Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert was the son of James RENDALL & Elizabeth CORSTON and was born on the 15th of June 1877 in Glanville, SA.

His parents were married on the 26th of March 1869 in Pt Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of William RENDALL & Barbara Leslie ROBERTSON and was born on the 25th of January 1844 in St Andrews, Orkney Island, Scotland.
His mother was the daughter of John & Margaret Swanston CORSTON and was born in 1851 in Kirkwall, Orkney Island, Scotland.

Herbert was the youngest child born into this family of 3 children.

His father had arrived in South Australia by himself, as an assisted immigrant agricultural labourer, on board the Cornwallis on the 26th of August 1865.

His mother had arrived in South Australia with her parents and siblings on board the Marion on the 11th of December 1854.

Herbert’s father was an engineer employed by the Adelaide Stem Tug Company and he worked on board the Eleanor and later the Yatala.
In 1878 his father purchased a home at 19 Bucknall Road where they resided and the following year he purchased a home at 137 Hart Street, Glanville.

In 1885 they sold their home in Bucknall Road and moved to 13 Woolnough Road, Exeter.

On leaving school Herbert gained employment as a clerk and remained at home with his parents.

His father died on the 8th of December 1906 at their home at Woolnough Road, Exeter and they buried him the following day in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section J, Drive C, Path 5, Site Number 137C

At the age of 36, Herbert enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 21st of July 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 170 and posted to K Group, Base Infantry Depot.

On the 16th of August Herbert was transferred to the newly raised 32nd Battalion, A Company in Mitcham Camp, as part of the 8th Division.

Herbert embarked from Adelaide on board the troopship HMAT Geelong on Thursday the 18th of November 1915, disembarked at Pt Suez on the 18th of December and entrained to Moascar Camp.
He proceeded to France in July 1916 where he served for over 2 years.
Herbert suffered from shell shock and then a Gun Shot Wound to his left thigh and was evacuated to England in October 1918.

Herbert embarked from England on board HS Karmala on the 2nd of January 1919 and disembarked in Fremantle on the 18th of February and entrained to Adelaide.
On the 19th of February 1919 the medical board at Keswick decided his wound had healed but his limb was a little weak and tender.

Herbert was discharged from the AIF on the 5th of April 1919.

While Herbert was overseas his mother sold their home in Woolough Road and moved into the home in Hart Street and her widowed sister, Mrs T Leask, moved in with her.

Herbert returned home to his mother and aunty in Hart Street, Glanville and gained employment as a tally clerk.

His mother died on the 6th of November 1931 at her residence, 137 Hart Street, Semaphore and Herbert buried her the following day on the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section J, Drive C, Path 5, Site Number 137N, next to his father.

When his mother died the home at 137 Hart Street, Glanville was transferred to Herbert, which he sold in August 1937 after his aunty had died on the 5th of May 1936.

He then went to live with Mr J. W. Anderson in Mead Street, Peterhead.

Herbert died on the 28th of July 1938 at the residence, of Mr J. W. Anderson at 75 Mead Street, Peterhead.
He was buried the following day in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section J, Drive C, Path 5, Site Number 137N, with his mother and next to his father.

RENDALL.—THE FRIENDS of the late Mr. HERBERT JAMES RENDALL (late 32nd Battalion, A.I.F.) are respectfully informed that his Funeral will leave the residence of Mr. J. W. Anderson, 75 Mead Street, Peterhead, on FRIDAY, at 2.30 p.m., for the Cheltenham Cemetery.
ALAN C. DESLANDES (late A.I.F.), Undertaker.

Military

At the age of 36, Herbert enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 21st of July 1915 in Keswick and allotted the service number 170 and posted to K Group, Base Infantry Depot.
He listed his mother, of Woolnough Road, Exeter, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of August Herbert was transferred to the newly raised 32nd Battalion, A Company in Mitcham Camp, as part of the 8th Division.

On the 16th of August he was transferred to the newly raised 32nd Battalion, A Company in Mitcham Camp, as part of the 8th Brigade.
While 'A' and 'B' Companies were made up of recruits from South Australia, 'C' and 'D' Companies were formed in Perth and underwent their training at the Blackboy Hill Training Camp.
Then on the 16th of September the Battalion moved to Cheltenham Race Course Camp and attended their Musketry Training in Pt Adelaide.

The 2 Western Australia Companies then sailed on the transport HMAT Indarra and joining the rest of the Battalion in Cheltenham Camp on the 30th of September.

Amidst a scene of unparalleled enthusiasm, Herbert and the 32nd Battalion of Infantry, under Colonel Coghill, embarked on board the troopship HMAT Geelong at the Outer Harbour on Thursday the 18th of November.

Long before the vessel was ready to sail the wharf was besieged by friends of the troop, anxious to say farewell and to give the brave boys a fitting send-off on their mission to fight the Empire's battles on foreign soil.

The whole scene as the hour of departure approached was a never-to-be-forgotten picture. Thousands of people congregated at the wharf side, and the interim of waiting between embarkation and the moving off of the great ship was occupied in the passage of messages and parting gifts, in the singing of patriotic songs, and cheers for the Empire.

Whilst at sea the Battalion practiced close bayonet fighting and held boxing matches.
Unfortunately, after one of the boxing matches, Private Alfred Ernest BRIDGER died of shock, brought on by exhaustion, on the 7th of December 1915 and they buried him at sea.

On the 14th of December they arrived at Pt Suez at 5am, disembarked 4 days later and entrained to Moascar Camp and pitched their tents.
Four days later they took over El Ferdan Post from the 33rd Punjabis and they spent their first Christmas here.
They then moved to Ismailia on the 21st of January 1916 and after 2 weeks of training they marched out to Moascar Station and entrained to Tel-el-Kebir.
Then on the 23rd of March they entrained for Ismailia and marched to Ferry Post and relieved the Auckland Battalion on Garrison duty.
They were relieved 7 days later by the 55th Battalion and marched to Duntroon Plateau for further training for 15 days before marching back to Ferry Post.
The marched out to Moascar Camp for Brigade Training on the 28th of May

Then on the 16th they entrained for Alexandria and embarked on board the Transylvania and sailed for France on the 17th.
They arrived 6 days later in Marseilles and entrained for Hazebrouck and 2 days later they detrained at Steenbecque Station and marched into camp at Morbecque.
Here they trained until the 8th of July when they marched to Estaires and then onto Erquinghem and Rue Delettree where they supplied fatigue parties to the engineers who were repairing the trenches.

Their next move was to Fleurbaix on the 15th of July and then they were committed to the front for the first time the following day.
Three days after taking up position in the trenches they took part in the fighting around Fromelles, being committed as part of the 8th Brigade's initial assault on the extreme left of the Australian front that was focused around a position known as the "Sugarloaf".
During this fighting the 32nd Battalion suffered 718 casualties — a third of the Battalion's total casualties for the entire war, which equalled roughly 90 percent of its effective strength.

It was here on the 20th that Herbert was reported as missing in action.
He lay on the ground in No Man’s Land suffering from severe shell shock and after 2 days he managed to rejoin his Battalion where he was transferred by Field Ambulance and admitted into the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul the following day.
The very next day he was transferred by No 18 Ambulance Train and admitted into the 8th Stationary Hospital in Wimereux, before being transferred to No 1 Convalescent Depot in Wimereux, on the 23rd.
Herbert spent the next 3 weeks here recovering and was then discharged to Base Details in Boulogne on the 14th of August.

The following day he marched into the 5th ADBD (Australian Divisional Base Depot) in Etaples, where he remained until the 14th of September when he proceeded to join his Battalion at Rue-de-Biache.

As a result of the Battalion’s losses at Fromelles, the 32nd Battalion was used mainly in a support role throughout the remainder of 1916, during which time, while they were not committed to any attacks in an assault role, they continued to suffer further casualties through the attrition of trench warfare.

By the 17th of October they had moved to Baillieul and then entrained to Longpre and marched 8 miles to Gorenflos.
Three days later they were busses to Buire and marched to Mametz Wood and then onto Montauban for further training.
On the 18th of November they were bussed from Vignacourt to Ribemont and by the 21st they had moved to Trones Wood, where they relieved to 2nd Battalion Irish Guards in the front line trenches.
They were relieved by the 29th Battalion on the 1st of December and the following day they moved to Montauban Camp.
Then on the 5th they moved to Trones Wood Camp and relieved the 30th Battalion in the trenches at Le Transloy.
After they were relieved on the 11th they moved back to Trones Wood Camp for the night and then marched to Melbourne Camp at Mametz the following day, for railway fatigue.

On the 20th they entrained to Meaulte and marched to Dernancourt, where they spent Christmas 1916.
Herbert was then granted leave to England and whilst there he was admitted into the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford, suffering from rheumatism, on the 2nd of January 1917.
He spent the next 12 days here before he was discharged to No 4 Command Depot in Wareham and then marched into Infantry Draft Depot in Perham Downs on the 3rd of March.

On the 15th of March Herbert proceed back to France where he marched into the 5th ADBD in Etaples, the following day.
On the 6th of April he marched out to his Battalion who were at Bernafay Camp, near Gueudecourt.

They then took part in the operations in pursuit of the German forces as they withdrew towards the Hindenburg Line, but then found themselves in a flank protection role during the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May.

By the 1st of June they had moved to Bapaume for further training and then on the 16th they moved camp to near Martinsart until the 30th of July when they entrained from Aveluy to St Omer and marched to Racquinghem.
All of August was spent here in drill and training until they moved to the Wippenhoek area on the 18th of September and then 8 days later they were heavily committed to the fighting around Polygon Wood near Ypes during the Battle of Passchendaele. Again they were employed in a support role, as the 8th Brigade's assault was led by the 29th and 31st Battalions.
They were relieved on the 2nd of October and moved Dickebush before being bussed to Ypres 6 days later, where they were engaged in carrying duckboards to the forward area for the day.
The following day the moved into the front line trenches opposite Celtic Wood for 5 days before moving to Ottawa Camp, near Ouderdom.

Two days later they moved to Zillebeke Camp, near Ypres, before relieving the 55th Battalion at ANZAC Ridge for 4 days.
By the 1st of November they had moved to Halifax Camp, near Ouderdom where they underwent training for a week and then moved to Abeele to conduct specialist training.

On the 14th of November they moved to the Messines sector and moved into the front line for 7 days and then moved to a support position. They continued this rotation until the 8th of December when they marched out to Wulverghem as a reserve Battalion.

Seven days later they entrained near Remmel at 2:30pm for Desvres and arrived at 1:30am on the 16th of December.
Upon their arrival there was a train accident at Desvres Station and 65 men were injured.
A later investigation concluded that the train was under the control of the French and no blame was to be placed on the soldiers.

Christmas 1917 was spent at Desvres and all of January and they then marched to Samer on the 30th of January and entrained to Nueve Eglise.
They then re-entered the trenches in the Messines sector, occupying positions near Warneton until the 22nd of February when they withdrew to the reserve area for a rest at Gable Camp.

Four days later Herbert was granted 2 weeks leave to England and then rejoined his Battalion on the 13th of March at Gable Camp.
Two days later they moved back into the front line at Gapaard.

Then in April they were moved to the Somme and took up defensive positions around the canal between Corbie and Vaux.
On the 6th of July Herbert was transferred to the Australian Corps School for 6 weeks and when he rejoined his Battalion on the 26th of August in the line in front of Proyart.
They then marched forward in early September and captured the villages of Fay, Assevillers and Bussu.

Their next major attack would be the attack on the enemy position in the Hindenburg Line in the Nauroy sector.
They left Doingt on the 27th of September at 4:30pm and marched to Hesbecourt, where they billeted for the night and the following day.
At 9am on the 29th of September they commenced their advance in front of Bellicourt where heavy fog and smoke drifted over and made it impossible to see 3 yards ahead of them.
Here they met with heavy machine gun fire and Herbert suffered a Gun Shot Wound to the inner thigh of his left leg.

Herbert was admitted into the 141st Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 5th Casualty Clearing Station at Anvin.
The following day he was transferred by No 25 Ambulance Train and admitted into the 5th General Hospital in Rouen.
Five days later he was evacuated to England on board HS Gloucestershire Castle and admitted into the 3rd Southern General Hospital in Oxford.

Herbert spent the next 7 weeks here recovering and he was here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November.
On the 29th of November Herbert was discharged to 2 weeks leave and he then reported to on the 29th of November and then reported to No 1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny, and then suffered from rheumatism.

Herbert embarked from England on board HS Karmala on the 2nd of January 1919 and disembarked in Fremantle on the 18th of February and entrained to Adelaide.
On the 19th of February 1919 the medical board at Keswick decided his wound had healed but his limb was a little weak and tender.

Herbert was discharged from the AIF on the 5th of April 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.