Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

RANDALL  David Richard  #6612 6th/8th Field Company Engineers

David Randall was the eldest of three sons born to George and Louisa Randall of Branch Creek, Albany Creek. His mother when completing the Roll of Honour Circular stated he had attended Branch Creek State School (possibly now Eaton’s Hill). David presented himself for enlistment at Brisbane on 4th October 1915, nine days after his younger brother Ernie enlisted. David reported that he was 22years old, a labourer. The Roll of Honour Circular gives his occupation as timber getter and it is possible that the entire male members of the family were engaged in timber cutting and milling as both Ernie and youngest brother John also give similar occupations.

Perhaps on the strength of his work experience, David was drafted into the Field Engineers. The embarkation roll of the 2nd reinforcements shows most men with a skill or trade which may have had some military value. David embarked for overseas in Sydney on 11th March 1916, allocating 3/- of his daily pay to his mother. After a brief stopover at Tel el Kabir in Egypt, the reinforcements arrived at the Engineers Training Depot at Brightlingsea near Colchester, England. In January of 1917, David was hospitalised with VD, losing 22 day’s pay.

In February, David was finally posted overseas to the 8th FC Engineers. The war diary of the company records that at that time the engineers were in the region of Flers on the Somme engaged in a variety of tasks including digging dugouts, preparing firing pits for artillery, digging wells and constructing bridges. The company were called north to Flanders in late August to support the campaign then being waged outside Ypres.

Engineering work in Flanders consisted of road making, particularly plank and corduroy  across the muddy terrain. After the capture of Broodseinde Ridge in early October, the company was withdrawn from the frontlines for a period of rest and reorganisation. While a group of sappers from the 8th FCE were congregating around the 5th Division baths outside Ypres near Westhoek, a 10” German shell fell among the group. Eight sappers were killed outright and three later died of wounds. Details of this incident are recorded in Red Cross Wounded and Missing accounts contained in David’s file at the Australian War Memorial. According to witnesses, David Randall was severely wounded and was carried to the nearby Canadian Field Ambulance where he succumbed to his wounds later that day. David was buried in the Ypres Reservoir Cemetery.

David’s mother signed for a few personal effects in 1918 and his father received his three medals in the 1920’s. The other Randall boys survived the war. Ernie was discharged early due to disability and John, the youngest was discharged when it was discovered he had lied about his age; he was not even 16 when he enlisted in March 1916. All three brothers are commemorated on the Strathpine Patriotic League Roll of Honour.

David's parents were George Randall and Louisa Marshall. His unit embarked from Sydney, on board HMAT Orsova on 11 March 1916. At 2pm on 27 October 1917 David was at Ypres when a shell landed, David was killed in action. He was buried at Ypres Cemetery and a cross was erected. Two of David's younger brothers enlisted, Ernest Stanley [3958] and John [951], both returned home.

David had two brothers who also enlisted, 3958 Pte Ernest Stanley Randall (/explore/people/280674), who joined on 29 May 1915 and survived the war, being discharged on 10 Jan 1920, AND 951 Pte. John Randall (/explore/people/258670) who joined on 18 Mar 1916 but was returned to Australia in 1918 when his underage status was discovered.