographs ever published by the paper providing evidence of the shock that their losses had on the local community. A memorial service was organised for Peter at St Johns Church in Raymond Terrace however when news of Alfred’s loss came through a combined service was held for both soldiers to allow the community to grieve together.

For his family the next few years were exceedingly tough. They had already lost a son and brother. In March 1916 Peter’s older brother Frank enlisted. Thankfully although injured he returned home in 1919. One can only imagine a parents’ anguish of seeing another son go off to war. But the grief and anguish was to be compounded with the loss of Antoin Ziesser, Peter’s father on 10 December 1916 in Sydney Hospital.

Bella Zeisser received Peter’s Identity disc in March 1916. She wrote to the Army requesting the return of her Peter’s effects on the 16th August 1916. Sadly that disc is all that is recorded of Peter’s effect’s being returned to her.
She was to receive word on the 31st May 1917 of the details of her son’s burial place. She would wait a further 4 years until 1921 to receive a photograph and details of the cemetery where he lay. Yet with the grace of a still proud mother she thanked the Army by writing reply in her neat script

“Dear Sir I thank you so much for your kindness”

Peter’s grave can be found today in Shrapnel Valley Cemetery Plot 4 Row C Grave 15 on the Gallipoli peninsular. His name can also be found on Memorial Panel 3 of the Australian War Memorial, the Glebe War Memorial and the Raymond Terrace War Memorial.