NICHOLAS, Bryon Fitzgerald
| Service Number: | 370 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 March 1915, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 24th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 6 April 1893 |
| Home Town: | Trafalgar, Baw Baw, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Patricks College, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | School Teacher |
| Died: | Wounds, Belgium, 9 October 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gormandale East State School HR, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Trafalgar War Memorial, Yarram WW1 War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Mar 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 May 1915: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 370, 13th Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Persic embarkation_ship_number: A34 public_note: '' |
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| 28 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 370, 13th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Persic, Melbourne | |
| 9 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 24th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: awm_unit: 24 Battalion awm_rank: Lieutenant awm_died_date: 1917-10-09 |
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Bryon Fitzgerald NICHOLAS was born in 1893 in Ballarat, Victoria
His parents were John Pern NICHOLAS and Mary Ellen McSHEEHY
He enlisted on 12th March, 1915 with the Australian Army - he was with the 13th Light Horse Regiment, A Squadron - Unit embarked from Melbourne on board the ship Persic on 28th May, 1915
Bryon was Killed in Action in the Field at Daisy Woods, Passchendaele, Belgium with wounds to his head & chest caused by a sniper on 9th October, 1917 - buried in grave 500 years north east of Broodseinde - He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial and the Australian War Memorial
He was awarded a Military Cross posthumously on 11th May 1917 for his actions on 17th March, 1917 against enemy positions on the Bapaune Ridge "At considerable personal risk he pushed out and dug in 2 standing patrols. During the enemy counter attack at night this officer handled one of his standing patrols so as to give valuable assistance to Lt. Fawcett in repelling the enemy attack", He was also awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Andreena Hockley
"Bryon Fitzgerald Nicholas, son of Mr. J.P. Nicholas, of Trafalgar, and brother of Major George Matson Nicholas, D.S.O. (killed in action on the 14th of November, 1916), was born on the 6th of April, 1893.
He became temporary head teacher of School 2877, Gormandale East, in 1912; had charge of part-time schools at Carrajung South and Willung South in 1913; and resigned to enlist on the 5th of March, 1915. He is recorded as a teacher of great natural ability.
He enlisted as a Private on the 10th of March, 1915, and embarked with the 13th Light Horse. After training in Egypt, he proceeded with his unit to Gallipoli on the 4th of September. He returned to Egypt after the evacuation, and went with his unit to France on the 17th of March, 1916.
He was transferred to the 21st Battalion on the 30th of August, and was sent to the Officer Cadet Battalion at Cambridge on the 5th of September. He was appointed to commissioned rank on the 21st of November.
On the 5th of February, 1917, he returned to France, joined the 24th Battalion, and, on the 2nd of April, was promoted Lieutenant. He was awarded the M.C. on the 5th.
During the period from the 22nd of April to the 12th of May, he carried out the duties of A.D.C. to the G.O.C., 2nd Australian Division. On the 8th of June, he was sent to the Staff Training School in England, but rejoined his unit on the 23rd of July, and was killed on the 9th of October, in the attack on Daisy Wood, in Belgium.
Deed for which the M.C. was awarded: "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of a forward post. At great personal risk he went out and dug in two patrols. Later, he rendered valuable assistance in repelling an enemy counter-attack.""
Source: The Education Department's Record of War Service, Victoria, 1914-1919.
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