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DENHOLM, Cecil

Military Medal

Recommendation:-  

‘For gallantry and devotion to duty. On 9th April 1917 the position occupied by 4th Battery Australian Field Artillery near LAGNICOURT, FRANCE, was subjected to heavy and accurate shelling, in the course of which numerous casualties were inflicted. Private DENHOLME dressed the wounded men until the arrival of Captain KIRKLAND (R.H.O) and then collected the less serious cases and conducted them to a Dressing Station in rear of the Battery. He then returned to the Battery position, which was still being heavily shelled and assisted Privates DOPEL and HYNES in recovering the more serious cases to the Dressing Station.’                                           Recommended: Major General Commanding 1st Div.

The Bendigo Advertiser published the following story on July 13, 1915: SICK SOIDIERS. PRIVATE C. DENHOLM

‘Private C. Denholm has been reported ill with dysentery, and is at present being treated at the second Australian hospital at Ghezirch, Egypt. He is 19 years of age and prior to enlisting in September was employed by Messrs. Jones, Miller and Co. of Williamson-street, as a clerk and lived with his parents in Mitchell-street. He is well known in the city as an accomplished violinist, having won a scholarship at the Bendigo Conservatorium of Music at an early age. He was educated at the Marist Bros. School, Bendigo and was one of the many skilled penmen turned out by that scholastic establishment. He won several prizes in the school for his calligraphy and a gold medal, being the first- prize,

in a competition in which thousands of penmen competed throughout Australia. On going into camp at Broadmeadows he was given clerical work, but later was attached to the Army Medical Corps. A letter written by Private Denholm, and published in the "Advertiser'' a week or two ago, was one of the most descriptive received from the front.’[1]

That letter from the front by Cecil Denholm was titled:-

PRIVATE C. DENHOLM. STORY OF THE TRENCHES.

Private Cecil Denholm, writing to Mr. F. Cavagna, of the Bank of Victoria, Eaglehawk from "in the trenches, somewhere in Turkey" on 5th May, said: "Just a few lines to let you know I'm all right so far. I saw 'Dick' Poliness, Bill Howard and 'Steve' De Araugo yesterday. They are all right so far. You talk about the Australians!

Their name will live in history for generations. The Turks had been entrenched along the beach for four months. The Australians landed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions last Sunday week. There is no doubt war is encircled by tragedy. We have a dressing station about 500 yards from our present firing line, and shrapnel, bullets and shells are flying all round us. Dead are lying everywhere. The chaps who were in the battle of Mons reckon it wasn't to be compared to the day we landed. Our boys threw their equipment into the sea and charged the Turks with fixed bayonets. You ought to have heard them squeal. It was great! Those Turks who were not killed or wounded got for their lives over the hills with our boys chasing them. We have them fairly hemmed in. Another three months should see us in Constantinople if everything goes right. I am sending this from our dugout in the hills by a chap who is wounded, and is going back to the base hospital. A man never knows when he is going off here. There will be about half of the Bendigo boys going back if they have a pile of luck. Frank Pool's regiment, the 7th, was practically isolated, and I believe he was wounded. Who should I see yesterday but 'Dutchie' Holland. He couldn't come out of his trench for snipers. Our boys made a successful charge last night. Our corporal was alongside me last night when he got 'banked.' And yet war has its humor. Yesterday the General and another 'big head' were seeking shelter in our dugout. 'Red' Agar, one of our boys from Footscray, and 'a hard doer, yelled out to him, 'You're all right, boy: the wheelbarrows have stopped for a while'. The snipers are 'dead nuts' on our officers. They are picking them of all day. Major Adams got wounded on the leg a few days ago. My word, a chap will be lucky if he comes out of this without something happening. They are going day and night. You can't imagine it unless you were here."[2]

SERVICE DETAILS:

Service Number: 2069

Born: Capetown, South Africa
School: Marist Brothers College

Religion: Roman Catholic
Occupation: Clerk
Address: Mitchell Street, Bendigo

Marital status: Single
Age at enlistment: 18
Next of kin: Mr E Denholm, Mitchell Street, Bendigo.

Enlistment date: 10 September 1914
Final Rank: Private

Unit: 14th Battalion, Headquarters & 1st Australian General Hospital
Embarked:  A38 Ulysses on 22 December 1914
Fate: Returned to Australia 8 October 1918

On 9th April 1917 the position occupied by 4th Battery Australian Field Artillery near LAGNICOURT, FRANCE             'The tank leaders had long urged that their machines should be used in this way, in mass, to attack ahead of the infantry rather than as part of it. Now was their opportunity. All twelve machines (tanks) would advance ahead of the 4th Australian Division, east of Bullicourt. …..

In extreme haste two allotted brigades, 4th and 12th,of the 4th division were marched up, and before dawn were duly lying out in the dark, on the snow covered grassland far ahead of the railway embankment and cutting, each brigade on a gentle rise along which it had to attack…

They found the German line as before, strongly held and its wire very formidable. At 11pm Birdwood telephoned Gough saying the with emphasis that he thought the operation very hazardous. A few minutes later came Gough’s reply that the attack must take place as the commander–in-chief wished it. A little later, on news that the southern British flank in Arrass had been driven back, General White renewed this protest but was told that there was all the more need for the attack.'[3] 

[1] Bendigo Advertiser, July 13, 1915. P. 8
[2] Bendigo Advertiser July 2, 1915.P.5
[3] Anzac to Amiens, C.E.W.Bean. Penguin Books.2014. P.239