20538
BESANKO, Cyril Victor Moyle
| Service Number: | 6 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Willowie, South Australia, 19 July 1896 |
| Home Town: | Yorketown, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tramway Conductor / Electrician |
| Died: | Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia, 6 October 1940, aged 44 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Botany General Cemetery, New South Wales Methodist Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board, Yorketown and District of Melville Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, At a critical forward position in the Turkish trenches at Lonesome Pine on 6th August 1915 this N.C.O. built up a sandbag barricade across a trench along which rifle fire was causing serious losses. Later he showed great courage in covering live enemy bombs and coolness in throwing ours, and further, assisted in consolidating the position.' Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 62 Date: 19 April 1917 | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Aug 1915: | Honoured Military Medal, The August Offensive - Lone Pine, Suvla Bay, Sari Bair, The Nek and Hill 60 - Gallipoli | |
| 9 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Gunshot wound to chest and shoulder | |
| 4 Apr 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sergeant, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion, Medical Discharge | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sergeant, 6, 4th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , Gunshot wounds to Chest and arm | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Honoured Distinguished Conduct Medal, Battle for Pozières | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 6 |
Report on death
The Sydney Morning Herald Monday 07 October 1940 page 9
Cyril V. Besanko, 54, married, of Torrington Road, Maroubra, collapsed and died while attending a parade of the Maroubra branch of the Returned Soldiers' Voluntary Defence Corps yesterday. Eastern Suburbs Ambulance took the body to the Prince of Wales Hospital. Besanko had suffered from the effects of the Great War, but when he left his home to attend the parade he appeared to be well.
Submitted 26 January 2016 by Faithe Jones
MM and DCM
Awarded the Military Medal
For Bravery on the Field – Australian Gazette no 62 of 19th April 1917
Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
For Conspicuous Gallantry and Devotion to Duty. Although himself severely wounded, he rescued a wounded man under very heavy fire. – London Gazette dated 29th December 1916
Submitted 26 January 2016 by Faithe Jones
Biography contributed by Di Barrie
Cyril was born on the 18 July 1886 at Willowie to Benjamin and Loveday (nee Moyle) Besanko who had at one time owned and farmed Section 61, Hundred of Willowie. Benjamin had various farming and gold mining interests in the region which he operated with 5 of his older sons. Cyril was the youngest of their ten children.
In 1900 the family moved to Adelaide and on August 1912 Cyril married Florence Jane Woods at Norwood. He had been working as a mechanic at Yorketown and he was serving in the Colonial Forces prior to the outbreak of war.
When war was declared, he was doing an electrical course in Sydney and living at 4 Regent St, Ryde NSW. He enlisted in Sydney on the 17 August 1914, noting his wife Florence of Yorketown, South Australia as his next of kin. As one of the very early enlistments in the NSW based 4 Battalion A Company, he received the SN of 6.
This unit embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A14 ‘Euripides’ on 20 October 1914.
Cyril and his battalion were landed on the beach at Gallipoli on the first day. He won the Military Medal at Lone Pine, “At a critical forward position in the Turkish trenches at Lone Pine on 6th August 1915, this NCO built up a sandbag barricade across a trench along which rifle fire was causing serious losses. Later he showed great courage in covering live enemy bombs and coolness in throwing ours, and further assisted in consolidating the position.” He was wounded on the 9 August 1915 with gunshot wounds to chest and shoulder.
On the Western Front, he was wounded with a gunshot wound to his chest and arm on 23 July 1916 and won a Distinguished Conduct Medal “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Although himself severely wounded, he rescued a wounded man under very heavy fire”.
He returned to Australia on 12 November 1916 and medically D/C on 4 April 1917. He remained in Sydney and died in there in 1940. He is buried at Randwick Cemetery.
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Died suddenly whilst parading with members of the Volunteer Defence Corps of his sub-branch.
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