Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Pte 4795 Hector Goldsbrough, 56th Australian Infantry Battalion
 
On the battlefields and the cemeteries of the Somme, grow and bloom millions of poppies which undulate in the breeze of the spring wind in which is heard, among the songs of the birds, the voices of the past, the voices of a whole generation of men, who, more than a hundred years ago, fought and fell on these soils of France on which so much blood was shed and on which, young forever, they always stand proudly and rest in peace, in the peaceful silence of what was once hell on earth and in which, united and strong, brave and determined, they gave their youth and their lives. Gone but not and never forgotten, we will always honor their memory with love and respect so that through the days and nights of a present and a peaceful future, they can live forever and never be forgotten.

Today, it is the memory of one of these young men, one of my boys of the Somme who gave his today for our tomorrow that I would like to honor with in my heart, the deepest gratitude, I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Private number 4795 Hector Goldsbrough who fought in the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion and who died of his wounds 104 years ago,on April 4, 1917 at the age of 23 on the Somme front.

Hector Goldsbrough was born in 1894 in Sydney, New South Wales, and was the son of William and Emma Goldsbrough, of 28 Crescent Street, Manly, New South Wales. Hector was educated at Manly Superior Public School, New South Wales, and before the outbreak of the war, he worked as a farm hand.
Enlisted on November 22, 1915 in Liverpool, New South Wales, in the 4th Australian Infantry Battalion,15th Reinforcement,he embarked with his unit from Sydney, on board HMAT A15 Star Of England on March 8, 1916 and sailed for Egypt where he arrived a month later, on April 20, 1916 and was transferred to the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion, 5th AIF Division.Two months later, on June 19, 1916, Hector and the 56th Battalion joined Alexandria where, alongside the BEF (British Expeditionary Force), they embarked on board Huntsend and sailed for France where he was disembarked in Marseilles three weeks later , on June 29, 1916.

Arriving in France on 29 June 1916, the battalion entered the frontline trenches for the first time on 12 July and fought its first major battle at Fromelles a week later. The battle was a disaster, resulting in heavy casualties across the division. Despite these losses the 5th Division continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months.

Two months later, on October 8, 1916, Hector was sent to the Somme to Lewis Gun School of Instruction and a week later, on October 15, he joined his battalion in the front line.

After a freezing winter manning trenches in the Somme Valley, in early 1917 the 56th Battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. It was spared the assault but did, however, defend gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt.

Unfortunately, it was not far from the Somme, more precisely in Louverval, during the attack of April 2, 1917 by the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion aiming to capture the castle and the village of Louverval that Hector was seriously wounded in the chest while he was in charge of a machine gun section and was immediately evacuated to Pozieres, Somme, where he was admitted to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station but his injuries were so severe that he died two days later, on April 4, 1917 despite the care of the medical officers who did everything in their power for him.
Today, Hector Goldsbrough rests in peace with his friends, comrades and brothers in arms at Pozieres British Cemetery, Ovillers-La Boisselle, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "There is no death what seems so is transition".

Hector Goldsbrough had two brothers who fought and did their duty with bravery during the first world war
Private number 4191 Milton Goldsbrough who fought in the 4th Australian Infantry Battalion, he survived the war and returned to Australia on July 4, 1919.
Private number 2172 Roy Goldsbrough who fought in the 56th Australian Infantry Battalion, unfortunately he was killed in action on May 16, 1917 at Bullecourt but unfortunately his body was never found, he is today remembered and honored at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux, Somme, he was 21 years old.

Hector, Milton, Roy, you who, together, for your country, under the colors of your flag have served with honor and bravery on the soils of France where poppies grow, I would like, with all my heart and with the greatest of respects say thank you.in the horror and the mud of the trenches, side by side, you fought with courage and perseverance under the rain of tons of steel which poured through the flames, the howling cannons which pulverized every meter of ground in gigantic explosions which transformed landscapes that were once peaceful and flowery into a field of death scarified by kilometers of barbed wire and shell holes in which, side by side, fought and were mown down a whole generation of men who shed their blood and tears together.in the cold and in the mud which they dragged under their boots and on their uniforms, under which, for peace, for justice and freedom they gave their youth through the worst battlefields of the great war which shattered so much of lives and hopes, of families who received the terrible news of the death of their loved ones who, in the trenches did their duty and gave their today, they gave their all and paid the supreme sacrifice of their lives through rains of bullets.Young and proud, they bravely endured the horrors and endless days of a world at war which brought down so many of their friends and comrades with whom they shared the weight of the war that they carried on their young but strong shoulders, side by side, they shared the sorrows and moments of joy linked by indefectible bonds of camaraderie, it is together in the face of adversity, in unity, in friendship that they remained strong and determined and that they moved forward, with strength and determination, they marched with conviction and bravery towards their destinies under the infernal fire of the machine guns which broke so many heroic and courageous assaults.Brave among the bravest, they fought like lions with in their hearts, the love of their country for which, in a last charge, fighting for the future and humanity, they fell and gave their lives on the poppies that today grow between the rows of their graves.Forever young, it is in camaraderie and in unity that they rest in peace under the peaceful sun of the Somme which puts in its light all this generation of men for whom I have the greatest respect.and it is with love, with the highest respect that I would always watch over them and share their story to bring them back to life so that they are never forgotten and that their names, their stories, their faces remain forever alive, young, brave and smiling in our hearts and minds, I will always be their devoted and faithful guardian. Thank you Hector, Milton, Roy, for all you have done and gave for us.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember them.