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ORMISTON David Wightman #141 9th/ 49th Battalion

David Ormiston was one of eight children born to Thomas and Christina Ormiston. The family lived in and around Edinburgh, Scotland where David and his siblings attended Juniper Green School.

When David was 15, the family of ten, with the youngest being only a year old, sailed on the “Norseman” from Liverpool to Brisbane. The Ormiston family settled in the Brisbane suburb of Greenslopes, which was known as the Dunellan Estate at the time. David was a member of the Senior Cadets. Almost as soon as recruiting opened in Brisbane for the First World War, David Ormiston presented himself for enlistment on 2nd September 1915. He reported his age as 20 years and occupation as painter. His enlistment papers record a height of 5’11”, quite tall for the time.

Three weeks after enlisting, and with barely enough time to be fitted with uniform and boots, the 1000 odd men of the 9th Battalion boarded the “Omrah” in Brisbane, with the intention of joining up with ships in Melbourne carrying the other 12 battalions that constituted the 1st Division of the Australian Imperial Force. Concerns over the possible presence of a German Cruiser Squadron in the Pacific delayed the sailing of this vast fleet until 1st November 1914. While the transports and escorts were crossing the Indian Ocean heading for the Suez Canal, news was received that Turkey had entered the war on the side of Germany and Austria Hungary. The Australian troops who had been destined for training camps in England would be kept in Egypt as a buffer against Turkish approaches on the Suez Canal. The men of the AIF went into camp at Mena on the outskirts of Cairo.

The first few months in Egypt were spent in much needed training. Once the plan for the Dardenelles Campaign was finalised, the AIF troops boarded transport ships for the Greek Island of Lemnos and its harbour at Mudros to practice boat landing drills. The commander of the Australian force, General Birdwood, chose the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division to be the first ashore during the landings on 25th April. The 9th Battalion would be on the extreme right as the boats approached the shore, with its right flank exposed to the big guns at Gaba Tepe.

David survived those first two months at ANZAC without injury. On 15th July, he was charged with using insubordinate language towards a superior and given a short term of field punishment. As minor as this incident was, it was perhaps was an indication the David had a problem with military discipline and authority.

By July, the situation in the trenches at ANZAC was critical with men going sick, many of whom were evacuated to either Lemnos, Malta or Cairo. On 25th August, David sustained a shrapnel wound to his left shin which required time in hospital. He was evacuated by hospital ship to the #1 General Hospital in Cairo. By the time David was fit to be discharged, the Gallipoli campaign was drawing to a close and he remained at a depot in Egypt.

The Australian authorities had always been concerned about the behaviour of men on leave in Cairo, and the prevalence a particularly virulent strain of syphilis. Men suffering from venereal disease were isolated in “dermatological wards” whilst going through treatment. The lack of antibiotics meant that treatment was often prolonged and in many cases simply reduced symptoms without eradication. So concerned was the Australian Commander General Bridges in early 1915, that he ordered a significant number of VD cases to be repatriated back to Australia.

It is perhaps not surprising, given later events, that David Ormiston should present with syphilitic abscesses in December 1915. He spent time in hospital, during which time his pay was stopped but before he could return to his battalion he was in hospital again with syphilis. David was still in hospital in May when he escaped from the ward with a forged pass. When he was apprehended he was sentenced to 21 days in the guard house.

While the 9th Battalion was in camp in Egypt after the Gallipoli evacuation, the battalion was split to form the nucleus of two reconstituted battalions, the 9th and the 49th. David was not in camp when this occurred but he was nominally placed into the 49th Battalion. He arrived in Marseilles on 14th June 1916 and proceeded to the base depot at Etaples before being taken on strength by the 49th on 9th August.

The 49th, as part of the 13th brigade of the 4th Division was put into the line at Pozieres soon after David joined the ranks. The conditions at Pozieres and later at Mouquet Farm shattered the resolve of many of the troops as they endured tremendous artillery barrages. When the battalion was taken out of the line for a rest, David went Absent Without Leave for five days. He was apprehended by military police and returned to his unit where he was given a punishment of 20 days of Field Punishment which was suspended when the battalion went back into the line at Mouquet Farm.

On 1st September during an unsuccessful attack at Mouquet Farm, David received gun shot wounds to his arm and thigh. He was transported to the 13th Base Hospital at Boulogne and when sufficiently recovered was released to the base depot at Etaples.

From the end of September, things began to unravel for David. While still at the base he absconded and was absent for long enough for the charge of AWL to be ungraded to Desertion. David was finally apprehended by the Assistant Provost Marshall in Paris, having been absent for 20 days. David faced a Field General Court Martial at Etaples on 24th October 1916 and was sentenced to 90 days Field Punishment #1.

David had been fortunate that he did not face the fate that a British soldier would have done for desertion; firing squad. The Australian Government was determined to refuse to introduce the death penalty, despite pressure from the British authorities. The Australian argument was sound in that unlike British soldiers who were predominantly conscripts, the AIF was a totally volunteer force and the death penalty for serious breaches of military discipline would have a detrimental effect on recruitment.

While still serving his 90 day punishment, David escaped from the Detention Camp and was again apprehended in Paris. Because he was still under sentence from the Court Martial in October, the initial sentence of 90 days was squashed and David was sentenced to 5 years penal servitude, which was then commuted to 90 days Field Punishment. David returned to the detention barracks at Etaples in January 1917 .

In March of 1917 David was AWL again and returned to custody with a case of syphilis. In May he was charged with drunkenness while in detention and in June he escaped from the detention camp. David was absent from 16th June 1917 to 27th February 1918. When detained, David faced his second Court Martial where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, commuted to 2 years in a Military Prison at Amiens.

The pattern of imprisonment, a time in hospital followed by escape and eventual apprehension continued to repeat itself for David through 1918 and into 1919. While awaiting his third Field Court Martial in March 1919, David escaped from hospital for the final time. His file records that David was fatally shot while resisting arrest by Military Police on 9th April 1919. Perhaps in an effort to lessen the impact for David’s parents, his death certificate records an accidental gunshot.

David was buried at the St Pierre Cemetery in Amiens. His parents chose “THY WILL BE DONE” as the inscription on his headstone. Because of his criminal record, David’s right to campaign medals was forfeited. David’s name is recorded on the Stephens Shire Memorial at Yeronga Memorial Park alongside those of his brothers Andrew, John and Thomas. His connection to the Colinton district and subsequent listing on the Colinton Memorial remains a mystery.

In hindsight, David Ormiston was unsuited to be a soldier; and he found himself trapped in a system against which he struggled in vain. He had answered the call in 1914 and served at Gallipoli and at Pozieres. He did not deserve the end that fate dealt him.