Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Robert and Emma DUNCAN 162 Buckley Street, Footscray, Vic.

Gordon Clifford Duncan

24th Infantry Battalion, AIF.

Gordon Clifford Duncan was born in Chilwell, Victoria on 27 September 1892, the youngest of four children of Robert Leopold George Duncan and Emma Florence Duncan. The family relocated to Footscray where Robert worked as a greengrocer at 162 Buckley Street. The Duncan children were educated at the Footscray State School. On leaving school Gordon was apprenticed as a moulder in Sunshine. [1]

When the First World War broke out Gordon enlisted in the AIF on 22 February 1915 as a member of the 21st Infantry Battalion’s reinforcements. Gordon embarked for Egypt from Melbourne aboard the troopship Demosthenes on 22 July 1915. In Egypt, he was transferred to the 24th Infantry Battalion with the rank of Lance Corporal.

The 24th Battalion had been raised in a hurry in May 1915, the original intent being to raise the fourth battalion of the 6th Brigade from outside of Victoria. A surplus of recruits at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria, however, led to a decision being made to raise it there. As a result of the hasty decision to raise the battalion very little training was carried out before the battalion sailed from Melbourne just a week after being formed. The 24th Battalion’s training shortfalls were made up in Egypt in July and August, and on 4 September 1915, the Battalion went ashore at Gallipoli. It would spend the next 16 weeks sharing duty in the Lone Pine trenches with the 23rd Battalion. The position was very close to the Turkish trenches and was hotly contested. The situation was so tenuous, that the troops holding it had to be rotated regularly, and as a result the 24th spent the remainder of the campaign rotating with the 23rd Battalion to hold the position against determined Turkish mining operations. [2]

The 24th Battalion’s War Diary for 22/23 September 1915 describes a typical stint in the Lone Pine trenches:

22 Sep 1915 - Lone Pine garrison with 100 LH (Light Horse?). Continuous sniping and bombing day and night. Retook tunnel captured previous night by enemy. Tunnelling towards enemy’s trenches. Bombing at night less than usual.

23 Sep 1915 - Still in Lone Pine. Bombing and sniping as usual during the night 23rd/24th. Enemy machine gun which we could not locate fired on parapet doing considerable damage.

Killed 3. Wounded 7. [3]

After less than 3 weeks at the front, Gordon Duncan received a shell wound to his neck during the attack. His wound was treated at the 6th Australian Field Ambulance before he was transferred to the No 1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station. On 27 September he embarked on the Hospital Ship Dunluce Castle and transported to hospital at Tigné in Malta. The wound wasn’t too serious, and Gordon was able to rejoin his unit at Lone Pine on 16 November.

The battalion’s War Diary for November continues:

29 Dec 1915 - Commenced to relieve 23rd Battalion but heaviest bombardment ever given was poured into Lone Pine. Casualties very severe fo both 23 and 24 Battalions. Tally over 100 all ranks. Two officers killed and five wounded. 11 NCOs killed and wounded. 10 men killed and 20 wounded and records not yet complete. Three NCOs missing and eight men missing. Garrison stood to arms and awaited attack but did not eventuate. [4]
 

The diary entry for the following day describes the arduous work of repairing the damage done by the bombardment. In a message of condolence received from General Birdwood, it was reported that 12 guns had been used by the enemy against Lone Pine, the bombardment having been the heaviest since the landing on 25 April. [5]

On 1 December 1915 Gordon was reported as Missing in Action from the 29 November attack. On 21 January 1916 a Board of Enquiry was convened at Tel el Kabir in Egypt following the withdrawal from Gallipoli. The Company Sergeant Major of Gordon Duncan’s company (A Company) gave evidence that Gordon and five other soldiers had been detailed to go to D Company on 29 November. On reaching the rest camp on 31 November after being relieved from Lone Pine the men could not be accounted for. The Company Sergeant Major made enquiries to ascertain the whereabouts of the men, but he could find no trace of them. One of the members of the party stated that they were ordered to split into two groups to take shelter. After a few minutes a shell burst partly burying Lance Corporal Duncan and completely burying the men with him. Men were sent picks and shovels to dig Duncan out but while they were doing this another shell had burst completely burying him and the men digging him out. [6]

The Board of Enquiry officially listed Lance Corporal Gordon Duncan as Killed in Action. He is remembered at the Lone Pine Memorial among those with no known grave.

[1] Australia, WWI Service Records, 1914-1920. National Archives of Australia; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; B2455, First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920. Service Number: 1693
[2] 24th Infantry Battalion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_Battalion_(Australia)
[3] Australian War Memorial. Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War - AWM4 Subclass 23/41 - 24th Infantry Battalion - September 1915. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1342335
[4] Australian War Memorial. Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War - AWM4 Subclass 23/41 - 24th Infantry Battalion - November 1915. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1342832
[5] November War Diary
[6] Service Record