Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Friend Warren Pontifex was born on the 26th of September 1895, Kybunga SA AUS. He was a brother of 4 while his other two died as babies. He went to Melton Coconut Primary School. His hometown was in Melton, South Australia, Australia. His occupation was a farmer and his religion was Methodist.

Private Pontifex joined on the 22nd of August 1916, he served from the 22nd of August to 1st of May 1919. His service number was 2715. The date of his embarkation was 23rd of October 1916. The place of his embarkation was in Adelaide on the HMAT Port Melbourne A16 ship.

The ship landed at Egypt on the 20.16.1916, he did training in Egypt then proceeded to France, Western front between France and Belgium. On the 18th of October 1917 he got mustard gassed. He returned on the 8th of December 1917. On the 5th of April 1918 in Dernancourt, he was shot in the arm and leg wounded in action. He got sent to London 5 days later, returned to Australia 28th of February 1919.

By June 1916 the 50th Battalion was on the Western Front. They fought in the Battle of Mouquet Farm as part of the Somme Offensive. In 1917 the 50th participated in battels at Messines and Polygon Wood before assisting in the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux from the Germans on Anzac Day 1918. The 50th fought their final action of the war at Amiens in September 1918.

The Germans launched a new attack in the vicinity of Dernancourt on the morning of 5th of April 1918. On this occasion, they were able to breach the railway embankment by forcing their way under a bridge, outflank the Australian posts along it, and penetrate between the 12th and 13th Brigades. The forward battalions of both brigades were forced to retire upon their support positions with the brigades’ reserve battalions just after 5 pm, which halted the German advance and pushed it back toward the railway embankment. The embankment was regained on the Australian’s right, but in the center and on the left they were forced to ground about 1,300 meters short of it. Exhausted, the 12th and 13th Brigades could do little more.

His life after the was pretty good apart from having mustard gas in his lungs and being shot twice. He reunited with his family, Isabella Pontifex and James Price Pontifex. He got married to his wife Olive Pontifex they had 4 children, Jack, Gladys, Kenneth and Nancy Pontifex.

His Mother Mrs. Isabella Pontifex was born on the 12th of October 1863 Ballarat, got married 1885 SA AUS, she died on the 25 April 1937 and was buried in Kulpara SA AUS. His Mr. Father James Price Pontifex was born on the 24th of August 1853, he died 1939 Port Wakefield SA AUS and was buried in Kulpara SA AUS. Of Liondile, Abergavenny, WLS; Emigrated to SA the Lochee’ 9 November 1886, arrived in Adelaide 1 February 1877; In 1886 James purchased land in the hundred of Clinton. The mallee scrub cleared from this land was sent to Moonta to be used as fuel in the mines. This land was later run by James’ grandson, Kenneth Lloyd Pontifex and more recently by his grandson Neil Colin Pontifex (and even more recently Benjamin Paul Pontifex and Grant Jason Pontifex). “Brynderrie” was part of a later addition which was part of the Cocoanut Sheep Station, altogether totaling some 1160 acres. In 1990-11 the “Brynderrie” homestead was built 3 miles from Melton in the Hundred of base there. The only water available for the tanks for households use, mains water came to the farm later. There was no electricity in those days, only kerosene ad fuel. A large number of Clydesdale horses were used in the farm. Sons Garnet, Kenneth and Stepney each had teams of 10 plus the spares and they would work from dawn to dusk. The main production of the property were cereals of wheat and oats and merino sheep for wool.