Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

This time last year I was getting ready to attending the 100th anniversary commemoration of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli having been lucky enough to get a ballot spot on the veteran’s ballot. A week earlier I hadn’t heard of Harold, however, this site along with a couple of others allowed me to learn more about the Great Uncle I didn’t know I had.
I paid my respects to Harold and did my best to honour him and all the other brave men who were at Gallipoli. As the attached pictures show I was able to visit the Lone Pine memorial and place a poppy at Harold’s name and in the memorial. I was also able to walk up the artillery road and past shrapnel gully where he was likely struck the shrapnel that would later take his life. I was also able to visit the 7 Field Ambulance cemetery. Documents state that he was evacuated to 7 Field Ambulance after being wounded and died in this location. There are 68 Australian and 20 New Zealand known graves in the cemetery. There are also 262 unidentified burials in the cemetery; I believe it is more than likely that Harold is one of these.
On Monday I will again parade and honour at the men and women who have served and still serve in the spirit of the ANZAC’s.

Until yesterday, 12 April 2015 I knew nothing about this story of restoration or that I had a relative on my side of the family who was an ANZAC.

My name is Craig Wooley, the Great Grandson, on dad’s side, of Harold’s sister, Ethel Gertrude CARSELDINE. Harold and Ethel were two of ten siblings born to Sarah and Joseph.

I served for 22 years as a regular force soldier in the New Zealand Army and I am a current serving reserve (territorial) soldier. Being a soldier, ANZAC day has always held a very special significance for me and I have not missed a dawn service in 24 years.

On past ANZAC days I have remember my Grandfather on mum’s side, Gunner Frank Berryman (5 Field Regt, 2NZEF) who served in Egypt in WW2. My sons wear his medals. I also remember friends and comrades who I have lost on operations and at home during training.

Very soon I will be flying to Gallipoli to attend the 100th anniversary celebrations as I have been lucky enough to secure tickets in the veteran’s ballot in New Zealand.

However, this ANZAC day it will be different. This ANZAC day just became so much more special!

As a result of the research to prepare for this special trip I now know of three original ANZACs in my family, they are:

- Harold Edwin CARSELDINE, 1019, Private, 27th Infantry Battalion, A.I.F, D.O.W Gallipoli.
- Archibald Fullerton WOOLEY, 251, Lance Corporal, Divisional Engineers Headquarters, Canteens (Egypt Section), Royal Australian Engineers.
- Thomas James TUBMAN, 39361, Private, 22nd Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Regiment, D Company, NZEF, W.I.A Passchendaele.

As you know from Harold’s details on this webpage, he is still in Gallipoli and his name is on the Lone Pine Memorial. I will be visiting the Lone Pine memorial on ANZAC day to lay a special poppy hand knitted by my mother-in-law and spend some time saying hello to and acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice of a Great Uncle I didn’t know.

The past 48 hours has been very emotional and I have learnt so much about these fine men. It has stirred in me a desire to know more about my extended family.

Finding this and other articles and documents has helped me fill in the gaps before I leave for Gallipoli.

On behalf of me and my extended family I want to say a very special thank you to Helen Holdey for her dedication to getting this restoration complete. I also want to say thank you to Sharyn Roberts, Darren the project manager and Tom for the work they have done.
Lest We Forget.

Harold Carseldine was a young man of 24 and a student at Angus College in Adelaide when he enlisted for service with the AIF. Within weeks of enlistment he was on board HMAT Geelong (A2) and heading off to war.

His departure was rapid. One wonders if he had time to return home to see his parents and say goodbye. One wonders if he had time to say other important goodbyes. One wonders if he knew other men on that transport ship with whom he could share conversations about what might be awaiting them all. He may have known no-one at all. If that was the case a shared commitment to duty and purpose is likely to have forged a bond on a journey to a known destination but an unknown outcome.

For Harold Carseldine we now know what he would not have known – his fate. This brave young man died of wounds received fighting on the battlefields of Gallipoli on 8 October 1915, just 2 months before the evacuation of the ANZACs commenced. For his family, especially his parents Joseph and Sarah Carseldine one can only imagine the grief.

His sacrifice is recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial but there was no record of a grave. A mystery as he died of wounds in the 7th Field Ambulance. So what happened? There is nothing noted in his official service records. The Australian War Memorial had no additional details. Exactly where was Harold Carseldine laid to rest?

There is no known grave for this young man. However, on 22 October 2014 Helen Holdey (Qld) called the RSL Virtual War Memorial Team. Helen had agreed to help a friend assist with the cleaning up graves in the Bald Hills Cemetery.Never one to do anything by halves she systematically tackled the entire site. In doing so Helen came across the headstone of the grave for Joseph and Sarah Carseldine. It was damaged and the script was badly deteriorated but one word caught Helen’s eye. “Gallipoli”. Harold’s sacrifice was recorded on the headstone of his parent’s grave. The life of a precious son remembered. In spirit at least, he was reunited with his loving parents.

Helen Holdey wanted to know more. With the team at the RSL Virtual War Memorial, Harold’s story was pulled together. As Helen came to know more she became more determined to ensure that his sacrifice was honoured and she fought to gain support for the restoration of the grave site and headstone.

Helen met with the Head of Cemeteries on the 19 November 2014 in addition to the Local Member for Bracken Ridge. It was at that meeting that she requested the restoration. I can imagine that everyone that Helen spoke to about this would have understood that she was never going to accept ‘No’ as an outcome. On the 3 December 2014 the project manager for cemeteries informed Helen that her request had been approved. Helen is convinced that it was fate that the project manager, Darren, was a veteran himself.

The restoration began on the 4/2/15 and was completed on the 5/2/15. Tom was the lovely young stonemason who did the restoration photographs of which appear in the profile.

And so, nearly 100 years after he enlisted Harold Carseldine has been remembered and honoured by his community and his story recorded thanks to a self-described ‘accidental historian’, Helen Holdey. She felt compelled to know his story and now she does. Helen has honoured him and his parents in a truly remarkable way.

Lest We Forget

Helen Holdey & Sharyn Roberts

April 2015