Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From Francois Berthout

Pte 2529 William Nathan Ashworth,
44th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company,
11th Brigade, 3rd Australian Division of the AIF
 
In the Somme, so beautiful and so peaceful in these spring days, stand in the light, in remembrance, the graves of thousands of young men who, for their country and their loved ones fought so far from home, at the other side of the world on the battlefields of the Somme in the north of France and alongside their comrades, they set foot in a hell of fire and blood but brave among the bravest, stood tall and courageous in the darkness of the trenches and fought with loyalty, with determination and honor often disregarding their own lives to save their brothers who, with them, in Amiens, in Villers-Bretonneux and Pozieres, fought so hard to preserve the peace while wondering if they would have a future but, in fraternity, in camaraderie, the young Diggers moved forward united to save my country, to make peace prevail and give future generations a future, a world without war in which happiness and smiles would be heard then under the bullets, under the shells, to the sound of the whistles, they came out of the trenches and, their eyes turned towards the horizon, did their duty until their last breath and fell so that the sun could shine again. They were young and gave everything they had to protect our way of life so for them, I would give them my years, my today so that their memory, so that the names of these heroes to whom I owe so much, live forever.

Today, it is with the utmost respect and with the deepest feeling of gratitude that I would like to honor the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who, for Australia and France, for all of us, gave his life. I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 2529 William Nathan Ashworth who fought in the 44th Australian Infantry Battalion, D Company, 11th Brigade, 3rd Australian Division of the Australian Imperial Force, and who was killed in action 106 years ago, on April 16, 1918 at the age of 25 on the Somme front.

William Nathan Ashworth was born in 1893 in York, Western Australia, and was the son of Ralph Ashworth (1851-1937) and Elizabeth Ashworth (née Young, 1857-1952), of Red Hill Farm, Balladon, York. He had four sisters, Elizabeth Charlotte Ashworth (1874-1954), Sarah Matilda Ashworth, Margaret Louisa Ashworth, Janet Esther Ashworth and five brothers, Ralph Ed Ashworth, Thomas Henry Ashworth, Albert Ashworth, Charles Alexander Ashworth (1887-1955) and Leslie Roy Ashworth. William was educated at York State School and after graduation worked as a farm labourer until the outbreak of the war.

Driven forward by a strong spirit of camaraderie and patriotism and hoping to experience a great adventure, William enlisted on July 24, 1916 in York in the 44th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th Reinforcement, which was raised in February 1916 in Claremont, in Perth's suburbs, and quickly became known as "Old Bill's Thousand" after his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge (who in 1921, after the war became Resident Magistrate at Broome). After a training period of just over three months at Blackboy Hill Camp where he learned the basics of combat including the handling of the Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet charges, he embarked with his unit from Fremantle, Western Australia, on board HMAT A8 Argyllshire on November 9, 1916 and sailed for England, arrived at Devonport on January 10, 1917 then, after a new period of training on Salisbury Plain with the 11th Training Battalion, proceeded overseas for France on April 5, 1917 from Folkestone.

After a quick trip across the Channel, in the peace of the waves, William arrived in France and was disembarked at Etaples on April 6, 1917 where he joined the 3rd Australian Divisional Base Depot then marched out to unit on April 8 and taken on strength on April 9 in the 44th Battalion on the field, in shelters called Catacombs located on "Hill 63", near Pont-De-Nieppe where after having acclimatized to his unit, he followed a period of training. A little more a week later, on April 20, the men of the 44th Battalion were sent to the Ypres Salient and entered the Ploegsteert trenches from where they relieved the 43rd Australian Infantry Battalion. Their stay in this sector was relatively brief and calm then were relieved on April 27 by the 40th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched to Armentieres where they remained until May 4.

On May 5, 1917, William and the units of the 44th Battalion left Armentieres and moved to Seninghem then from there, on May 20, marched through Strazeele, Steenwerck and moved back into billets to Pont-De-Nieppe where they arrived on May 23 and here , were employed in working parties before moving back to Ploegsteert on June 2 but less than a week later, on June 7, were involved in their first major engagement during the Battle of Messines.

The Battle of Messines was designed to seize the strategic high ground of the Wyschaete-Messines ridge south of Ypres.

This German position formed a bulge or salient that projected into the Allied lines.

To meet their campaign east of Ypres, the Allies had to capture the crest which was known as the "black line" and then take the "Oostaverne Line" on the eastern slope.

These objectives were assigned to Australia’s 3rd Division under Major-General John Monash, together with the New Zealand Division and 25th British Division under General Sir Herbert Plumer,the commander of the Second Army, with a reputation for meticulous planning.

The attack was carefully planned with models of the terrain and intelligence gathered by aerial reconnaissance.

This part of the Messines sector had seen a grim contest between Allied and German tunnelers trying to create a labyrinth underneath each other.

During this subterranean warfare, the Allies managed to lay enormous quantities of explosives in a series of 19 mines.

The detonation nearly obliterated the entire German front line and arguably ushered in a form of industrialised destruction and killing not experienced before.

It dug out huge craters, flung German cement pillboxes aside, and left surviving German troops dazed, confused and demoralised.

Since then, the detonation has been described as the largest war-time explosion until the advent of the atomic bomb in the Second World War.

The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 described the explosions in almost ethereal terms:
"At 3.10 a number of big guns began to fire and then the trench-walls rocked near Wytschaete, a huge bubble was swelling mushroom-shaped, from the earth, and then burst to cast a molten, rosy glow on the under-surface of some dense cloud low above it. As its brilliance faded two more bubbles burst beside it. During twenty seconds the same thing happened again and again, from the right to the far left."

The detonation was the centrepiece of the Allied attack, but it was supported by artillery bombardment in the previous week.

The Germans responded with their own barrages that caused more than 500 casualties in the 3rd Division.
Not all German positions had been subject to such destruction. The 33rd Battalion had to overcome determined German resistance on the southern edge of the battlegrounds.

German resistance was also renewed before the second phase of the attack, just after 5am when the Allies were reinforcing themselves.

The Allies moved on relentlessly and took the village of Messines. Despite meeting fiercer German resistance, they achieved most of their objectives.
The fighting among the pillboxes was brutal. Australia’s Official War Historian Charles Bean described it as "… marked by a ferocity that renders the reading of any true narrative peculiarly unpleasant … the rules of "civilised" war are powerless".

Detonating the mines at Messines provided an enormous advantage for the Allies but it still proved costly, with the Australians suffering 6,000 casualties.
During the day of June 7, 1917, William and his unit fought courageously but the 44th Battalion suffered 30 casualties including 22 killed. On June 8, the 44th Battalion led an attack on the enemy lines between Ploegsteert and the Douve River to capture and hold a portion of the enemy line called the "green line". This attack, extending over a front of 1100 yards, was successful but was extremely deadly for the battalion which lost 300 men. However, William, marked by the horrors he had seen in Messines survived this hell then on the night of June 11 to 12, the 44th Battalion was relieved by the 43rd and marched to Hillside Camp in Neuve-Eglise for a brief period of rest. On June 13, they moved for a another camp at Doulieu where they received reinforcements then, after a rapid reorganization, followed a period of training and on June 22 took up position on the front line east of Messines where the 44th relieved the 9th Battalion of Loyal North Lancashire Regiment under brutal artillery fire from both sides of the front and also had to face bombardment by gas shells and during the days that followed, William and his comrades had to dig deeper trenches (about 6 feet deep) to attempt to improve their protection against the artillery which remained very active and regularly destroyed the lines of communication which had to be repaired almost every day. The enemy snipers also caused losses in the ranks of the 44th who, despite this nightmare, courageously held the line and on the night of 28 to 29 June were finally relieved by the 42nd Australian Infantry battalion and marched in support line.

On July 6, 1917, the men of the 44th Battalion moved back to the Messines front line and were witnesses to an air combat which ended tragically with the death of a German pilot whose aircraft crashed in flames. The enemy artillery was still very active but no major action was carried out on either side of the front then on the night of August 3 to 4, they were relieved by the 16th Australian Infantry Battalion and marched to Aldershot Camp then to No2 Hutment Site where three days later, on August 7, they received a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Clark replacing Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge at the head of the battalion which on August 22, marched to Wizernes and embarked by train for Merck-Saint-Lievin where They remained until September 23, when they were reviewed by Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig who was greatly impressed by the Australians and their fighting spirit.

On September 24, 1917, William and the 44th Battalion left Merck-Saint-Lievin and marched through Blaringhem, Eecke and arrived in Poperinge, Belgium on September 26 where they trained until October 2 and then on the night of 3 to 4 October, took up position at Ypres then took part in the battle of Broodseinde ridge.

The battle of Broodseinde Ridge was the third operation launched by British general Herbert Plummer as part of the Ypres offensive of 1917. It was a large operation, involving twelve divisions, including those of both 1st and 2nd ANZAC. The attack was planned on the same basis as its predecessors - the attacking troops' objectives were approximately 1,500 metres deep, the advance would be preceded by a massive artillery bombardment; and a creeping barrage would lead the troops on to their objectives and then protect them while they consolidated their positions.

The attack began before dawn on 4 October 1917. The Australian troops involved were shelled heavily on their start line and a seventh of their number became casualties even before the attack began. When it did, the attacking troops were confronted by a line of troops advancing towards them; the Germans had chosen the same morning to launch an attack of their own. The Australians forged on through the German assault waves and gained all their objectives along the ridge. It was not without cost, however. German pillboxes were characteristically difficult to subdue, and the Australian divisions suffered 6,500 casualties.
The 44th Battalion suffered heavily during the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge and out of a force of 992 men who took part in the battle, only 158 were still standing unwounded including William who, on October 9, with his unit, were relieved by the Canadians and marched to Vlamertinge Camp where they stayed until October 21 then the next day moved to St Pierre, near Hazebrouck for reorganization and training.

On November 1, 1917, the men of the 44th Battalion left St Pierre and moved to Remilly-Wirquin where they followed a period of tactical exercises until November 11 then the following day, marched through Wittes, Outtersteene and arrived at Bulford Camp, near de Seule on November 16. Here, intensive training continued including bayonet fights, Lewis Gun, bombing, wiring, close order drill, musketry, anti-gas practice and route march. Each afternoon was devoted to moments of recreation such as football (Australian game) soccer, hockey and mobbing, which helped to keep the morale of the men very high.

On December 15, 1917, the units of the 44th left Bulford Camp and moved to Wakefield Camp where they were reviewed by General William Riddell Birdwood who was described as "short and dapper in figure, a vigorous, brave, upright and understanding leader of fighting men" by Charles Bean then on December 19 marched for Waterlands Camp and the next day took position in the Bois-Grenier sector, between "Rue Fleurie-La Vesee-Canteen Farm", a rather calm sector compared to the battles fought by the 44th during the preceding months around Ypres. In Bois-Grenier, William unknowingly celebrated the last Christmas of his young life around an "excellent Xmas dinner shared by all under the snow" then on January 1, 1918, each man had cocoa, biscuits and cigarettes, a comfort greatly appreciated after the mud of the trenches.

On 3 January 1918, the 44th Battalion was relieved by the 2nd/5th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment and moved to Wakefield Huts near Erquinghem where hot tea was given to all on arrival and after two hours of rest, a new training period began lasting 3.5 hours each day followed by two hours of relaxation then on January 28 moved back to Ploegsteert Wood, near Ypres, where they again suffered from furious fighting and devastating artillery before being relieved on February 5 and moved to rest at Ingersoll Camp near Nieppe, in northern France.

One month later, on March 21, 1918, reinforced by fresh troops coming from the Eastern Front, in a last desperate attempt to break the Allied lines on the Western Front, the Germans, then in numerical superiority facing to exhausted allied troops, launch their last offensive of the war called "spring offensive" better known under the name of "Operation Michael" with the main objective of taking the vital railway junction of Amiens, in the Somme before rushing towards Paris.

with this large-scale offensive German General Erich Ludendorff thought he could win the war with one final blow. He planned to punch holes between the French and British armies. Then he would drive through their trenches to the English Channel, isolating and destroying the British army. For a brief moment, the war had suddenly swung in Germany’s favour by March 1918.

The attack began 4.40am with one of the most intense bombardments of the war. More than 3.5 million shells were fired from 6,600 artillery guns within 5 hours, the infantry assault went in along a 46-mile front to mark the start of the offensive.

The Spring Offensive almost worked, the British were heavily outnumbered at first,65 German divisions took part in the initial attacks against just 26 British divisions. Within days, the British army had suffered some 50,000 casualties. Altogether, about a half-million French, British and American troops were killed or wounded during the entire offensive. It was the second worst day for the British Army during the First World War, surpassed only by the number of casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1,1916.

But within a month, the German offensive was slowing. They could get neither supplies nor reinforcements to the English Channel. Germany had left 1 million soldiers behind in the east to occupy and annex huge sections of conquered Eastern Europe and western Russia.

The British and French had learned new ways of strategic retreat. By summer of 1918, the Germans were exhausted. In August 1918, the Allies began a counter-offensive with the support of 1-2 million fresh American troops and using new artillery techniques and operational methods. This Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8th August to 11th November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive resulted in the Germans retreating or being driven from all of the ground taken in the Spring Offensive, the collapse of the Hindenburg Line and the capitulation of the German Empire that November.

On March 21, 1918, the Germans rampaged across the Somme and Australian troops were called for help before France was crushed and on April 26, William and the 44th Battalion finally arrived in the Somme, at Doullens then marched through Bus-Les-Artois, Bertrancourt, Coigneux, Bayencourt and arrived the next day in billets at Heilly. From there, on March 28, they embarked by motorized bus for Bonnay then at 11:00am, marched for the front line at Sailly-Le -Sec, north of Vaux-Sur-Somme and on the night of March 28 to 29, driven by a very strong fighting spirit, attacked and took an enemy line along the Somme river with the precise and effective support of the Australian artillery. Following this, the Germans, stunned by the bravery of the Australian troops, withdrew to the opposite banks of the Somme and launched counterattacks which were repulsed and William, with the men of his units immediately worked to consolidate the positions gained, receiving the support of several machine guns equipped with 500 bullets each and were ready to repel any new enemy assault who began to shell the positions of the 44th from April 2 but huge numbers of German guns were quickly silenced thanks to the fire from Australian counter batteries then on April 4, the Germans tried to attack but were once again mowed down by Australian machine gunners who fought with coolness in the face of numerous enemy waves then on April 7, heavy rain began to fall and a liquid, sticky mud began to invade the trenches and without protection against this, wet, frozen, suffered cruelly but held on bravely.

On April 8, 1918, William, exhausted, moved back to Bonnay where he and his unit had a bath, received clean uniforms, which was more than appreciated then the next day, moved back to the front line at Sailly-Le-Sec where unfortunately he met his fate eight days later and was killed in action by a shell on April 16, 1918, he was 25 years old.

After William's death, an article was published as follows in the Eastern Districts Chronicles on July 5, 1918:
The following letters have been received by Mr ralph Ashworth of "Red Hill Farm", Balladong,concerning the death of his son on April 16,and previously referred in these columns.

The Chaplain of the 44th Battalion, AIF, Writes:
"Dear mr Ashworth, I am so sorry your boy, William Nathan Ashworth, of D Company,44th Company was killed by shell fire on the evening of April 16, 1918 between 7 and 8 o'clock. He is buried in a military cemetery alongside other Western Australian lads of the Battalion,and his grave will be marked by a cross bearing his name, unit, etc. Please accept my sympathy. We are having a trying time but the lads are cheerful and brave. I pray God may comfort you and yours." (E.O Phillips,chaplain.)

From captain Edgar C. Adams,Commanding Officer:
"Dear Sir,I regret to to have to confirm the sad news,conveyed previously to you by the military authorities,of the death of your son,Private William Nathan Ashworth. He, with a party ,was returning to the trenches to resume duty there after having benn out for a short rest. The enemy commenced shelling the road,and before shelter could be reached your son was killed. A shell struck the road close to him and he was killed by concussion. You will be somewhat consoled to know that the body was brought down to a military cemetery behind the lines,and there given proper and decent burial. Your son was a good all-round soldier and a much valued member of the Lewis Gun team to which he belonged. He had many friends among the Company and will be very much missed from among us both as a good companion and as a good soldier. Sincere sympathy to yourself and family in your sad bereavement."

Today, William Nathan Ashworth rests in peace alongside his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at the Bonnay Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription: "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away our dear son."

One of William's brothers, Private number 5047 Charles Alexander Ashworth, who was affectionately called "Alec", also served bravely during the war in the 10th Australian Light Horse Regiment. Alexander survived the war and returned to Australia on the 10th July 1919. He died peacefully on May 8, 1955 at the age of 67 of natural causes in York, Western Australia and today rests in peace in York Cemetery.
William, so young, in the first hours of a life full of expectations, hopes and promises, it is under the Australian sun that your head is held high, after having heard the funeral bells that come the hour for you to respond to the call of duty and without hesitation, more than a century ago, you took a step forward following your heart and under the worried and proud eyes of your loved ones, you walked to join your friends and brothers who, all together, proudly wearing the colors of Australia came together for a common goal, around values which guided an entire generation, all the youth of a great nation which fought not for the king but for the comrades, the friends who stood by their side and who, in the hospitals, in the trenches of the north of France, watched over each other in the most beautiful bond of camaraderie, in a spirit of common effort, of gallantry, of solidarity and courage, a spirit that was born in the darkest hours and through it shone the beauty of the humanity of young men who, shoulder to shoulder, in Gallipoli, in Fromelles, in Messines, in Villers-Bretonneux, in Amiens , wrote the legend of the ANZAC spirit which can be read today through the poppies on which so much blood was shed for freedom, in the name of the peace for which these young men, these friends, these brothers and fathers came from the other side of the world, not to kill men they did not know in front of them in the trenches but so that their children, their mothers, their fiancées can live free in a more serene world in which suffering of war give way to happiness, smiles and respect which would unite in the face of adversity, which would unite future generations to preserve peace and which, in the face of new threats, would recount what so many women and men sacrificed for us so that the war disappears forever.They were brave, they were strong and proud and in the madness of murderous battles, under the bullets, under the shells, always found a hand to prevent them from sinking into madness, the smile of a friend to make despair disappear thus that the fears which gripped them, they found in each other the reason to fight, the strength and the courage to climb the wooden ladders to go over the top in front of the death which awaited them lurking in the putrid mud of the slaughterhouses , fields of execution where every step forward was an act of faith, an act of bravery that all these men accomplished with loyalty then, in action, despite the shivers that paralyzed their legs, charged to the end of the path , to the horizon line with the reassurance that they were not alone and that if they died, they would not be left behind, they would not be forgotten so one step after the other, their boots and their knees deep in the mud, gave their all knowing that they were fighting the good fight and that it was worth all the sacrifices.Here, on the sacred grounds of the Somme, we never forget what we owe to these exceptional men whom we call with affection our Diggers, whom I like to call with tenderness my boys of the Somme and whom we will forever love as our sons. We didn't know them all, but when I walk in front of their white tombs, I feel so close to them, as if I had known them for so many years and today more than ever, just a few days of ANZAC DAY, I feel so proud to be there to watch over them, to be there to perpetuate their memory and to walk in their footprints to keep the ANZAC spirit alive but also to keep the solemn friendship strong which unites Australia and France.To these young men, we owe so much so what could we say to them if they were standing in front of us to honor their sacrifices, as a message that would also be carried by our children later? "Respect others, live in peace, the only true thank you. Never forget why and thanks to whom we can live free, never forget the diggers and act with your heart to preserve peace so that the memory of these heroes is forever respected with honor and dignity. "Thank you so much William, from the depths of my heart. France will never forget.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.