Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

VESSEY, Edward Stanley (1897-1966)

_{3rd Pioneer Battalion and later 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, 3rd Division}

Edward Stanley Vessey was born around January 1897 in Geelong, the son of Francis Staley Vessey (1617-1913) and Agnes Maud McDonald (1868-1956).

On 13 July 1915 Edward enlisted in the AIF aged 18 years and 7 months. His occupation at the time was recorded as a mill hand and his next of kin is shown as his mother whose address was given as 6 Percy Street, Chilwell, Geelong. He was described as being 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall, weighing 91 pounds. He had a fair complexion with grey eyes and brown hair plus two tattoo marks on his right forearm.

All of these details would come in very handy when on 4 October 1915 a warrant was issued for Edward on a charge of desertion. Edward again enlisted in the AIF on 23 November 1916 aged 19 years and 11 months as a member of the 3rd Pioneer Battalion which was then serving in France. The 3rd Pioneer Battalion had been formed in Victoria in March 1916 and assigned to 3rd Division. The Battalion departed Melbourne for France on the Wandilla on 6 June 1916. Edward was with the battalion’s 7th reinforcement group.

Pioneer Battalions were essentially light military combat engineers organised like the infantry and located at the very forward edge of the battle area.  They were used to develop and enhance protection and mobility for supported troops and to deny it to the enemy.  They constructed defensive positions, command posts and dugouts, prepared barbed wire defences and on occasion breached those of the enemy using devices like the Bangalore Torpedo.

Their skills and capability were broad from building, construction and maintenance to road and track preparation and maintenance. They could also, and did quite often, fight as infantry. Although they had existed in the Indian Army before 1914, pioneer battalions were used on a large scale by Commonwealth forces on the Western Front during the First World War. Because of its largely static nature, there was a much heavier reliance on field defences and the provision of mobility support to get people, weapons, ammunition, rations and stores up to the front and casualties out.  Roads and railways needed to be built maintained and repaired. While these were also Engineer tasks, Engineers alone could not meet the heavy demand, while riflemen were always needed at the front. Therefore, pioneer battalions were raised to meet the needs of both and trained to support both engineers and infantry.

Edward’s record shows that on 3 May 1917 he was sent to the Ascot Vale Isolation Camp at the Melbourne Showgrounds. In response to the prevalence of infectious diseases such as meningitis spreading through the Army’s ranks, the Isolation Camp was established to quarantine soldiers who had been exposed to, but who had not necessarily contracted a disease. Often whole units would be in isolation at Ascot Vale for three weeks at a time.

Edward embarked for overseas service on 4 August 1917 from Port Melbourne on board HMAT A32 Themistocles. He disembarked in Glasgow on 2 October 1917 and on 3 October war diary of the Pioneer Training Battalion at Fovant in southwest Wiltshire shows 150 men marching in from Australia.

 On 11 October the Pioneer Training Battalion (1310 men) left Fovant and marched 17 miles to a new camp at Sutton Veny. The new camp is briefly described in the war diary:

“The new camp was found to be clean, in pleasant surroundings and in close proximity to attractions of various kinds. It is anticipated that it will be a cold camp for winter.”

The diary shows that the camp did, it seems, turn out to get very cold, very quickly.

“14 October 1917 - … Under ‘Health of Troops’ great coats will be worn on all parades.”

“27 October 1917 – An extra blanket was given to the men making a total of 4 blankets for each man.

“29 October 1917 – The nights of 27th and 28th were very cold, a heavy frost on the ground. Ice formed in the holes in the ground on the 27th and in pails in the huts on the 28th. On the night of the 29th, very heavy winds were blowing.”

After months of training Edward finally travelled to Folkestone where he boarded a ship on 29 April 1918 for the short journey across the channel to France. He eventually reached the 3rd Pioneer Battalion on the front line at Villers-Brettonneaux on 5 May. On 29 May the battalion was relieved and withdrew to the rest area billets at Blangy Tronville to the west of Villers-Bretonneux on the south bank of the River Somme.

Because of the good supply of reinforcements from the training battalion, by June 1918 the 3rd Pioneer Battalion was over-strength by 50 men. The division’s 3rd Machine Gun Battalion, however, had suffered heavy casualties during the taking and re-taking of Villers-Bretonneux during April. On 6 June 50 volunteers, including Edward Vessey, were transferred from the pioneers to the machine gun battalion with Edward as a member of the 9th Machine Gun Company.

Machine Gun Companies and Battalions were equipped with the legendary Vickers Medium Machine Gun. This weapon was served by a crew of three and mounted on a tripod.  It was not easily portable and was generally sited in a prepared fixed position.  Its direct counterpart on the German side was the Maxim 'Spandau' MG08, a weapon of similar appearance and capability. Both the Vickers and MG08 had a distinctive appearance largely because of a cylindrical water jacket sleeve around the barrel which was designed to cool the barrel when firing at the rapid rate. The MG08 was mounted on a characteristic 'sled' rather than the tripod of the Vickers. They achieved continuous fire through the provision of ammunition in canvas belts (see photo). The Vickers was renowned for its reliability and it could maintain blistering rates of fire for extended periods, thanks to its robust design and the fact that it was water-cooled. These weapons were capable of firing at extended ranges, out to 3,000 yards.

They would be sited to provide flanking fire across a defensive front, often covering belts of barbed wire or other obstacles forcing the enemy to attack through their line of fire with devastating results; a tactic known as "enfilade fire". It was largely the effect of well-sited German machine guns that caused such devastation among the attacking British and Dominion formations on the first day of the Somme offensive in 1916.  The British "Pals" Battalions at La Boiselle and the Newfoundland Battalion at Beaumont Hamel were cut to ribbons by machine guns over 2km to their flanks that they would not have been able to hear firing at them.

They were often the lynchpin of defensive positions and thus the object of enemy attempts to neutralise them as a prelude to attack, by mortar, artillery fire or even raids by parties of grenadiers with hand and rifle grenades. In attack, they would be sited to provide indirect 'plunging fire' into enemy positions in depth at long range to prevent enemy reinforcements reaching the objective of the attack, or to disrupt attempts to withdraw, in a manner not dissimilar to artillery.

Some machine gun teams would also be assigned to follow the assaulting formations where they were to establish themselves to provide defensive fire across the front of the "limit of exploitation" of the attack as protection against a counterattack by the enemy. Machine guns and artillery between them were the dominant influences on the battlefields of the Great War until late in the war when manoeuvre regained importance with the advent of armoured vehicles and ground attack aircraft that could suppress enemy defences.

On 7 March 1918, the AIF’s machine-gun companies were re‐organised into battalions with the 3rd Division’s units forming the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. This marked a significant change in the way the Australian machine-gun companies operated since the companies attached to each brigade would come under the control of their own Battalion Headquarters which itself was under divisional control.

On their return to the line, the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion took over the defence of the Villers‐Bretonneux Sector. Each company maintained a small nucleus at the Rear Headquarters at Lamotte‐Brebiere. Throughout the time in that sector, the personnel of the nucleus was changed every second or third day. The couple of days out of the line gave the men the chance of a spell, swim and change of clothing. As the battalion’s war diary put it:

“The weather of late has been real surfing weather and a daily sight in the area is to see some men swimming, others clothed perhaps in a digger hat meandering up and down the Somme in all sorts of weird tubs ranging from horse troughs to classy gondolas. Their serenity is not disturbed in spite of the occasional whine of an HE [High Explosive] shell or the bursting of a ‘woolly bear’ [a German shrapnel shell that burst with an explosion of black smoke] and other types of Hun shrapnel”.

On 30 May 1918, as a consequence of the Australian government's directive that all senior commands be held by Australians, Lieutenant General John Monash was appointed to command the Australian Corps and General Sir William Birdwood selected Major General Gellibrand to take Monash's place in command of the 3rd Division.

During July, August and September ANZAC Corps operations under the command of Monash pushed the German lines eastward, back to St Quentin Canal. Originally built in the 1700s to connect the Somme and Scheldt Rivers, the Germans made use of the St Quentin Canal as an additional defensive barrier forward of the Hindenberg Line. East of Peronne the canal ran through a tunnel for approximately six kilometres between Bellicourt and Venhuille. Fearing an attack across the canal would be costly, Monash decided to assault over the top of the tunnel.

With the Australian Corps exhausted from almost continuous operations, Monash had only two divisions in a reasonable state for combat - the 3rd and 5th - and was thus reinforced with the 27th and 30th United States Divisions. The plan was for the numerically superior Americans to breach the Hindenburg Line above the tunnel, and another defensive line a kilometre to the rear. The Australians would then pass through and assault the German line near the village of Beaurevoir, another four kilometres back. The attack would be supported by 90 tanks and heavy artillery concentrations.

The inexperience of the Americans was telling. An operation launched to secure the start line on 27 September was unsuccessful due to their failure to properly clear dugouts and trenches. The same mistakes were repeated by the 27th US Division when the actual attack was launched two days later on the 29th. With all of the tanks destroyed or disabled, and the uncertain position of the forward troops preventing the use of artillery, the advancing 3rd Division was forced to fight for the ground that the Americans were planned to have already taken. In the confusion of battle, some American pockets that had been left without effective leadership willingly went along with the Australians as they advanced and there are documented accounts of soldiers from both nations fighting alongside each other in ad-hoc mixed outfits.

It was during this action on 29 September that Edward was wounded by shrapnel with injuries to his right arm and leg. He was evacuated via the British 132nd Field ambulance and the 58th Casualty Clearing Station to Le Havre from where he was transported to England on 2 October. On arrival, he was admitted to the Kitchener Military Hospital. The largest of Brighton’s First World War military hospitals, the Kitchener Hospital housed around 2,000 patients, and first opened in February 1915 as a hospital for Indian soldiers. Until the outbreak of war, it had been Brighton’s main workhouse. After the war, it returned to use as a workhouse until 1930, when it became the Brighton Municipal Hospital. It has remained a hospital until this day, although it is now known as Brighton General Hospital. The numbering system used for the various blocks in the hospital dates back to its first use as an Indian hospital.

 From the Kitchener, Edward was eventually transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford for convalescence and finally discharged on 6 November to report to the No 4 Command Depot on 20 November after 2 weeks leave. With the Armistice being signed on 11 November 1918 peace would have been celebrated with extra vigour by soldiers lucky enough to be on leave at that time. It’s not surprising the Edward was a little slow to report as ordered on the 20th. Reporting a day late he was treated leniently under the circumstances and only lost 2 days’ pay when he could have found himself in a lot more trouble.

With thousands of Australian soldiers coming back from France England to wait their turn to return home men were needed to maintain order. On 7 February 1919, Edward was detached to the Australian Provost Corps (Military Police).

During his detachment Edward is shown to be lodging at 58 Warwick Square in Pimlico, a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. It was while living there that he met Mabel Whyte, the 18-year-old daughter of Henry Whyte, the manager of an army canteen, probably at Regents Park Barracks which was at the time the home of the Royal Horse Guards. On 13 July 1919 Edward and Mabel were married in the Parish Church in Albany Street Regents Park.

On 27 September 1919, Edward was transferred to AIF Headquarters for his return to Australia on a family ship, presumably with his wife along with a number of British war brides.  Edward and Mabel were not on the ship when it left, and it can be assumed that the reason was probably that Mabel was pregnant.

In March 1920 Mabel Vessey was admitted to hospital in Marylebone [possibly Princess Grace Hospital] where she gave birth to a daughter, Mabel Margaret Vessey. The fact that she gave birth in a hospital when most babies were delivered at home with a midwife indicates that there was a problem. Mabel Vessey passed away not long after her baby was born leaving Edward to raise her with the help of his wife’s parents.

Edward was relieved of his duties and granted indefinite leave, but he was himself admitted to the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital on 17 April. The reason for this hospitalisation is not recorded. On 20 May Edward and his daughter, aged a mere 2 months, boarded the Kigoma for travel to Australia.

About 1924 Edward was known to be working in Balranald, New South Wales. In 1932 Edward was living at 6 Post Office Place, South Melbourne.

Edward married Olive Nellie Henderson (1901-1968) in Geelong around 1934 and their son Norman was born in 1935. Edward died on 15 August 1966 in Geelong and is buried at the Geelong Eastern Cemetery.  Edward was a TPI Pensioner at the time of his death.

Private Edward Stanley Vessey

Edward Stanley Vessey - 1897 - 1966

Edward was the fifth of seven children of Francis and Agnes Vessey.   He went to Chilwell primary School and lived in Percy Street.   I could not find any records of him in the early census as there was a census in 1914 when he was 17 so was not on the voting roles and the next one was in 1919 when he was still in England.   Edward decides at the age of 19 years and 11 months to enlist in the first world war on 1 August 1917. His official enlistment date after medicals was 14^th November 1916.  He was listed as a weaver/mill worker (probably working at the mills in South Geelong). He had served in the cadets for 3 months prior to enlisting and his address was 464 Latrobe Terrace. South Geelong. The car yards of Hyundai and McCann Plumbing now occupy this area.

Service Medals  Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1914/18 Star Badge

He was attached to the 3 Pioneer Battalion and was part of the 7^th reinforcement group. His Service Number was 3388.   From his records, I gathered other information. He was 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighed 129 lbs (59 kgs), dark brown hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.   His medical examination noted slight deafness.

After over 8 months of training at Seymour from late November 1916 to early May 1917, then Ascot Vale Camp from May to August 1917, Private Edward Vessey embarked for England with 150 other enlisted men who made up the 7/3

Pioneer Battalion reinforcements almost entirely made up of Victorian boys.  

Most were from Melbourne and some from country Victoria. Only two boys from Geelong. Edward Vessey and Fred Brabham.   They embarked onboard the HMAT A32 Thermistocles on 4^th August 1917.   He was part of the 3^rd Machine Gun Battallion.

They arrived in England two months later on the 3^rd of October 1917. Edward undertook further training at Hurdcott near Salisbury and Folkestone until he completed his training and was shipped out to France on the 29^th April 1918. He arrived in France on the 30^th April 1918.   In early May, he began marching to join his unit. He arrived on the 11^th May where he prepared for the next two weeks. On the 25^th May 1918, he was detached for active duty in the field in the Somme around the area from Dernancourt south to Sailly.   During the time until early July slight advancements were made against the Germans and ground recovered that was lost during the German’s March offensive on the Somme.   During the latter part of July, Edward with his battalion marched south west to the Amiens area to be part of the 100 day offensive. Also known as the Battle of Amiens. It began on the 8^th August.   The Australians overwhelmed the Germans in the initial attacks and the Germans were forced to retreat to the Hindenburg Line during the latter part of August and September. The tide of the war was turning and the allies were finally beginning to get on top.

Unfortunately for Edward Vessey, the end of his war was near as on the 30^th of September he was wounded being shot in the arm and the leg. He was taken to a field hospital and on the 2^nd of October left France and was moved to England. From there he was moved to the Kitchener Military Hospital which was located in Brighton.   His days fighting had finished as the Germans surrendered within 6 weeks on the 11^th of November 2018.  

It was during this time of recovery that Edward met a Scottish military nurse named Mabel Whyte. Mabel was from Forfar. A small town just to the north of Dundee. She had volunteered along with her father. Henry Whyte was an army canteen manager. Mabel was a French Red Cross Nurse who served in France from September 1918 to November 1918. The family had moved to London several years before the war.

Edward may have met her at the field hospital before being transferred to England or he may have met her just after the war ended whilst he was still recovering.   Edward made a quick recovery and by the latter part of November must have been in a celebratory mood as he went AWL(absent without leave) on the 20^th November and was docked 3 days pay when he returned.   From November 1918 until July 1919, he was still in the army doing various detachments.   In July 1919, he took some leave to marry Mabel. The wedding took place in Christ Church, Albany Street St. Pancras, London on July 14^th 1919.   Mabel was 18 and Edward was 22. He remained in the army based in London and living at Marlebone.

On January 29 1920, Mabel gave birth to their first baby. They named her Mabel Margaret and Edward took some leave shortly after on the 12 February. All was not well with his wife and for reasons unknown, she passed away from an unlisted cause by March 1920. I could not find an exact date of death but Mabel was listed in the deaths of March 1920.   It could have been related to childbirth. Mabel was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal for her war service.

From his records, I gathered Edward went through some tough days as he took indefinite leave on the 17th April 1920 and was admitted to Queen Alex Military Hospital on the 22^nd April 1920. Over the next month, he made his decision to return to Australia and boarded the Kigoma on the 20 May 1920 taking two months before arriving on the 15^th July 1920. His notes say with child. He was officially discharged from the A.I.F. on the 29^th August 1920.   He was awarded the Victory Medal, the British War Medal and the 1914/18 Star Badge.

Edward was now 23, a single father and unemployed. He must have worked around a little as I found some correspondence where he was working in Balranald, NSW in 1924.   His mother had been listed as living in South Melbourne on some of his war correspondence and in 1925, Edward is listed as living at 173 Park Street, South Melbourne and working as a linesman. He was living with his brother Frank and his wife Ethel.   By the next census in 1931, he was listed as living at 6 Post Office Place, South Melbourne.  

This next period is where Edward’s life finally found it’s final direction where he is listed as living in Geelong in 1936 living at 6 James Street and working as a labourer.   I know his son Norman was born in 1935 so I gathered it was during this period that he met Olive and married. He lived in James Street for a number of years and was still listed living there with his family in 1954.   This time Norm’s older brother Stanley was also listed living there.   By the next census in 1963, the family had moved to 10 Coxon Parade, North Geelong with no children now living at home.  

The final entry I have for Edward is that he passed away on the 15^th August 1966 at the age of almost 70.   He had lived through a tough life and came out the other side. His daughter Mabel Margaret was brought up by his brother Frank and his wife Ethel. She died in Wodonga in 2008.