Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Andrew Rhind Davidson, known as Andy, was born 14th April 1881 at Fordyce Portsoy, Banffshire, Scotland.  He was the 2nd youngest of 7 children born to his parents Alexander and Margaret Davidson.  He had 2 older brothers William and Alexander, 2 older sisters Elise and Jane and one younger brother James.  After completing his education he went on to become a tailor by trade.  He served 5 years with the 1st Banff Artillery Volunteers, a part-time unit of the British Army’s Royal Artillery.  Aged 24, he arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, on 24th January 1906 on the SS Ortona.  In August 1913 he married Lillian Maud Sellars Finlay at Perth WA.  They settled in Kalgoorlie WA where Andy continued his trade as a tailor and he became a member of the William Wallace Masonic Lodge.  They welcomed a son in 1914, Andrew Ian Hamilton. 

When WW1 broke out Andy was one of the first to enlist on 17th August 1914 at Blackboy Hill Camp WA aged 32.  His service number was 169A, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 3rd Field Ambulance (3FA), C Section.  He’s described as being 5ft 8ins tall with a dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair.  He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 21st September 1914 and after completing his training at Blackboy Hill Camp, he and the rest of C Section, including the famous John (Jack) Simpson, embarked on HMAT Medic as part of the 1st Convoy and sailed from Fremantle on 2nd November 1914.  He disembarked at Alexandria, Egypt, on 12th December 1914 and proceeded to Mena Camp at Cairo. 

The unit moved to the Kasr-el-nil Barracks in Cairo in late February 1915 and embarked from Alexandria on 3rd March on HMT Malda bound for the Dardanelles.  The ship anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island on 6th March and remained there for a month.  In early April the unit transhipped from HMT Malda to HMAT Suffolk and then later on to HMAT Devanha.  On 24th April 1915, in preparation for the landings at Gallipoli, the unit transhipped from HMAT Devanha to the Destroyer HMS Ribble.  The Commanding Officer of C Section of 3FA was Captain Douglas McWhae and he lead C Section ashore at Gallipoli in the 2nd tow at 5am on 25th April 1915 under heavy fire. 

McWhae recalled: “Several men were wounded on the destroyer and a young naval officer shot dead through the head (while waving the men off with a ‘Good Luck’) and Symonds of B Section shot through the chest.  I saw one infantryman shot, fall into the water and drown with heavy pack despite the efforts of one of the sailors to save him.  The rowboats returned to the destroyer and we entered them under heavy fire.  Then we rowed to shore under a frightful fire.”

“At first the beach was absolutely swept with machine-gun and rifle fire, so that there was no possibility of going near the boats (of the first tows) or to help the wounded lying on the beach.  Jack’s boat grounded in deep water, about 300 metres north of Ari Burnu Point, almost opposite the Sphinx.  He was the second man out of his boat.  The first and third men out, on either side of him, were killed instantly.  Soon after dawn the rifle fire stopped and we were able to look after the wounded - now shrapnel fire only.  There were great numbers of wounded whom it took all the morning to attend to and get away”.

McWhae continues: “The Red-Cross flag was put up after a time.  The three sections were going for all they were worth...they had iodine and field dressings; all splints were improvised using rifles and bushes.  They were terrible wounds to deal with.”

A primitive collecting post was established using the cover of the overgrown vegetation beyond the beach.  Sometime around 6am a Major Jackson, of the 7th Battalion, arrived at the collecting post requesting urgent assistance for his men about 1,200 metres north of the Sphinx and at the extreme left of the landing area.  McWhae and C Section set off at once, skirting the chest-high thorny bushes inland which they used for cover.  When they arrived at their destination - a small hillock with a fisherman’s hut at its base, it was a gruesome scene which met their eyes.  Between 9 and 10 am the Turks began a massive counter-attack.  By midday they were in possession of all the high ground around Baby 700 and the collecting post at Fisherman’s Hut (where there “were over a hundred wounded” according to McWhae), was under serious threat.

By the end of first day the unit casualties were 2 killed 18 wounded and 4 missing. 

On 26th April 1915 Andy’s unit worked all day at the 3rd Brigade Headquarters.  The following day they evacuated the collecting posts for the 9th and 10th Battalions under heavy shrapnel fire.  Captain McWhae was wounded in the forehead and eye by shrapnel, and was evacuated to the transport ship Galeka on 28th, where surgeon, Major Harry Butler removed his eye.  Captain Lyle Buchanan took over C Bearer Section and he warned Jack Simpson, officially, of “the inevitable result of wounding or worse” if he chose to continue with his donkey trips.  Jack chose to continue.  Buchanan described the situation in Monash Valley thus: “Other people using the valley had a dozen waist-high shelter spots...(Simpson) had really only one spot on the way which sheltered him and his donkey.”  Buchanan added that “he had earned (the Victoria Cross) fifty times.”  Simpson was killed on 19th May 1915 while escorting a wounded soldier to the beach. 

Andy was admitted to 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station (1ACCS) at Gallipoli on 29th September with diarrhoea.  He was evacuated on 4th October on the hospital ship HMHS Glenart Castle to Alexandria and admitted to the 17th General Hospital.  He proceeded to Mex Camp at Alexandria on 19th November then transferred to Maadi Camp at Cairo a week later.  He re-joined the 3FA at Tel-el-Kebir Camp on 12th January 1916.  On 27th February 1916 he was transferred to the 13th Field Ambulance (13FA). 

The 13FA embarked from Alexandria for France on HMT Oriana on 6th June 1916 and disembarked at Marseilles on 13th June.  Andy was appointed Acting Corporal on 18th July 1916 then promoted to Corporal on 31st July and then to Acting Sergeant the same day.  In early May 1916 he was detached for duty with the 12th Field Ambulance for 10 days then promoted to Sergeant on 16th August 1916.  Nine days later he was recommended for the Military Medal and was awarded this on 27th October 1916 for: “Conspicuous bravery and consistent good work at the landing at Anzac and since that date to present time.”

On 9th September 1916 he was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal and was awarded this on 14th November 1916 for: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He, with another man, made a thorough search under heavy fire for 15 men who were missing, displaying great courage and devotion to duty.  He set a fine example throughout.”

In early March 1917 he was detached for temporary duty to 4th Division Headquarters.  A month later he was transferred to this unit and was promoted to Company Quartermaster Sergeant. 

On 1st January 1918 Andy was admitted 1st Australian General Hospital (1AGH) at Rouen with severe cardiac dilatation nephritis.  He was evacuated to England and admitted to the Military Hospital at Sutton Veny.  He was granted Special Leave having enlisted in 1914 and was returned to Australia on 3rd December 1918 on HT Port Hacking.  He disembarked at Western Australia on 17th January 1919 and was discharged on 30th June 1919. 

From 1921 to 1938 he lived at Cottesloe WA and in 1938 he and his wife divorced. 

In 1942, while in London and aged 61, he enlisted for WW2 with the City of London Regiment then transferred to the RAF Regiment, a specialist ground defence force.  He served with them for 3 years.  After returning to Western Australia, he married Jeanne Winifred Fimister in 1959. 

Andy passed away on 9th January 1967 in Perth WA aged 85.  He was cremated and his ashes laid in the Rose Garden at Karrakatta Cemetery WA. 

He is commemorated on the Kalgoorlie Masonic Hall WW1 Honour Board, Cottesloe Beach RSL Roll of Honour, Kalgoorlie Caledonian Society Roll of Honour and the Boulder Kalgoorlie Amateur Swimming Club Roll of Honour.              

Andrew Rhind Davidson was awarded for service in WW1 the Military Medal, Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 21st November 2022.

Sources

https://anzacday.org.au/the-landing

https://anzacday.org.au/the-clown-prince