Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The youngest of three sons of a career soldier, Sudan War and Zulu War veteran Captain George Sadler and his wife Mary Beda (nee Markham) whose family had a strong military background - Rupert Markham Sadler was always destined for a distinguished military career.

Born at Paddington, NSW in 1893, he was educated at Cleveland Street Public School and completed his junior university entrance examination in 1908. He served in the militia from August 1909 with the NSW Scottish Rifles and was commissioned as Lieutenant with the 25th Infantry Regiment in early 1914 whilst working as a Records Clerk with the NSW Board of Fire Commissioners.

Following the outbreak of war in 1914, Colonel William Holmes, secretary of the Sydney Water and Sewerage Board, was appointed commander of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) on August 10. The AN&MEF's prime purpose was to destroy German wireless stations to Australia's north. Holmes quickly put the staff appointments in place, selecting 20 years old Lieutenant RM Sadler of Hurstville to take charge of the signalling section.

On August 19 the AN&MEF, on board the P&O cruiser 'Berrima', sailed through the Sydney Heads for German New Guinea. During September the AN&MEF captured Rabaul and within three months had garrisoned the remainder of German Pacific possessions south of the Equator. 

On February 10, 1915, Sadler and 950 officers and men of Holmes' original force left Rabaul and returned to Australia. Their job had been done, as they left garrisoning duties to the Tropical Force.

Re-appointed as a Lieutenant in the AIF with the 18th Battalion, Rupert Sadler left for war again in late June. He landed at Gallipoli in August 1915 and remained on the peninsula until the evacuation.

Posted to the Western Front, he was promoted a number of times; ultimately elevated to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed to command the 17th Battalion in 1918, at just 23 years of age. His courage and devotion to duty was recognised with the award of the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order, as well as being mentioned in despatches.

After the war, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Sadler, DSO MC returned to Australia in August 1919.

Sometime towards the end of 1919 he drew a Soldier Settlers block and applied for a financial advance. His block of 4470 acres was Homestead Farm No. 1919.8 and was in the Land District of Armidale, Parish of Clifton, County of Clarke. His mother's family had strong connections with the New England region and particularly the Armidale district - probably the reason he sought land in the Armidale area.

He had difficulties in finalising certain works associated with the advance, which were required by the Director of Soldier Settlements, within the requisite time deadlines throughout 1920. A note on his military service record around this time details he was not at home in Sydney, but on other business 'up country'.

In 1921 he married Mosman lass, Lynda Eliza Smith in Sydney.

Conditions on the property appear to have steadily deteriorated, particularly around June 1923, due to a shortage of feed because of a lack of rain and severe winds. Sadler requested permission to sell some cows purchased out of the original advance. 

In September 1923, he sought changes to his mortgage and repayment terms  stating that the terms outlined for selling cattle were severe. Sadler wrote, ‘continuous bad seasons, high cost of labour and living have been a great drawback'.

In an effort to keep the farm going he had put considerable amounts of his own cash into the property - much more than he had borrowed from the Department. By July 1924, Sadler and his family were not living on the holding and approval was given to accept an offer of £1 a week to reduce the advance liabilities – an arrangement that was to continue  until January 1925. In August 1925, Sadler advised that the family could not return to the holding without capital and that he was unable to make further repayments. 

An inspection of the property in September 1925 revealed that the Sadlers were not farming at all and there was no stock or farming plant belonging to them on the property.

There was however a problem with the absent stock, as they had been obtained using the money from the original advance. The Department of Lands continued to seek the monies owed throughout 1926 and 1927 without success, however in early 1928, the £442.6.10 owed to the Department was written off.

Rupert Sadler then found employment in the retail sector as a sales executive. Moving from the Kogarah district in the early 1930s, he and wife Lynda and their three daughters, resided in the Eastwood and Earlwood districts of Sydney for the rest of the decade.

In the early 1940s Rupert moved the family to Victoria, taking up a position as sales manager. After initially living at Box Hill, the family moved to Wattle Valley Road, Canterbury.

With the outbreak of World War II, Rupert Sadler enlisted again for service in 1942 and was assigned to command of the 7th Infantry Battalion and subsequently the Northern Territory Force, Darwin of the Australian Military Forces. With the cessation of hostilities his appointment was terminated in late 1945.

Returning to civilian life, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Markham Sadler DSO MC VD died at Hiedelberg Repatriation Hospital on 5 September 1948. He was survived by his wife Lynda and his three daughters, Shirley, Valerie and Betty.