BLACK, Samuel Henry
| Service Number: | 263 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | Upotipotpon, Victoria, 1890 |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Upotipotpon North State School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 5 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Lijssenthoek, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Benalla Presbyterian Church WW1 Honour Roll, Benalla War Memorial, Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1, Violet Town Upotipotpon Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 263 | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 263, 10th Machine Gun Company, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Orontes embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 263, 10th Machine Gun Company, RMS Orontes, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Elsa Reuter
BLACK Samuel Henry 263 PTE
10th Machine Gun Coy
1890-1917
On 4 March 1916 Sam Black aged 24, and his younger brother Jack not quite 20, enlisted in WW1. Sam reckoned ‘he’d keep an eye on his younger brother’. They had left their home farm in Black’s Lane, Upotipotpon with its views looking east to the hills beyond Benalla and north across the rich grazing country of the Broken River to Stewarton. The boy’s father William was a dedicated councillor representing the north riding of the Violet Town Shire for 30 years. Their mother, Euphemia, (née Nicholson) as well as raising nine children, served as district nurse. Mary was the eldest, followed by William, Catherine (Katie), Janet, Sam, John Malcolm (only lived for 10 days), Ellen, (Nellie), John, (Jack), Margie and Phemie. In 1902 when Phemie was only two years old, Euphemia died of pneumonia, leaving the domestic care of her family to the older daughters. Mary, the eldest was then 17. The eldest son William managed the farm when his father was away on council business.
Both the boys were drafted into the 10th Machine Gun Coy, and on 16 August, after five months training at Seymour they embarked on Orontes bound for Plymouth. They were sent to Lark Hill for further machine gun training, then to France for action on the western front. Early in 1917 both boys had a spell of illness with mumps and pleurisy. When discharged from hospital at St Omer they re-joined their company which was engaged in hostilities at Vlamertinghe, west of the town of Ypres in Belgium. From July to November 1917 the third battle of Ypres, often known as Passchendaele, was being fought.
On 4 October both men were wounded in action, Sam was the most serious and died the following day, Jack’s injuries were not life threatening and he survived. Their names are listed in the Unit Diary casualties.
The grieving family back home at Upotipotpon inserted the following poem in the Argus newspaper soon after receiving the news of Sam’s death:
BLACK: In loving memory of our dear brother No 263 Private Samuel Henry Black of 10th Machine Gun Company who died of wounds at the 17th CCS France on 11 October 1917, beloved son of W J Black of Upotipotpon, brother of John (now on active service), Willie, Mary, Katie, Janet, Nellie, Margie and Phemie
He has crossed the grand horizon
Of eternity’s great span
He has earned the crowning glory
Of a brother and a man
(Inserted by his sorrowing sisters Janet and Nellie)
Argus 4 October 1918
A Memorial Plaque and Scroll as well as Sam’s service medals - the British War Medal and the Victory Medal - were forwarded to Sam’s father in 1921.
Sam’s father William received many a tribute to his son. The following is from his Section leader, LT Humber who writes ‘It is with deepest sympathy that I write you this letter. PTE Black was in my section and came into the line with me on 3 October. We carried on with our work and had practically finished when he was severely wounded. Since then I have been notified that he died a few days later. . . he did great work and was one of the coolest men I have ever had under my command and I was deeply grieved at losing one of my best men. He died for King and country and nobly carried out his duties with the same old smile that has pulled our boys through many a tight corner. The men of his section wish me to convey their deepest sympathy.’
In a letter home Sam’s brother Jack, also wounded, told how he had waited in the rain for stretcher bearers to take Sam to a CCS. He writes that the news of Sam’s death is ‘terribly hard to bear, for although we knew of the risk we ran we never ever thought of such a thing. . . . I have always looked forward to us returning home, but it is robbed of all its joy now. I can’t write any more about it. I have lost all my mates here too . . . I can’t wish you a merry Christmas under the circumstances but be as cheerful as possible. Don’t worry about me; I’ll manage to dodge old Fritz alright.’
A century later, the boys’ niece June recalls that her mother, the baby Phemie, always spoke of her brother Sam as being gentle and kind.
A Memorial Avenue was planted in 1918 but the site has never been confirmed. The trees used in the 1917 planting were mostly Brachychiton acerifolius – Illawarra Flame Trees – so it can be assumed that these trees were also planted in 1918. There are a few of them dotted around the town but the question is still asked – are these part of the 1918 Avenue? Copper plaques were used to identify the trees and the two Black boys’ plaques are affixed to the exterior wall of the Memorial Hall.
The Upotipotpon North State School was moved to a site south of Benalla in 1915 which became known as Burke’s Hill State School. Later the building was moved to Warranbayne West.
© 2016 Sheila Burnell