Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

LIFE BEFORE THE WAR

Gordon Pankhurst, born on the 24th May 1894 in Gladstone, South Australia, the son of Alice Ford (nee) Hollis and Alfred Ebenezer Pankhurst, the second eldest of seven.

Gordon served as a Private in the 13th reinforcements of the 16th Infantry Battalion and in the 48th Infantry Battalion.

Being the second eldest child meant a lot of responsibility, especially with five younger siblings, (most of which died before even reaching their second birthday). At the time vaccinations hadn’t been introduced to Australia, so it was normal to expect that children would die at an early age. Luckily Gordon, his elder half-brother, Cecil (1891-1926), and his two youngest brothers, Henry Albert (1903-) and Alfred Hollis (1901-), were fortunate to not have been killed by a serious case of sickness at a young age.

In Gordon’s adult years, he had been a baker working and living in Port Pirie with his parents and two younger brothers (14 and 16 years of age). His elder half-brother, 24, would have moved on to make his own life.

LIFE IN SERVICE

Since the start of the First World War in 1914, the call for able men was strong and young Australians were all too enthusiastic to join. On the 20th August 1915, Gordon enlisted into the 13th reinforcements in the 16th infantry battalion as a Private in Adelaide.

Since the creation of the 16th battalion on the 16th of September 1914, six weeks after the outbreak of the First World War, three-quarters of the Battalion were recruited in Western Australia, the rest in South Australia. With the help of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Battalions they united to make the 4th Brigade commanded by Colonel John Monash.

The South and Western Australian recruits united for training in Victoria, until they embarked from Port Melbourne aboard the HMAT A30 Borda on Boxing Day. After a brief stop in Albany, the Battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving in early February 1915. When the 4th Brigade arrived in Egypt they became a part of the New Zealand and Australian Division. The 4th Brigade landed at ANZAC late in the afternoon on the 25th of April 1915.

A week after landing, the 16th Division was thrown into the attack at Blood Angle suffering many casualties. From May to August the Battalion became heavily involved in establishing and defending the frontline of the ANZAC beachhead. In August, the 4th Brigade attacked Hill 971. The hill was taken, but they suffered greatly and were forced to retreat when Turkish reinforcements appeared. The battalion served until the evacuation in December.

After withdrawing from Gallipoli, the Battalion returned to Egypt where the AIF expanded and was reorganised. The 16th Battalion was split and all its experienced soldiers were sent to the 48th Battalion, including Gordon.

The 48th Battalion:

The 48th Battalion was created in Egypt on the 16th March 1916. Roughly half of its recruits were 16th Battalion veterans including Gordon, the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia. The new battalion became a part of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division. This battalion became known as the “Joan of Arc” (The Maid of Orleans), because it was “made of Leanes.” It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ray Leane, his brother was the adjutant, and several other relatives made up the Battalion.

Gordon’s first major battle in the 48th Division was the battle of Pozieres on the Western Front. They were tasked with defending captured ground. Twice did they enter the firing line from the 5th to the 7th and from the 12th to the 15th of August. During this period, the Battalion endured what was said to be the heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced on Australian troops who suffered 598 casualties. Before having recovered from Pozieres, the 48th was required to defend more captured ground during the battle of Mouquet Farm.

1917 was a very trying year for Gordon’s Battalion. The 48th Battalion had fought in the first battle of Bullecourt, in France, and the battle of Passchendaele, in Belgium. They were forced to withdraw with heavy casualties from poor planning and inadequate support. On neither occasion did the battalion fail to display courage or skill amongst its own troops.

Similar to most of the AIF’s battalions, the 48th rotated in and out of the front lines through the winter of 1917-1918. In Spring 1918, the Battalion played a crucial role in blocking the main road into Amiens when the German launched their last great attack. As the Allies retaliated, the 48ths took part in the battle of Amiens from the 8th to the 10th of August, and the battles to take the Hindenburg “outpost line” from the 18th to the 20th September. That was the last battle Gordon fought in, before they disbanded on the 31st of March 1919.

Other battle mentions stated on the Australian War Memorial website include:

·       Somme

·       Messines

·       Ypres

·       Menin Road

·       Polygon Wood

·       Ancre

·       Hamel

·       Albert

·       Epehy

·       France and Flanders

AFTER THE WAR

Gordon returned home on the 31st of July 1918, and continued to live in Port Pirie. At 52 Gordon and his friend, Percy Arnold Hammerstein, were arrested for gambling and were fined £5 “by way of wagering”.

Upon his death in 1973 he was buried at the Port Pirie Cemetery. He had experienced other deaths within his family - his half-brother died in 1926, his mother died in 1943 and his father in 1939. As for his younger brothers, their deaths are still yet to be known.

A plaque now remains in the South Australian Garden of Remembrance, as a tribute to Gordon’s exploits on the front line and in the WW1 effort.