Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

1st November, 2014
100 years ago the first Diggers left Albany WA to go to war. Among them was my Gran Neilson's brother, Albert James Whalan, one of the first to sign up. He was known as Bert, but for some reason signed up as James. He was on board The transport ship HMAS A14 Euripides.

Here is a little story about him from the Maitland Mercury Tuesday 21st March 1916 after his return.

A Returned Soldier.
Private Bert Whalan, a returned soldier, who went through practically the whole campaign at Gallipoli, and who has been in invalided, home through an attack of enteric fever, was in Maitland to-day visiting a number of friends. Private Whalan resides in Newcastle, but is well-known in the Maitland district. He was one of the first of the Australians to enlist. He was altogether 20 weeks and two days fighting in the trenches, and was lucky to have escaped, without a wound, though he had many narrow shaves. He landed at Anzac on April 25, and fought on the first day under Colonel McNaughten, who was unfortunately killed the second day after landing, when someone, supposed to be a German spy, gave the order to the Australians to advance, but It was never properly ascertained, he says, who gave the order. Private Whalan had some narrow escapes at Lone Pine, but got across to the Turks' trenches without being hit. He was with D Company, under Major Heane, at Lone Pine. The company went into, battle 235 strong, and came out with 51, all the rest being either killed or wounded. That was on the occasion when the company was to create a diversion in the enemy ranks, and keep them busy while the landing was being effected at Suvla Bay. The Turkish trenches, however, were filled with dead, and though the Australian losses were great, those of the Turks were greater. The Turks, he says, are great fighters, and though it was said they would run, they always came back again with the greatest courage and daring. On the first day of the landing the Australians did not advance on the average more than 50 yards. The Turks fought desperately and were not only good, clean fighters, but good fellows. While he was at Gallipoli the weather was perfect. He only experienced one cold night, and then his toes were nearly frozen. When he was attacked with enteric he was sent to Lemnos Island, thence to Egypt. He saw a Maitlander, Private Jim Broderick, who was killed at Gallipoli, on the morning of the big attack, the poor boy being shot through the mouth while firing at the Turks from the trenches. The Australians, he says, had wonderful sources of information on the battlefield. As an instance, he relates that on the occasion of one big attack the men were told that the Turks intended to attack at three o'clock in the morning, and sure enough they did, but they were repulsed with great slaughter. Private Whalan returned to Sydney on last Saturday week, and expects to remain here for the next three months.