Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Samuel Reginald Bowden Fairlie was born on the 6th of October 1894 in Islington, South Australia, to William Hamilton Fairlie and Bridget Annie (Power Fairlie). He was the third child in a family of five, Margaret, whose life was tragically cut short at age sixteen, Stella. Charles Viktor Fairlie—and his younger twin brother, Roy Lawrence Fairlie.Roy also served in the war. Samuel was educated at Nailsworth Primary School.

His Attestation Papers describe Samuel as having brown hair and eyes and a medium complexion. His childhood was spent in the industrial suburb of Islington. The Fairlies lived on King Street, only a short distance from the Islington Railway Workshops, which at the time were among the largest industrial employers in South Australia. It was here that Samuel developed the skills that would shape his early working life, undertaking a five-year apprenticeship and later becoming a Blacksmith.

Samuel enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 13 July 1915 at Keswick, South Australia, aged 21. He was unmarried at the time and named his mother, Annie Fairlie, as his next of kin. He commenced training at Morphettville Camp, where recruits were introduced to the demands of military life. 

On 27 October 1915, Samuel embarked with his regiment from Adelaide, aboard the troopship HMAT A24 Benalla. After a long voyage, the ship disembarked in Alexandria, Egypt, where the men were transported by train to Heliopolis Camp near Cairo. Here, the Australian soldiers endured long days of rigorous training in the desert heat.

On 28 December 1915, Samuel was officially taken on strength with the 9th Light Horse Regiment. However, the harsh conditions quickly took their toll and Samuel  fell ill on 31 December 1915 and was admitted to hospital, rejoining his unit on 14 January 1916. He was again hospitalised in March 1916, though he returned to duty within days.

On 1 April 1916, Samuel was transferred to the 5th Divisional Artillery, marking the next phase of his service. The Suez Canal had been a vital strategic asset since the beginning of the war, and defending it was a priority for the Allies. After leaving Heliopolis, Samuel travelled by train to Moascar and then marched on foot to Ferry Post, where his unit was stationed. While the 5th Division Artillery took part in patrols and raids against Turkish forces, casualties were relatively light during this campaign. Samuel’s work at this stage was primarily defensive, but it gave him vital experience in operating within a large military formation.

On 25 May 1916, he was formally taken on strength with the 15th Field Artillery Brigade, a subunit of the 5th Division. A month later, on 20 June, the division departed Alexandria aboard the HMT Huntsend for France, joining the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front. After disembarking in Marseilles, the Australians faced an entirely different kind of warfare: trenches, barbed wire, machine guns, and artillery on an unprecedented scale.

By mid-July, Samuel had been assigned the dangerous role of driver, responsible for transporting supplies, ammunition, and the wounded across treacherous terrain. His first major battle came almost immediately at Fromelles on 19–20 July 1916, the AIF’s first large-scale engagement on the Western Front. 

The following months were no easier. In November 1916, Samuel faced disciplinary action for creating a disturbance in a French tavern and was sentenced to 28 days of Field Punishment No. 2. This incident, like many others among war-weary soldiers, reflected the immense strain of service. Shortly afterwards, he was hospitalised, though he returned to duty quickly. 

In 1917, Samuel’s brigade took part in the operations around the Hindenburg Line and the costly Battles of Bullecourt. These actions revealed the formidable strength of German fortifications and inflicted severe casualties. Later that year, the 5th Division fought at Menin Road and in the infamous Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). The battlefield was notorious for its deep mud and relentless shellfire, and artillery units like Samuel’s played a central role in providing covering fire for infantry advances.

In March 1917, Samuel was accidentally wounded in the arm by a bomb, an incident that led to hospitalisation and a formal enquiry. The injury was judged to be accidental, and once he recovered, he returned to service. He later spent time at the French Motor School, where he gained further technical training, before rejoining his unit. 

Tragedy struck the Fairlie family in September 1917 when Samuel’s brother was killed in action.

Samuel requested to revert to a Gunner at his own request (from a Driver) on 2 May 1918 and was later taken on strength with the 13th Field Artillery Brigade from 14 December 1917.

Samuel went on to serve in some of the war’s decisive moments. At the Battle of Amiens in August 1918, his unit provided the heavy artillery barrages that paved the way for one of the Allies’ most significant victories. The battle marked the beginning of the end for Germany, with General Ludendorff calling it the “black day of the German Army.” Samuel and his comrades continued fighting through operations at Mont St Quentin and in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line, advancing steadily until the Armistice on 11 November 1918.

In September 1918, Samuel was granted leave in England before rejoining his unit. He embarked for Australia aboard the troopship Pronto on 12 May 1919 and was formally discharged from the AIF on 8 August 1919.

In 1922, he married Melva Florence (Blight) Fairlie, and in 1928 they welcomed their only child, Malcolm Reginald Fairlie. Samuel's name and service were honoured on the Nailsworth Primary School Great War Roll of Honour and on the Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, linking his story to both his community and his workplace. Samuel Reginald Bowden Fairlie passed away on 20 May 1961 at the age of 66, in Clarence Gardens, City of Mitcham. He was laid to rest in Centennial Park Cemetery.