Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

David Gillies was born on 11/11/1879 in Brisbane, the son of Thomas and Helen Gillies of Ruth St, South Brisbane.

David Gillies attended Dutton Park State School and became a Rugby (Union) footballer of note in his early twenties.

He was Captain of South’s Electorate Rugby Union team in Brisbane during the 1900’s and was selected in the Queensland 1900,1901,1902,1903 and 1904 Rugby Union teams that played against NSW, Great Britain and the New Zealand All Blacks.

His Qld representative games and positions played are as follows:

VERSUS DATE POSITION PLAYED WHERE GAME HELD SCORE
NSW 21/7/1900 Front Row SCG Lost 9 - 11
NSW 1/9/1900 Front Row Gabba Won 8 - 0
NSW 8/9/1900 Front Row Gabba Won 20 - 0
NSW 13/7/1901 Hooker SCG Lost 10 - 17
NSW 20/7/1901 Hooker Sydney Showground Lost 8 -11
NSW 24/8/1901 Hooker Exhibition Ground Won 25 –11
NSW 31/8/1901 Hooker Exhibition Ground Won 15 – 6
NSW 12/7/1902 2nd Row Sydney Uni Oval Lost 13 – 24
NSW 19/7/1902 2nd Row Sydney Uni Oval Lost 8 – 13
NSW 30/8/1902 Hooker Exhibition Ground Won 16 –11
NSW 6/9/1902 Hooker Exhibition Ground Lost 8 – 13
NSW 11/7/1903 Breakaway Sydney Showground Lost 6 -11
N Z 8/8/1903 Breakaway Exhibition Ground Lost 0 – 28
NSW 5/9/1903 Breakaway Exhibition Ground Lost 3 – 11
NSW 11/6/1904 No 8 Sydney Uni Oval Lost 6 – 11
NSW 16/6/1904 No 8 Sydney Showground Won 11 – 7
GREAT BRITIAN 9/7/1904 Hooker Exhibition Ground Lost 5 – 24

In 1908, because of the dispute among Union players not being paid and the rise of Rugby League, he, along with a number of Rugby Union players were expelled from The Rugby Union.
2.
In 1909, he became one of the first Rugby League referees
The Brisbane Courier 20th June 1909
RUGBY FOOTBALL.
QUEENSLAND AMATEUR LEAGUE
The weekly meeting of the Executive of the Queensland Amateur Rugby League was held on Monday evening.
Mr. D. Gillies was selected to referee the return contest this afternoon

When war was declared, he enlisted in Brisbane on the 6th October 1914 as a Private no.893 in the 15th Infantry Battalion at the age of 34.

Australian Military Units - 15th Battalion

Formation and service at Gallipoli
The 15th Battalion was originally raised as part of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in September 1914. Drawing personnel from volunteers from Queensland and Tasmania, it formed part of the 4th Brigade, along with the 13th, 14th, and 16th Battalions.[1] With an authorised strength of 1,023 men,[2] the battalion initially consisted of eight companies, of which six came from Queensland and two from Tasmania. The Queensland companies concentrated at Enoggera in September and began initial training, while the Tasmanians formed at Claremont in October. In late November, the battalion concentrated at Broadmeadows, Victoria, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Cannan, who later rose to become Quartermaster General during World War II.[3] Many of the battalion's officers and non-commissioned officers had previously served in the Citizens Forces and a few had fought in South Africa during the Boer War or in India with the British Army.[4] Following a short period of training, the battalion embarked for overseas on the transport ship SS Ceramic in late December 1914, after marching through the streets of Melbourne.[5] Initially it had been planned to send the Australians to fight against the Germans on the Western Front, but overcrowding and poor conditions in the training camps in the United Kingdom had resulted in the first Australian contingent, the 1st Division, being sent to Egypt instead.[6] There they commenced training and briefly undertook defensive duties around Kantara, when Ottoman forces raided the Suez Canal.
Travelling via Albany, Western Australia, and then through the Suez Canal, the 4th Brigade disembarked at Alexandria on 3 February 1915 and moved into camp at Heliopolis, where it was assigned to Major General Alexander Godley's New Zealand and Australian Division. Upon arrival, the battalion was reorganised by merging the eight companies into four larger companies, designated 'A' through to 'D'. Shortly afterwards, the battalion's first draft of reinforcements arrived and an extensive period of training in the desert followed throughout February and March. Finally, on 10 April, the 15th Battalion was moved by train to Alexandria, where it embarked upon the troopships Seeang Bee and Australind, bound for Gallipoli.[8] After leaving Alexandria, the 15th Battalion sailed to Mudros, where the Allied force assembled prior to the assault.[9] Assigned to the follow-up waves, the 15th Battalion landed at Anzac Cove on the afternoon of 25 April 1915.[1] As the Ottoman defenders checked the Allied advance inland, on arrival the 15th Battalion was rushed into the line on the left flank of the beachhead.[10] As the advance inland stalled, the battalion became isolated and threatened with destruction until Cannan withdrew his force to a more tenable position.[11] Later, they helped shore up the line before occupying positions around "Pope's Hill" and "Russell's Top", where they joined an attack on 1 May. After that, they occupied "Quinn's Post", and defended it against a strong Ottoman counterattack on 19 May.[12] Further fighting occurred around the battalion's position as the Ottoman troops began tunnelling under the "no man's land" that divided the two lines. Counter-mining actions were undertaken, but on 29 May a significant attack was put in against the 15th Battalion's position and they were briefly forced back before restoring the situation with a strong counterattack.[13]
After this a period of stalemate fell across the peninsula. In early June, the 15th Battalion, its strength having fallen to below 600 men, was withdrawn from Quinn's Post to recuperate in a quiet sector known as "Rest Gully". Over the next two months, due to illness, the battalion's personnel were almost completely replaced. It received several drafts of reinforcements, amounting to over 500 men, including its transport element, and by early August it had reached a strength of 720 men.[14] On 6 August, the Allies launched an offensive in an effort to try to break the deadlock, during which the 15th Battalion attacked the Abdel Rahman Bair heights, which was known to the Australians as "Hill 971",[15] before later supporting the 14th Battalion's attack on "Hill 60".[1] Casualties were heavy, and on 13 September the battalion was withdrawn for a brief rest on Lemnos, its strength having fallen to just 11 officers and 136 other ranks.[16] They returned to Gallipoli early in November, occupying a position in Hay Valley, as winter began. They remained there until being evacuated on 13 December on the transport Carron, as part of the main Allied withdrawal.[17] The battalion's casualties during the campaign amounted to 10 officers and 380 other ranks killed, and one officer and 17 other ranks captured.

Date of embarkation: 22 December 1914, Place of embarkation: Melbourne
Ship embarked on: HMAT Ceramic A40

The Brisbane Courier, Monday 29 March 1915, p 7
EXPERIENCES IM EGYPT.
Letters from the Second Queensland Ex-peditionary Force are now commencing to - arrive in Queensland and Private David Gillies well known in Brisbane-especially in football circles- sends the following account of his experience in Egypt -"We arrived here (Heliopolis) at 2am and had to sleep without blankets and it was a regular 'freezer ' I always thought they had no cold weather in these parts, but have changed my mind since then. Our camp is about four miles from Cairo, and excepting to the north (where the town of Heliopolis stands), one can see only sand as far as the eye can reach. We bought some matting from the natives to cover the floor of our tent so as to get a clean sleep. The electric tram is about a mile and a half away and it takes us into Cairo for a half piastre (equal to 1 1/2d ) The hotel which has been converted into a hospital is about the size of the Treasury Buildings in Brisbane and it is a lovely place. I was told the tariff is £3/3/ a day when it is open in peace times. The electric cars have first and second class compartments'- I used to think we had plenty of pubs in Australia, but here almost every second shop is a drinking café. Everybody seems to be out to make money and you can buy anything at all on the streets. 90 percent of the people seem to be sellers, and the other 10 percent buyers. One can hardly walk down the streets without being pushed by men with request to buy post cards, cigarettes, handkerchiefs or things of that kind. I went to the pyramids last Sunday afternoon with others, and climbed to the top of the big one-420ft -getting a splendid view. We went along an inside passage with a guide in front, carrying a candle, for it was pitch dark and had to take out boots off for the passage was so slippery. The passage is only about 4ft high the same distance wide in most places so we were on hand and knees for a good part of the time. At the end of the passage we arrived in the very centre of the pyramid- the chambers of kings and queens. On the way back to the trams I rode a camel and it was more rough than pleasant. The infantry of the first contingent is about eight miles from the Pyramids. Personally I never felt better in my life and have put on weight since leaving Australia. The Arabs are here every day with their donkeys waiting to hire them to the soldiers to ride to the trams. We have some good races and the Arabs follow on foot. It is marvelous how they keep up and I only wish my wind was as good as theirs for they never seem to tire. Of course we don't know what our destination is but we hope it is Europe .

David Gillies was in “B” Company, 15th Battalion, 4th Brigade aboard the “Australind” and was on deck to watch the landing and bombardment of Gallipoli by the many warships, including the “Queen Elizabeth”, on Sunday the 25th April. All day they listened to the fighting onshore and watched the wounded from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades being transported back to the hospital ships and “it made our fighting blood rise”.

The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Tuesday 6 July 1915, page 8 AND The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), Saturday 7 August 1915, page 41

WITH OUR BOYS, AUSTRALIA WILL BE THERE." THE LANDING OF THE FIFTEENTH.

Private David M Gillies writes as follows from a hospital near Alexandría - 'After leaving Alexandria we went to Lemnos Island, and anchored for a week, waiting for the rest of the troops to arrive. There is a lovely harbour there and we went ashore a couple of times. Lemnos has a population of 25,000, mostly Greeks. They are very old fashioned in their agriculture and I saw women spinning cotton by hand. It was a fine site to stand on the hill and look over the harbour and see about 60 troopships, 21 warships, and a dozen or more destroyers and submarines. We left Lemnos on Saturday, April 24, and at 4.30 am next day woke up at the sound of guns. We rushed up on deck and saw the war ships bombarding the fort at the en- trance to the Dardanelles We could not see very much for a while, as it was very hazy, but by 7 o'clock it was clear, and we could see the shells bursting on shore The Queen Elizabeth (or Lizzie. As she is called by the troops) was making a terrible mess of things on the shore. One fort on a small hill replied to her fire once, and she sent four shells at the hill, and when the smoke cleared away there was nothing of fort 0r hill left. When you consider she throws shells weighing 2000lb you can form some idea of the damage she does. We were about a quarter of a mile from the warship and it was a terrible sight. Meanwhile our first second, and third brigades of Australians and New Zealanders were landing about 20 miles further up and our ship moved up there. We could hear the firing of our troops from the shore and we stood ready to go ashore at any minute. Meanwhile we could see wounded men being brought from the shore to the hospital ships, and our fighting blood rose up. At 8 o clock at night we got the order to go ashore, and boarded a couple of destroyers. On nearing the shore we got into big pon- toons and pulled in. We were ordered to advance to the firing line at once. We had to go up over high hills and when we were half way we got the order to fix bayonets and clear the ridges on our right. But the Turks had left before we arrived, and we were ordered to entrench ourselves just behind the firing line We did work, I can tell you, with bullets flying all around us but fortunately none of us were hit. How we missed it I can't tell. We soon had our trenches down in the soft ground, and after daylight we were ordered into the firing line. The Turks were well concealed, and were led by German officers. I will give the Germans credit, and say some of them are very brave. At times they came close to our trenches and gave our men orders in English. When the mistake was noticed a score of rifles cracked, and Mr. German was no more. The Turks' rifle fire is very poor on the whole, and most of the damage was done by shrapnel.
The country is hilly, with thick, low undergrowth in most places, and the Turks' snipers and the machine guns did a good deal of damage. About 1 o’clock in the afternoon of Monday, April 26, we got the order to fix bayonets and charge a trench. We took it all right, and then the shrapnel started. Where we were the trench was only dug out about 6in., and it was no protection against shrapnel. We were under this fire for about half an hour, and the only thing that beats me is that any of us were left. With shrapnel you hear the scream of the shell, and then bang ! and bullets come down like hailstones. Fortunately for us the shrapnel was exploding a bit high, and most of it passed over us, but plenty of it was falling all round us. One shell exploded just in front of me, and I got a bullet through my fore- arm and a piece of shell caught me just below the shoulder. I thought my arm was broken, but luckily my bones are tough, and although it stiffened my muscles and turned my shoulder and arm as black as tar, it is nearly right again. I waited till the shrapnel eased off and made my way back to the dressing station, and that was the worst part, as there was no cover, and bullets were plentiful. Going down a gully the shrapnel started again, and I had to take cover in a dugout for about 15 minutes. However, I reached the beach safely, and got my arm dressed, and was sent on board the - and brought to Alexandria. Before writing any more I must say the doctors and R.A.M.C. de serve the greatest praise for their work. I saw Dr. Luther and Dr. Butler right behind the firing line, and even in it at times, dressing wounded men. Other doctors were there also, but I don't know their names. On reaching Alexandria we were taken in motors to the various hospitals. I was in hospital 12 days, and an now at Mustapha Convalescent Camp. It is about seven miles from Alexandria, and right on the sea shore. So we are very comfortable. To go back to the first part of the Australians' landing, I must say I don't know however they got ashore at all. They had to land under fire from rifles, machine guns, and shrap- nel. They jumped out of the boats up to their waists in water, fixed bayonets, and charged straight up a hill nearly as straight as a wall, and drove the Turks on to the next ridge. Then they went over the gully and took the next hill at the point of the bayonet. If the posi- tions had been reversed I am sure theTurks would never have gotten further than the beach. It was a grand deed, and Australia, I am sure, is proud of her men. We were more fortunate in land- ing, as we were not under fire, but we had not gone far before we got it. I don't know what our casualties are, but I believe they are fairly heavy. For- tunately, however, a lot of shrapnel wounds are only slight, and the owners of the wounds will soon be back looking for more Turks, not wounds. I shall never forget the night we got the order to stand by to go ashore. Every one cheered, and some one started to sing the chorus, 'Australia will be there,' and we let it go with a swing. It's a very funny feeling being under fire, but you soon settle down. 'We have a Cockney chap in our company, and in
the trenches he was calling out 'orangées,' imitating the Egyptian sellers. An officer told him to look out or the Turks would give him oranges,and he replied, Very good sir,and I hope they peel them, as I lost my knife.' It set every one laughing.
"P.S.-Am doing well, and I expect to get back inside a fortnight. The follow- ing is a copy of an order that was posted upon our troopship before we disem- barked, so you can see we knew we were in for something hot:-'Force Order, General Headquarters. Special: Soldiers of France and of the King: Before us lies an adventure unprecedented in modern war. Together with our com- rades of the fleet we are about to force a landing upon an open beach, in face of positions which have been vaunted by the enemies as impregnable. The landing will be made good, by the help of God and the Navy, the positions will be stormed, and the war brought one step nearer to a glorious close. "Remem- ber," Said Lord Kitchener, when bidding adieu to your commander, "remember once you set foot upon the Gallipoli Peninsula you must fight the thing through to a finish." The whole world will be watching' our progress. Let us prove ourselves worthy of the great feat of arms intrusted to us-Ian Hamilton, General.' "

The Brisbane Courier Tuesday 25 May 1915 p 7
.
PERSONAL NOTES
Private David M Gillies, who is re- ported wounded, is a son of the late Mr Thomas Gillies and of Mrs, T. Gillies, South Brisbane. He is well known in Brisbane, particularly in sport- ing circles, as he was formerly an inter- state Rugby footballer. He had lately been employed on Coolmaringa station, in the Central District, owned by his cousin, Mr. David Gibson

The Brisbane Courier Friday 11 June 1915, page 8

SIR IAN HAMILTON'S PRAISE.
AS MUCH IN TWO DAYS AS HE EXPECTED IN TWO WEEKS.
Private David Gillies, of the 15th Battalion, who was recently reported as wounded, has written to his mother as follows, under date May 2nd, from the 17th ' General Hospital, near Alexandria - ' Since I wrote you last I have been in action and am slightly wounded. I got a bullet through my arm, but fortunately it did not break the bone. It is healing very well and I expect to be back at the Front in about a fortnight or so. I cannot tell you much on account of the censoring but it was a terrible time and the boys fought well against big odds. Sir Ian Hamilton said we did in two days what he had hoped we would do in two weeks. It was the Germans with their shrapnel that did all the damage. The doctor has just dressed my arm, and it is doing well '

After re-joining his Battalion he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on the 12/6/1915 by Colonel Cannan.

The Brisbane Courier, Monday 9 August 1915, page 5

A QUEENSLANDER PROMOTED.
"Mr David M Gillies who left with the I5th Infantry Battalion from Brisbane, and who was wounded in action has re joined his regiment after a month in hospital He has written to his brother (Lieutenant R G Gillies) as follows -It is nearly three weeks since I arrived back here and things have been fairly quiet. I have been acting corporal since I came back and this morning Colonel Cannan sent for me and told me I had been promoted the rank of Second Lieutenant. It came as a bit of a surprise. I only hope I will be able to carry on successfully, if I don' t it will not be for want of trying. I missed all my letters when I was away wounded, and I don t expect to see them now. Captain Moran and Lieutenant Dickenson, who were both wounded, are now back again with the battalion. My own wound has hardly left a mark and I can tell you I am A1. Thanks for your soldierly advice, and you can rest assured we will all do out best for Australia and the Empire-the rest we must leave in Gods hands '

He was part of the ill fated 4th Brigade’s attempt to take Hill 971 as part of the general Allied offensive carried out during the 6th to the 10th August, to help support the British landings at Suvla Bay. This offensive included the Australian charges at Lone Pine and The Nek and the New Zealand charges at Chunuk Bair.

The Brisbane Courier, Friday 20 August 1915, page 7

HEROES OF THE DARDANELLES.
PERSONAL NOTES.
Word has been received that Second Lieutenant 'David Gillies, of South Brisbane, has again been wounded in action. The cable stated that he was wounded on August 7, but no details have been received as to the nature of the wound. He was serving with the 15th Battalion, and was promoted to commissioned rank on June 20 last

The Brisbane Courier, Thursday 4 November 1915, page 8

HÉROES OF THE DARDANELLS.
PERSONAL NOTES.
Official advice has been received that Lieutenant David M Gillies (South Bris-bane), of the 15th Battalion, is missing. He was wounded in May last, and after a month in hospital returned to the trenches. He was then promoted to com missioned rank, and did excellent work as an officer. In the great attack on August 7 he was leading his men at 11 30 PM, and what subsequently occurred has not transpired, except as stated above, that he is missing. Further details are anxiously awaited by his family.

There were a number of letters sent by his older brother Robert George Gillies (who owned a printing works) in an attempt to find out what has happened to David Gillies

Statements by members of the battalion describe what happened to 2nd Lt Gillies as follows in the Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiries:

Sgt Farry says “ in the charge of the morning of the 8/8/15 at the wheatfield at Hill 60, he saw Mr. Gillies stagger back and fall. I cannot tell whether he was killed as we had to rush on”

Pte Rose added “ that on 8/8/15, just after daybreak, he was lying in the firing line beside Lt. Gillies who was hit in the left shoulder. Gillies asked if there was anyone in B Coy to tie him up. Witness said “yes” and kept on firing as it was a pretty busy time just then and he could not stop. He saw someone attending him and went on firing. When things got quieter after a few minutes, he looked around again and Gillies had gone away.”

A statement from Sgt Hanley and Cpl Slack throws further light on what became of Lt Gillies and others including Lt Vidgen, Sgt Aucterlonie, Pte Burdekin and Harris.
“The Australians took the trenches on the left of Hill 971 on Aug 7th. On Sunday 8th another charge was made and all were seen in the charge. The Turks who were entrenched on the slopes of Sari Bair, were driven out of their first lines, but brought up their reserves and as the Australians had no reserves, they were driven back. They retired to a gully between their trenches at Hill 971 and the Turkish trenches and ultimately had to leave this gully on account of the machine gun fire. The above all fell in this charge. They lay on the ground swept by heavy fire over which the Australians retired.”

In the “History of the 15th Battalion” by TP Chataway , this engagement is covered in detail and p 89 states that “ this was the last seen of this splendid young athlete and popular officer”.

The Brisbane Courier, Thursday 18 November 1915, page 9 AND
The Queenslander, Saturday 27 November 1915, page 38

HEROES OF THE DARDANELLES.
PERSONAL NOTES.
Lieutenant Colonel J H Cannan commanding officer of the 15th Battalion has written to a brother of Lieutenant David M Gillies from Lemnos under date September 25 as follows: It is with regret that I have to inform you that your brother Dave is missing. Will I ever forget the nights of August 6 and 7 and the morning of August 8 ? Never. I started out with 22 officers and 820 others and finished with 5 officers and 120 others It Is a miracle that any are left, as the ground over which we advanced and subsequently retired was simply a sheet of lead. Please accept from self, officer, NCO's and men Condolences to you and yours in your very sad loss


A Court of Inquiry was held on the 18/4/17 and determined that he was killed in action on 7/8/1915. This is his official date recorded for his death despite the above statements, which claimed he was killed on the 8/8/1915.


The only confirmation that his body was discovered is that a Turkish soldier handed David Gillies’ wallet to an Australian officer in 1919. The wallet was returned to the family who kept it. As told to me by Ross Gillies, a relative who owns D M Gillies medals. He remembers seeing this wallet as a boy and commented that “the wallet had a scorch mark as if it had been partly burnt”. The possible cause of the scorch mark can be explained by CW Bean in his book “ Gallipoli Mission”. In it he states that during his visit in 1919 “they were locating the positions of the 4th Brigade during their attack on the 8/8/15 and found the graves of our men where the Turks had buried them. The day of the fight had been hot and dry and the blackened stumps of the scrub, set on fire by our shells still marked the slopes.”

2nd Lt David Martin Gillies has no known grave and is one of the many soldiers, without graves, who are commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial, panel 43, at Gallipoli.

Paul Gillies at Lone Pine Panel 43 Anzac Day 25th April.2012
Remembering Great Uncle, 2nd Lt D M Gillies

Thomas Gillies (Father) and Helen Gillies (Mother) Headstone at South Brisbane (Dutton Park) Cemetery
Note reference to Lieutenant David Martin Gillies KIA

References:

1. Provided by Ian Smith -Archivist Queensland Rugby. Game reports on each of these games in “Queensland Rugby Annual 1902.”
2. From his Book “Red Red Red –The Story of Queensland Rugby” by Ian Diehm. In the book David Gillies is incorrectly identified as Don Gillies.
3. Chataway, T.P. (1948). “History of the 15th Battalion”. Brisbane, Queensland: William Brooks & Co PTY. LTD.
4. Bean, C.E.W, “Gallipoli Mission”. Sydney, NSW: Halstead Press PTY. LTD.