Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Montague Charles Byrne SN 5655

Montague Charles Byrne was the eldest son of Elizabeth Ann Spry and William Jospeh Byrne. His mother was Australian and his father was Irish which made him a natural born British subject.

Montague Charles Byrne enlisted in the army on the 18 January 1916 at the age of 21 years. He had recently celebrated his birthday on the 7th of January. Byrne was a stockman by trade and lived at Tipperary Station, near Brocks Creek, in the Northern Territory. Byrne was short in stature at only 5’6”. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and two visible scars; one on his forehead and the other on his right forearm. According to his enlistment papers, he was Roman Catholic. Prior to enlisting, Montague Byrne had been a senior army cadet for three years. He went by the name “Monte”. 

Montague Byrne was assigned to the 9th Battalion on February 5 1916. His rank was Private and his service number was 5655. Byrne left Australia on the 3 May 1916 on H.M.A.T. Seang Choon to go to Egypt. After training there for two months, he left on the ship Arcadian on the 29 July 1916 and sailed to England.

While Byrne was away at war, he sent many letters to his mother telling her about his experiences. Extracts of these were published in the local newspaper. These letters talked of both war and his adventures while on leave. He wrote of how he and the crew of the ship he was on collected survivors of ships that were sunk and fired at by submarines. He also wrote about how he enjoyed looking at the beautiful countryside of France on a 58 hour train ride. Montague tried to make the most of his time overseas. He enjoyed the bits that he could and made the most of his leave. In his letter from the 30 August 1916, he tells of how he went sightseeing in London on his leave, even calling it a “holiday”. He visited places such as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the museum, the zoological gardens and St. Paul’s Cathedral just to name a few.

Byrne was admitted to hospital with influenza in late March 1917 in France. However he made a swift recovery and was soon back with his battalion. Montague Byrne was killed in action on the 7 May 1917 in France at the age of 22 years and 4 months.

There is a street in the Darwin suburb of Moil named Byrne Circuit. This was named after his family, but particularly his father who started a local butchering business near Brocks Creek when the railway was under construction.

The personal effects of Monte were requested by his mother in October 1917 and were sent to her in March 1918. These belongings consisted of his wallet, railway ticket, two identity disks, letters, photographs, cards, and metal wrist watch and strap.

Montague Byrne was awarded one Victory Medal and one British War Medal. These medals were sent to his mother Elizabeth in October 1922 along with his memorial plaque.

The body of Montague Byrne was never found, but like many other soldiers, he was given a memorial. Byrne’s memorial is located at Villers Bretonneux. His name is also engraved at the Darwin Cenotaph, a memorial that remembers the servicemen and women from the Northern Territory that made the ultimate sacrifice during World War One.

Contributed by Ellen Archibald as part of the 2018 Northern Territory Chief Minister’s Anzac Spirit Study Tour.

References:

Cwgc.org. (n.d.). Casualty - BYRNE, MONTAGUE CHARLES. [online] Available at: https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1458734/byrne,-montague-charles/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Hill, M. (n.d.). Elizabeth Ann Spry. [online] Ancestry.com.au. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/5223724/person/54001211686/facts [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018].

Hill, M. (n.d.). William Joseph Byrne. [online] Ancestry.com.au. Available at: https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/5223724/person/420073867235/story [Accessed 7 Mar. 2018].

Ntlis.nt.gov.au. (n.d.). Place Names Register Extract - Byrne Circuit. [online] Available at: http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/print_extract.jsp?id=5485 [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018].

Recordsearch.naa.gov.au. (n.d.). NAA: B2455, BYRNE M C. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3179707 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018].

Trove. (n.d.). Soldier's Letter. - Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927) - 2 Nov 1916. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3282226?searchTerm=%22M%20C%20Byrne%22%20date%3A%5B1900%20TO%201930%5D%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=q-field0|||q-type0=phrase|||q-term0=M+C+Byrne|||q-field1=title%3A|||q-type1=all|||q-term1|||q-field2=creator%3A|||q-type2=all|||q-term2|||q-field3=subject%3A|||q-type3=all|||q-term3|||l-australian=y|||q-year1-date=1900|||q-year2-date=1930|||l-state=Northern+Territory[Accessed 10 Apr. 2018].