Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Before the war 

Bertrand Filsell was 37 years and 10 months old when he enlisted and was born in Gawler, South Australia. He was born on the 7th of September 1879. He was married to Francis Mary Filsell whom was his next of kin and together they had one child. His father was James Filsell and his mother were Elizabeth Landridge nee Miles. He lived with his wife and child at 75 Maria Street, Thebarton. Bertrand was a part of the Church of England. He was an average height soldier with brown eyes and dark hair and a height of 5ft 7 ½ inches. Before the war his job was wood machinist.

During the war

Bertrand Filsell enlisted in the AIF at Adelaide on 10 August 1915 and was assigned to the 1st Pioneer Battalion. He was private Bertrand Filsell all throughout the war. This is highly likely because he was a wood machinist and pioneer battalions included men that were skilled in a particular trade that was useful to the army. Commonly pioneer battalions in World War I were made of mainly men with engineer specialties because of their valuable skills. His regiment number was 3744. After being enlisted he embarked to Serapeum, Egypt on the R.M.S Malwa from Adelaide on the 2nd of December 1915. Along with his battalion he trained in Serapeum for a short period. The training conditions in Egypt would have been extremely hard and treacherous along with the inhumane heat conditions.

On the 29 of March 1916 the 1st Pioneer Battalion embarked on a troopship from the port of Alexandria headed for Marseilles. On the 4th of April 1916 the battalion joined with the B.E.F (British Expeditionary Force) and the battalion then landed at Marseilles in France on 4th of April 1916.  After landing in France, the 1st Pioneer Australian battalion boarded a train and were transported to near the front line.

From there, the 1st Pioneers moved to Armentieres where they established a camp, where newly arrived units could gain their first experience of fighting on the Western Front. They subsequently entered the western front line around Fleurbaix on the 26 of May 1916. Whilst at Fleurbaix, Bertrand received new equipment and until in late May along with his battalion he was tasked with assisting the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company in digging a mine towards Cordonnerie Salient street (German lines). After almost 11 months of fighting on the western front-line Bertrand was sick to hospital coming from the field due to the cartilage in his right knee (a previous injury) on the 23rd of April 1917.  Bertrand was transported to a hospital on the 24th of April 1917 and then Adm (admitted) to a hospital in Rouen on the 25th of April 1917.

He travelled from hospital to Etaples a base/training camp in the north of France on the 4th of May 1917. From Etaples he was then in Havre from which then he was transferred to England where he recovered from his knee injury and engaged in training.

Throughout his time in England, Bertrand received an offence on the 20th of December 1917 from neglecting to obey AIF (First Australian Imperial force) deps (deputies) in the U.K (United Kingdom). This offence was because Bertrand on the 14th of December 1917 travelled without possession of a road pass. Bertrand only forfeited 2 days’ pay on the 24 of December 1917 to Capt. R.T Tarrant.

 Bertrand then marched out from Sutton Valley to Weymouth on 18th of March 1918 and arrived in Weymouth on the same date.

Bertrand then later returned to Australia because he was discharged and deemed medically unfit in England due to his aggravated right cartilage knee injury.  On the 12th of May 1918 he left for Australia on the SS Gaika war ship and returned home 2 months later.

After the war

 After the war, Bertrand Filsell would have tried to live an ordinary life whilst living with being 30% disabled. Bertrand would have had extraordinary stories to tell his family about the war. After the war, the 1st pioneer battalion was disbanded in May 1919 as part of the demobilisation of the AIF. After an amazing and inspiring life to others Bertrand Filsell died on the 7th of April in 1942 at the age of 63.

Bibliography

• Wikipedia. 2020. 1st Pioneer Battalion (Australia) [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Pioneer_Battalion_(Australia). [Accessed 01 April 2020].
• Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-18 War [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM4/. [Accessed 01 April 2020].
• National Archives of Australia . [ONLINE] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx. [Accessed 01 April 2020].
• Flickr. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/87343585@N08/23990334332/in/photostream/. [Accessed 02 April 2020]
• State Library of South Australia [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/search~S1/X?SEARCH=(tng)&searchscope=1&SORT=D-. [Accessed 02 April 2020].
• Diary of Henry George Whiting, 1917-1918 [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2095702?image=4-. [Accessed 02 April 2020]
• Colour patch : 1 Australian Pioneer Battalion, AIF [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C352312. [Accessed 02 April 2020].
• Bertrand Filsell | The Australian War Memorial. 2020. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1897981. [Accessed 02 April 2020]
• Memorial Glossary [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/glossary/a. [Accessed 02 April 2020]
• Anzac to Amiens : author C.E.W Bean

Image references

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00960.003/- photo of the 1st Australian Pioneer battalion standing/sitting

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C352065- 1st Australian Pioneer battalion colour patch