Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Reginald J Oliver SN 2832

Reginald (Reg) Joseph James Oliver was born in Heathcote in 1890. He joined the Australian Imperial Forces for overseas duty (AIF) on February 10, 1916 however, his official enlistment date is April 18, 1916. Two days later, Reg would finally complete the medical at Royal Park, in Melbourne.

He had tried to enlist earlier in 1914 when war was declared, however, he was rejected on the grounds of poor eyesight. After the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign medical requirements for recruitment were gradually relaxed as the demand for more soldiers became urgent in 1916.

He had commenced training at the Bendigo depot prior to enlisting from late February 1916 and he would be sent to join the 18th reinforcements of the 12th Battalion based at Broadmeadows on April 2, two weeks before his official enlistment date.

Reg listed his occupation as a ‘Coach Smith’ and that his Nearest of Kin (NOK) was his mother Mary, at 43 McCrae street, Bendigo. He was 26 years of age and was the youngest son in the family.

It would not be too long before Reg would leave Bendigo and Australia for the front. He along with other reinforcements would embark from Port Melbourne on board the HMAT Port Lincoln on October 20, 1916.

The usual journey to England involved a stopover in Cape Town on the way. However, after Cape Town and on November 30th the Port Lincoln suffered propeller damage and was forced to unload troops at Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The Portuguese colony of Serra Leone on the west coast of Africa and the capital Free Town was infamous for it’s slave trading history. The 46th Battalion reinforcements remained for a little over two weeks, continuing their journey on board HMAT Argyllshire on 16 December 1916. The next leg of the long journey celebrating Christmas and New year arriving at Devonport on the south coast of England on January 10, 1917. (see photo of 6th Reinforcements at Serra Leone) 

From Devenport they would train inland to one of the many AIF and Commonwealth forces training camps located on the Salisbury Plain. The town of Codford was their destination and during the First World War, there were fifteen different camps built in and around Codford. Reg and other reinforcements would no doubt have contributed to the most notable feature illustrating the presence of Australian soldiers found on a nearby hill outside Codford, where a ‘Rising Sun’ cap badge measuring some 175ft by 150ft high, has been cut into the chalk. (see photo)

Waiting to get to the front had its frustrations and many young AIF soldiers had ‘run ins’ with their British officers and military police. Reg is cited for AWL on two occasions during his stay at Codford. He is punished by being ‘Confined to Barracks’ and forfeiture of a number of days pay. He is certainly not alone in facing discipline at this stage of the war !

Finally, after four months at Codford, his military record would be stamped POS – Proceed Overseas to France on June 4, 1917. 

This involved a train trip across southern England to the port of Folkestone on the English channel and then a short troop ship journey usually overnight. Reg is ‘Marched In’ to the AIF depot in Northern France at Le Havre. He is ‘Taken on Strength’ into the 46th battalion on June 21, 1917.

The 46th Battalion was originally formed in February 1916, as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). After the losses at Gallipoli, battalions were consolidated and new battalions established in Egypt with reinforcements bought in to desperately bolster numbers.  The 46th battalion drew most of its experienced personnel from the 14th Battalion, a Victorian unit that had served at Gallipoli in 1915, while new recruits coming mainly from the states of New South Wales and Western Australia.  Assigned to the 12th Brigade, which formed part of the 4th Division, on 2 June 1916, the battalion had been in France a year when Reg and his fellow recruits arrive. For the next two and a half years, the 46th Battalion would take part in the fighting along the Western Front.                    (Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/46th_Battalion_(Australia)

 AT that time, the Battalion had been fighting continuously over the past year and were exhausted. Losses had been terrible at Pozieres, Ypres, Fluers and then a dreadful experience at Bullecourt.  

In the book - 'We were the 46th : the history of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18 by Ian Leonard Polanski the following is recorded.  'On June, 21, the 46th moved by bus from Renischurr to Doullieu where the men went into billets and whilst in this area the 46th received more reinforcements. The rest and training at Doullieu was short lived, as the 46th was soon on the march once again to the next area of operations in the Wytschaete sector.'                 (Source – We were the 46th: the history of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18 by Ian Leonard Polanski) 

We read in this book again that the next stop for Reg and the 46th soldiers would be a stint at Doullieu which lasted until August, 6, where the 46th took on more reinforcements. Here is a summary of a day when not at the front line.

'A typical day's training whilst at Doullieu started off with physical training at 0700hrs for all members of the Battalion after which, the specialists such as lewis gunners, bombers, signallers, and scouts were trained under the guidance of their respective officers and instructors Musketry instruction and bayonet fighting were carried out for the riflemen of the Battalion. After lunch, platoon drilll was earned out, then it was on to instructions in how to man outposts in the line efficiently, with the late afternoon being for games and various lectures on the evils of V.D and associated diseases that soldiers on active service are prone to pick up On other days they mixed up the training with other lessons including, gas drill, marching with respirators on, packing of packs, and correct practices for guard mounts and sentry duties”                                          (Source – We were the 46th: the history of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18 by Ian Leonard Polanski) 

In September, 1917 Reg is detached on duty to the 27th Motor Ambulance Convoy for a one month stint. This was fairly usual for new recruits, as infantry troops were also needed to rotate through the Medical and Military police duties from time to time. During this month, Reg would have been extremely busy as a number of Australian divisions were involved in the disastrous Passchendaele, possibly the worst demonstration of incompetence of the British High Command in the whole war.

British Field Marshall Haig is largely blamed for this senseless loss of life on the Flanders killing fields. Haig went on with this battle, even though the rain and bitter cold had set in and on October the 12th. He ordered another attack, which was fated to fail miserably, with men struggling up to their knees and waists in the dreadful stinking mud and with their rifles and machine guns clogged with it. The only solid objects in this endless waste of cratered mud were the German concrete pillboxes with their machine guns which were protected from the mud and which operated only too well.

The troops of the 12th Brigade came out of this battle and returned to Ypres, dragging the mud and blood of their experience at Passchendaele with them. Some were bitter at yet another hard fought and well thought out attack on their part being shot to pieces along with their mates because of the inability of the higher staff to work together and listen to experienced advice when it was offered to them. The perceived lack of artillery on the allied side allowing the German artillery to fire at will was the main theme amongst this bitterness.  (Source – We were the 46th: the history of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18 by Ian Leonard Polanski)

On October 22, Reg is back with his unit just as the 46th was relieved from the front and moved back to the Canal area of Ypres.

In early 1918, Reg and the 46th Battalion were transferred south to France where it played a defensive role during the German Spring Offensive, seeing action around Dernancourt in April. Throughout April the defence of Amiens in particular Villers-Bretonneux would occupy the 46th Battalion.They also took part in the final Allied offensive that began around Amiens in August 1918, including the battle at Le Hamel.

It was during this period that Reg is Wounded In Action (WIA) on June 5th. The Gun shot wound must have been slight as he was to remain on duty. The final attack of the war for both Reg and his battalion was made in mid-September 1918 against the outposts of the Hindenburg Line.

“September 18, 1918. So far, the day had started out to be misty with a light drizzle of rain mixed in; however, this broke in the mid morning and the sun came out to make it rather warm. The 12th Brigade was to attack its' objective on a battalion size front over ground that was absolutely covered in scotch thistles. The 48th Battalion was to take the first objective, the 45th was to take the second, and the 46th was to take and exploit the last objective, which was known as the "Blue Line". All of this was to be done with the battalions' "leap frogging" each other. That meant that after the 48th had taken its' objective and started to consolidate it, the 45th would move through and take the objective allotted to them that was further along, with the 46th (two companies to the front and two to the rear), moving through the 45th By using this method of fresh units attacking set objectives, the line at the end of the day's fighting was advanced for over 6,000 yards on a wide front. The 46th's task was not to be an easy one. The men had to keep touch with the 14th Battalion on the left, as well as keeping touch with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. This was to prove a tall order. With the men of the 48th and 45th Battalions' successfully taking their positions, the 46th passed through them at 0920hrs Shortly, they were to find out how useful artillery was as a suppressive weapon against a well dug in enemy. No sooner had the allied artillery stopped, than the enemy machine gunners opened up on the advancing infantry of the 46th, costing the men rather dearly.(Source – We were the 46th: the history of the 46th Battalion in the Great War of 1914-18 by Ian Leonard Polanski)

On this day, September 18, Reg Oliver would be again wounded receiving a Gunshot wound (GSW) to the left hand. This time it would be far serious than the prior wound. Reg would be transfered back to England and admitted to the Southern General Hospital in Birmingham. Here he would have his finger amputated on his left hand. He would spend nearly two months in Birmingham before being earmarked to Return to Australia because of his wound. He is transferred to Dartford on the east coast then to Weymouth on the south coast and secures a berth home on HMAT Takada leaving England on Christmas eve, 1918. 

He would be home in Australia on February 11, 1919. 

The 46th Battalion remained out of the line until the armistice came into effect on 11 November 1918. During its service throughout the war, the battalion lost 590 men killed and 1,939 wounded.

Private Reginald Oliver of the 46th battalion is remembered by the people of White Hills. The names of the local lads who sacrificed their lives and those that were fortunate to return from the Great War are shown on the embossed copper plaques on the White Hills Arch of Triumph, at the entrance to the White Hills Botanic Gardens.