S9428
CHISHOLM, Donald
| Service Number: | 748 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Scotland, England, August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: | Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill St. Andrews Church Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 29 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 748 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 748, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 748, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Lieutenant, 10th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Donald Chisholm's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Donald Chisholm was born in August 1891, in the Scottish town of Gareloch but moved to New South Wales and spent most of his adult life in the Broken Hill area. Chisholm practised Presbyterianism, a faith that began in Scotland. Because his hometown is in Scotland, it is presumed that he practised this religion since he was a child. He was married, but there was no evidence that he had any children.
On the 29th of August 1914, at the age of thirty-four, Chisholm enlisted in the AIF. He had previously served with the Cameron Highlanders in Scotland for 7 years.
Men were forced to practise before going to fight in order to prepare them for the harsh environment that wars entail. Donald, like many other troops in the 10th Battalion, trained at Morphettville Racecourse. They were compelled to engage in hard physical exertion at the Morphettville racecourse. They practised activities during all hours of the day and night, as well as early in the morning. Men were compelled to engage in strenuous and unpleasant activities such as cross country running while wearing a full uniform that comprised heavy helmets and multiple layers of clothes. They were also forced to crawl under barbed wire and climb ropes. Many of the trainers had previously participated in the South African war, which aided them in training the troops because they were familiar with the conditions that the men would face if they were deployed to battle. Many of the tasks were known to be difficult for the men, but the instructors knew that going to war would be far more difficult mentally and physically.
Chisholmwas promoted to Lieutenant on the 5th of August 1916. As a Lieutenant, he had a lot of responsibilities, such as being a leader for many men in his Battalion, punishing troops when problems occurred, and being a role model to name just a few of the tasks expected.
On the 20th of October, two months after enlisting, Donald, along with many other men, boarded the ship HMAT Ascanius A11. Chisholm was transported to Flers, France, on the HMAT Ascanius A11. Chisholm was fighting on the front lines in Flers on October 8, 1916. He was shot in the head shortly after arriving, but he returned to battle because he recovered from the wound. He was injured again two days after returning to the front lines, this time more severely with a gun-shot wound to his right hand so he had to cease fighting. The battle of Flers was won by the British shortly after Donald's wounding.
It took two months to get from France to England for further treatment. This was to be expected, given that the only mode of conveyance was by ship, which was dangerous and risky. He was taken back to Australia by the ship Beltana shortly after being treated for his injury in England. On March 17th, 1917, Chisholm arrived in Australia. Mrs Chisholm, his wife, was waiting for him.
There were no more records taken on Chisholmafter he was returned to his home country of Australia. Even though he only served in Flers for a short period, his bravery and leadership are still remembered.