John McGrogan ESLER

John McGrogan ESLER Update Details

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ESLER, John McGrogan

Service Number:	2599
Enlisted:	29 November 1915
Last Rank:	Trooper
Last Unit:	2nd Remount Unit
Born:	Darlington Point, New South Wales, Australia, 21 May 1895
Home Town:	Not yet discovered
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Boundary Rider
Died:	1. Coronary artery disease 2. Congestive cardiac failure, Albury, Victoria, Australia, 25 February 1965, aged 69 years
Cemetery:	Albury General Cemetery / Waugh Road, NSW Plot info: Plan: 16A Section: AF Row: P Lot: 9
Memorials:	Darlington Point Murrumbidgee Shire & Darlington Point District Great War Honor Roll

World War 1 Service

29 Nov 1915:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Trooper, 2599, 2nd Remount Unit
15 Jan 1916:	Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2599, 2nd Remount Unit, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '24' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: RMS Osterley embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: ''
31 Oct 1917:	Involvement 2599, 2nd Remount Unit, Battle of Beersheba, By Brad Thompson Charge of Beersheba Sometime in 2006, as I was compiling my family history, I took a trip deep into NSW to a place called Whitton. This was the place that my paternal grandparents were married and where my grandmother had been born. Her name was Agnes Rose Graham Esler. She was still a young girl when WW1 broke out, 10 years of age, but would had known very well what was happening as many men from the district were to leave and fight, including her brother. Her brother was John McGrogan Esler, or Jack as he was commonly known. He was a boundary rider working the big farms in the district and had decided to join. This he did on the 18th November 1915, as they were calling for riders to join the remounts. You can find their history here: http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8888/Remounts.html He was posted to Egypt, where he joined the 2nd Remount Unit, the same unit that Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson commanded. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson The role of the remounts was to take unbroken horses shipped from Australia and train them in Egypt for service across the Middle East. Primarily, this would be in what is now Israel and Palestine. Once the horses were trained, the unit would then drive them to waiting light horsemen in any location and deliver them safely. Anyway, during this visit west whilst doing my family history, I called in on as many relatives as I could to talk and copy old photograph collections before they were lost and forgotten. It was during one of these visits that I called in on Mary Thompson, who was a niece of 2599 Trooper John McGrogan Esler, and started to go through her collection and copy each of the photographs carefully. It was then I chanced upon an ageing picture of light horsemen and horses watering beside an old engine in the desert. I turned it over and noticed he had penned a detailed description: "Big watering day at Beersheba, Palestine—many of these horses had not a drink for a big number of hours until [sic] they took Beersheba. The pumping engine on the right was blown up by the retreating enemy." This was, as it turned out, the only picture in existence of horses and men watering at the end of the battle. I immediately made the best copy I could, knowing that it had to be an important picture and one that had to be shared. So once I returned home I contacted the Australian War Memorial, and the rest, as luck would have it, is history. You can now see the picture here: http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08548.001/?image=1... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba_(1917)... The only thing we don't know is if John took this photo or even if he was there… I certainly like to think he was at the charge at Beersheba, but there are no references to the Remounts being on the ground. But logically, they must have been. Following the Light Horsemen in with fresh horses and equipment. I am sure it is not a coincidence—his unit, his location, that remarkable picture!
24 Oct 1919:	Discharged AIF WW1, Trooper, 2599, 2nd Remount Unit

Help us honour John McGrogan Esler's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Brad Thompson

Charge of Beersheba

Sometime in 2006 as I was compiling my family history, I took a trip deep into NSW to a place called Whitton. This was the place that my paternal grandparents were married and where my grandmother had been born. Her name was Agnes Rose Graham Esler. She was still a young girl when WW1 broke out, 10 years of age, but would had known very well what was happening as many men from the district were to leave and fight, including her brother.

Her brother was John McGrogan Esler, or Jack as he was commonly known. He was a boundary rider working the big farms in the district and had decided to join. This he did on the 18th November 1915 as they were calling for riders to join the remounts.

You can find their history here:

http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au:8888/Remounts.html

He was posted to Egypt where he joined the 2nd Remount Unit, the same unit that Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson commanded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson

The role of the remounts was to take unbroken horses shipped from Australia and train them in Egypt for service across the Middle East. Primarily this would be in what is now Israel and Palestine. Once the horses were trained the unit would then drive them to waiting light horsemen in any location and deliver them safely.

Anyway, during this visit west whilst doing my family history I called in on as many relatives as I could to talk and copy old photograph collections before they were lost and forgotten. It was during one of these visits that I called in on Mary Thompson who was a niece of 2599 Trooper John McGrogan Esler, and started to go through her collection and copy each of the photographs carefully. It was then I chanced upon an ageing picture of light horsemen and horses watering beside an old engine in the desert. I turned it over and noticed he had penned a detailed description:

"Big watering day at Beersheba, Palestine—many of these horses had not a drink for a big number of hours until [sic] they took Beersheba. The pumping engine on the right was blown up by the retreating enemy".
This was, as it turned out, the only picture in existence of horses and men watering at the end of the battle. I immediately made the best copy I could knowing that it had to be an important picture and one that had to be shared. So once I returned home I contacted the Australian War Memorial and the rest, as luck would have it, is history. You can now see the picture here:

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08548.001/?image=1...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba_(1917)...

The only thing we don’t is if John took this photo, or even if he was there… I certainly like to think he was at the charge at Beersheba, but there are no references to the Remounts being on the ground. But logically they must have been. Following the Light Horsemen in with fresh horses and equipment. I am sure it is not a coincidence, his unit, his location, that remarkable picture!

Virtual
War Memorial
Australia