LEWIS, Herbert George
| Service Number: | 3862 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Jarrahdale, Western Australia, February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Jarrahdale, Serpentine-Jarrahdale, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Timber worker |
| Died: | POW - fractured skull, Gemeindefriedhof, Caudry, France, 26 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Caudry Old Communal Cemetery, Nord Pas de Calais, France, Caudry Old Communal Cemetery (Row C, Grave No. 5), France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Jarrahdale Roll Of Honor WW1, Jarrahdale War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 14 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3862, 11th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 3862, 11th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 22 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 3862, 11th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Fremantle | |
| 14 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 51st Infantry Battalion (WW1) | |
| 15 Aug 1916: | Imprisoned POW - died of wounds, fractured skull, Caudry, France as a POW. |
Herbert George Lewis
An extract from my book "an Olive Tree in the Jarrah Forest" by Ian Lewis
In September 1915 Herbert Lewis, enlisted to go and fight in the war. His father Joseph was a
first born West Australian and a vocal and proud patriotic man with alliance to God, King and
Country. He would have been so proud of his son, the first family member to enlist, but he would
not have had a real understanding of the hardship that lay ahead on the war front for his boy.
Herbert served in the 51st Battalion which was raised in Egypt in the first week of March 1916,
as part of the project called the “doubling” of the AIF. Approximately half of the 51st recruits were
the surviving Gallipoli veterans from the 11th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements
from Australia. Private Herbert Lewis was one of the new fresh recruits. In March 1916, the
battalion sailed for France and the Western Front.
Arriving in France on 12th June 1916, the 51st Battalion were then moved into the trenches of
the Western Front within a fortnight.
The 51st Battalion was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ross who feared that a
planned attack on the enemy for August 1916 would be a mistake. Ross was born in India to
British parents but was an Australian officer. He was living in Australia when he enlisted in the
AIF and sailed from Adelaide with the first contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops in
October 1914.
After experiencing intense bombardment leading up to the 14th of August and sufficient evidence
of the alliances being outnumbered by the Germans, he urged his senior officer Commander
General Glasgow, not to press forward. His request was overruled, and the attack was ordered
to start as planned. This was the first major battle that the 51st had to encounter and was staged
at Mouquet Farm near Pozieres from 14th August 1916. Young Herbert Lewis was engaged in
fighting in the conflict at Mouquet Farm and was taken prisoner of war by the Germans in the
first few days of that battle. The battle lasted through until September.
After Mouquet Farm, the Battalion saw out the rest of the year, alternating between front-
line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. The 51st Battalion suffered casualties
equivalent to a third of its strength in both major attacks it had launched. This routine continued
through the bleak winter of 1916-17.
Back home at Jarrahdale, Joseph and Mary Lewis received a two-lined notice from AIF Base
Records dated 14th September 1916 stating that “Private Herbert of the 51st Battalion had been
wounded and will advise if anything further received.”
There was no more information back to the family on his condition until January 1917 when
Joseph received notice that his son, Private Herbert George Lewis No. 3862 of the 51st Battalion
had been admitted to Caudry Military Hospital on the 20th August 1916 and as result of head
injuries received while a prisoner of war in France, he had died six days later on the 26th August
1916.
The actual date and location where Herbert was held prisoner of war (POW) is not clearly
defined in his war records but most likely he was an on-field prisoner and was gun butted and
left to die on the battle field shortly after his capture. The Germans were not known to waste
a lot of time taking and processing prisoners of meagre privates’ status. His war records list
sadly that he received severe head wounds while a POW. He was admitted to Caudry Military
Hospital which indicates that the AIF found him on the 20th August possibly as the Germans
were pushed back on ground that they had made at the start of this battle.
Herbert was buried two days after his death, 28th August 1916 at the Caudry Cemetery. His
religion was incorrectly listed on the death certificate as a Church of England. Private Herbert
Lewis became just one of the 23,000 casualties from the period July to September 1916
confirming the reality that the war was going to be a long event and that more volunteer soldiers
would be required if the allied forces were going to be victorious.
Submitted 13 November 2024 by Ian Lewis
Herbert George Lewis
An extract from my book "an Olive Tree in the Jarrah Forest" by Ian Lewis
In September 1915 Herbert Lewis, enlisted to go and fight in the war. His father Joseph was a
first born West Australian and a vocal and proud patriotic man with alliance to God, King and
Country. He would have been so proud of his son, the first family member to enlist, but he would
not have had a real understanding of the hardship that lay ahead on the war front for his boy.
Herbert served in the 51st Battalion which was raised in Egypt in the first week of March 1916,
as part of the project called the “doubling” of the AIF. Approximately half of the 51st recruits were
the surviving Gallipoli veterans from the 11th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements
from Australia. Private Herbert Lewis was one of the new fresh recruits. In March 1916, the
battalion sailed for France and the Western Front.
Arriving in France on 12th June 1916, the 51st Battalion were then moved into the trenches of
the Western Front within a fortnight.
The 51st Battalion was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ross who feared that a
planned attack on the enemy for August 1916 would be a mistake. Ross was born in India to
British parents but was an Australian officer. He was living in Australia when he enlisted in the
AIF and sailed from Adelaide with the first contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops in
October 1914.
After experiencing intense bombardment leading up to the 14th of August and sufficient evidence
of the alliances being outnumbered by the Germans, he urged his senior officer Commander
General Glasgow, not to press forward. His request was overruled, and the attack was ordered
to start as planned. This was the first major battle that the 51st had to encounter and was staged
at Mouquet Farm near Pozieres from 14th August 1916. Young Herbert Lewis was engaged in
fighting in the conflict at Mouquet Farm and was taken prisoner of war by the Germans in the
first few days of that battle. The battle lasted through until September.
After Mouquet Farm, the Battalion saw out the rest of the year, alternating between front-
line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. The 51st Battalion suffered casualties
equivalent to a third of its strength in both major attacks it had launched. This routine continued
through the bleak winter of 1916-17.
Back home at Jarrahdale, Joseph and Mary Lewis received a two-lined notice from AIF Base
Records dated 14th September 1916 stating that “Private Herbert of the 51st Battalion had been
wounded and will advise if anything further received.”
There was no more information back to the family on his condition until January 1917 when
Joseph received notice that his son, Private Herbert George Lewis No. 3862 of the 51st Battalion
had been admitted to Caudry Military Hospital on the 20th August 1916 and as result of head
injuries received while a prisoner of war in France, he had died six days later on the 26th August
1916.
The actual date and location where Herbert was held prisoner of war (POW) is not clearly
defined in his war records but most likely he was an on-field prisoner and was gun butted and
left to die on the battle field shortly after his capture. The Germans were not known to waste
a lot of time taking and processing prisoners of meagre privates’ status. His war records list
sadly that he received severe head wounds while a POW. He was admitted to Caudry Military
Hospital which indicates that the AIF found him on the 20th August possibly as the Germans
were pushed back on ground that they had made at the start of this battle.
Herbert was buried two days after his death, 28th August 1916 at the Caudry Cemetery. His
religion was incorrectly listed on the death certificate as a Church of England. Private Herbert
Lewis became just one of the 23,000 casualties from the period July to September 1916
confirming the reality that the war was going to be a long event and that more volunteer soldiers
would be required if the allied forces were going to be victorious.
Submitted 13 November 2024 by Ian Lewis
Herbert George Lewis
An extract from my book "an Olive Tree in the Jarrah Forest" by Ian Lewis
In September 1915 Herbert Lewis, enlisted to go and fight in the war. His father Joseph was a
first born West Australian and a vocal and proud patriotic man with alliance to God, King and
Country. He would have been so proud of his son, the first family member to enlist, but he would
not have had a real understanding of the hardship that lay ahead on the war front for his boy.
Herbert served in the 51st Battalion which was raised in Egypt in the first week of March 1916,
as part of the project called the “doubling” of the AIF. Approximately half of the 51st recruits were
the surviving Gallipoli veterans from the 11th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements
from Australia. Private Herbert Lewis was one of the new fresh recruits. In March 1916, the
battalion sailed for France and the Western Front.
Arriving in France on 12th June 1916, the 51st Battalion were then moved into the trenches of
the Western Front within a fortnight.
The 51st Battalion was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ross who feared that a
planned attack on the enemy for August 1916 would be a mistake. Ross was born in India to
British parents but was an Australian officer. He was living in Australia when he enlisted in the
AIF and sailed from Adelaide with the first contingent of Australian and New Zealand troops in
October 1914.
After experiencing intense bombardment leading up to the 14th of August and sufficient evidence
of the alliances being outnumbered by the Germans, he urged his senior officer Commander
General Glasgow, not to press forward. His request was overruled, and the attack was ordered
to start as planned. This was the first major battle that the 51st had to encounter and was staged
at Mouquet Farm near Pozieres from 14th August 1916. Young Herbert Lewis was engaged in
fighting in the conflict at Mouquet Farm and was taken prisoner of war by the Germans in the
first few days of that battle. The battle lasted through until September.
After Mouquet Farm, the Battalion saw out the rest of the year, alternating between front-
line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. The 51st Battalion suffered casualties
equivalent to a third of its strength in both major attacks it had launched. This routine continued
through the bleak winter of 1916-17.
Back home at Jarrahdale, Joseph and Mary Lewis received a two-lined notice from AIF Base
Records dated 14th September 1916 stating that “Private Herbert of the 51st Battalion had been
wounded and will advise if anything further received.”
There was no more information back to the family on his condition until January 1917 when
Joseph received notice that his son, Private Herbert George Lewis No. 3862 of the 51st Battalion
had been admitted to Caudry Military Hospital on the 20th August 1916 and as result of head
injuries received while a prisoner of war in France, he had died six days later on the 26th August
1916.
The actual date and location where Herbert was held prisoner of war (POW) is not clearly
defined in his war records but most likely he was an on-field prisoner and was gun butted and
left to die on the battle field shortly after his capture. The Germans were not known to waste
a lot of time taking and processing prisoners of meagre privates’ status. His war records list
sadly that he received severe head wounds while a POW. He was admitted to Caudry Military
Hospital which indicates that the AIF found him on the 20th August possibly as the Germans
were pushed back on ground that they had made at the start of this battle.
Herbert was buried two days after his death, 28th August 1916 at the Caudry Cemetery. His
religion was incorrectly listed on the death certificate as a Church of England. Private Herbert
Lewis became just one of the 23,000 casualties from the period July to September 1916
confirming the reality that the war was going to be a long event and that more volunteer soldiers
would be required if the allied forces were going to be victorious.
Submitted 13 November 2024 by Ian Lewis
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