STEVENSON, Ralph
| Service Number: | 907 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 February 1915, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Moglonemby, Victoria, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Boho State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Pozières, France, 27 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Euroa Telegraph Park, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), Violet Town 'Unknown' WW1 Honour Roll, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 907, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 907, 22nd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 10 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 907, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 30 Aug 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 907, 22nd Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 27 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 907, 22nd Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières |
Help us honour Ralph Stevenson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elsa Reuter
STEVENSON Ralph 907 PTE
22nd Battalion
1893-1916
Ralph was 21 years old when he enlisted on 9 February 1915. His two older brothers Jack and Bill had joined up the previous year; two more were to leave the family farm at Boho the following July.
On 8 May, after preliminary army training, Ralph embarked on HMAT Ulysses for Egypt as part of the 22nd Battalion. After disembarking at Alexandria, training at Heliopolis Camp readied the troops for operations on Gallipoli. While on Gallipoli Ralph had two trips to hospital; the first was in November, suffering from mumps, the second in December, this time suffering with frostbite. There followed a month at Heloan Convalescent Camp near Cairo, after which Ralph re-joined his unit in the Canal Zone. In March 1916 the battalion embarked for Marseilles, arriving at the end of the month. It entrained to the Somme battlefield in northern France just after the Fromelles blood-bath.
The 22nd Battalion experienced its first major action at Pozieres. Between 27 July and 4 August Ralph was reported ‘Missing in Action’ which was later altered to ‘Killed in Action’. The following report taken from the a Court of Inquiry gives dependable evidence of what Ralph’s end was:
‘I was quite close to Ralph Stevenson when he was wounded on the night of Aug 4-5th during the attack on Pozieres Ridge. I saw him fall and that is all. I had to go straight on and leave him, and I hever heard anything more of him. I am quite certain that none of our men were taken prisoners that night, as the enemy flew from us and ran away as we came near. We left Sausage Valley about 5 pm on Aug 4th to go forward ready for the attack. Our battalion took Pozieres Ridge that night and held it. Any of our men missing that night must have been killed. We were relieved about 4 pm on Aug 5th . Ralph Stevenson was hit soon after going over our parapet about 500 yards behind the position we took. I believe I was the only one who saw him fall, as he was beside me. He was reported wounded on account of the information I gave. He was one of my section.’
Information:- SGT John Lynch 855, 3rd Southern General Hospital, Oxford..’
Ralph is buried in the Villers-Bretonneux War Cemetery, France.
A Memorial Scroll and Plaque were forward to Ralph’s father in 1921.
Service Medals: 1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal
Memorials: Main Honour Board, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Boho State School Honour Board
Boho Honor Board
Tree No 47 was planted by Ralph’s brother Seth in 1917.
In 2013 a Ceratonia siluiqua - Carob - was planted by members of the Stevenson family.
© 2016 Sheila Burnell
Click images to start slideshow.