Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

DUNCAN Archibald Stewart #2166 2nd Light Horse / Imperial Camel Coy

Archie Duncan was one of three sons of James and Isabella Duncan who enlisted in the Great War. Archie was born at New Farm but attended school at Caboolture. When he enlisted on 28th September 1915, he stated his occupation as station overseer and gave his address as “Dunmore” via Kilcoy. Archie was 25 years old and single.

Allocated as a reinforcement for the 2nd Light Horse, Archie boarded the “Commonwealth” in Brisbane on 28th March 1916. He had allocated 3/- a day to his mother. The reinforcements landed in Suez on 5th May and boarded trains for the Light Horse Training depot at Abassia.

The role of the Light Horse during 1916 was to defend the Suez Canal from likely incursions by Turk and German forces pushing westward from Palestine across the Sinai Peninsula towards Egypt. To assist the British and Dominion defenders, a railway line was constructed from Cairo into the Sinai, terminating at Romani. In August 1916, the Australian Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles and battalions of British Infantry dug in on the high dunes surrounding Romani to meet a Turkish and German attack. After initially falling back on 4th August, the 1st and 2nd Light Horsemen, including Archie Duncan, charged the Turkish lines on foot and took many prisoners. Romani put an end to any further threats to Egypt and the canal. The light Horse began to reorganise in preparation for a push across the Sinai and into southern Palestine.

On 2nd November 1916, Archie was allocated to the 4th Australian Camel Company and by February of 1917 was a member of the 17th Imperial Camel Company. He remained attached to the Camel Corps for the remainder of 1917.

Throughout 1917, the Ottoman forces had established a heavily defended line across southern Palestine stretching from Gaza in the west on the Mediterranean Coast to Beersheba in the east. British attempts in April and August at Gaza had failed. A new assault on the line began on 31st October when elements of the Light Horse broke through the line at Beersheba. This opened the left flank of the defenders. Two days later, Gaza fell. The Turks were now in retreat. At Bald Hill, a raiding party comprised of 100 other ranks and 6 officers from the 17th Imperial Camel Company was assembled to collect intelligence on enemy defences. Included in the raiding party was Archie Duncan.

The raiders had limited success, suffering 30% casualties. On 4th December 1917, Archie was admitted to the 35th Casualty Clearing Station with gunshot wounds to his head, chest, right thigh, left leg and left ankle. He had no doubt been raked by a burst of machine gun fire. Archie died of his wounds a week later. Meanwhile the Light Horse had ridden into Jerusalem on 9th December; the battle for Palestine was over.

Archie was initially buried near the CCS but at war’s end his remains were reinterred in the Gaza Military Cemetery.