Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

EDWARD Philip Britten RAGLESS was the son of Edward John RAGLESS & Annie Wilson KEMP and was born on the 19th of August 1898 in Spring Gully, near Clare, SA.
Edward was actually known as “Britton”.

His father was born on the 10th of October 1870 in Yalpara, SA and was the son of Benjamin RAGLESS & Elizabeth ROWE.
His mother was born on the 27th of August 1877 in Rhynie, SA and was the daughter of Walter KEMP & Mary Kate WILSON.
Edward & Annie were married on the 7th of August 1895 at the residence of Annie’s parents in Rhynie.

Edward’s eldest sister; Amy Annie Alice, had been born on the 5th of December 1896 in Spring Gully.
Edward then gained another sister; Jean Allison Irene, on the 10th of May 1900.

Edward was only 4 years old when his mother died on the 7th of September 1902 in Willochra. She had died from Pneumonia after contracting Measles. Edwards’s father had been working in the far north and far away from the railway line at the time and did not make it home to see Annie before she died. They buried her in the Quorn Cemetery.

At the age of 18, Edward enlisted into the AIF on the 26th of March 1916 in Quorn, SA and was allotted the service number 1964.
He listed his father as his next of kin.

Edward was appointed to the 2nd Depot Battalion, A Company on the 22nd of March and 9 days later he was transferred to the 10th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement at Mitcham Camp.
On the 11th of April he was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement and embarked from Adelaide, on board HMAT A60 Aeneas the very same day, disembarking in Seuz on the 18th of May.

Edward finally embarked for return to Australia from Devonport (UK) on board the HMT Beltana, on the 2nd of June 1919.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 15th of September 1919 and was discharged on the 29th of August 1919.

On the 24th of May 1920 Edward secured Section 122 Hundred of Boolcunda & Sections 124, 126 & 128 Hundred of Yarra under the soldiers land grant.

Edward married Ella Kathleen MACKENZIE on the 14th of October 1921 in Semaphore. Ella was the daughter of Hugh & Isabella MACKENZIE and was born on the 22nd of July 1895 in Aberlour, Banffshire, Scotland.
They made their home at “Yarrah Bank” in Quorn and Edward returned to farming.

They welcomed their first child; Nancy Isabel on the 30th of April 1923 in Quorn.
Rosemary was then born on the 21st of May 1924, Thomas John on the 25th of July 1928 & then Margaret Caroline on the 23rd of June 1930.

In the late 1930’s Edward held a Crown Lease on the Mount Brown Forest Reserve, comprising of 560 acres.

With the outbreak of WW2, aged 42, Edward enlisted into the CMF on the 27th of September 1940 in Quorn and was allotted the service number S7333.

He was called up for full time duty on the 10th of May 1941 and taken on strength to Area Staff with the rank of Lieutenant. He was transferred from the 9th/23rd Light Horse Regiment and appointed to assistant Area Officer of Area 10 B, Unley.
Within 2 weeks he was transferred to Area 43 F, Peterborough and then to Area 10C, Oakbank.

It appears that when Edward was away Ella moved the family to 40 Avenue Road, Highgate.

On the 16th of June 1942 their daughter Nancy enlisted into the AWAS.
On the 12th of November 1943 he was transferred to Recruiting Staff with the rank of Captain where he remained until the 29th of May 1944 when he was transferred back to Area 43 F, Peterborough.

Edward was discharged on the 29th of October 1944 and became a member of the RSL Unley Sub-Branch.

By 1947 Edward and Ella had separated and Edward had moved back to Quorn.

Ella was institutionalized in the Northfield Mental Hospital and in 1953 Edward & Ella were granted a divorce.

Ella died on the 20th of June 1958 and was cremated in the Centennial Park Crematorium.

Edward died on the 17th of March 1960 in Quorn, SA and was buried in the Quorn Cemetery; New Section, Plot 18B.

Military

At the age of 18, Edward enlisted into the AIF on the 26th of March 1916 in Quorn, SA and was allotted the service number 1964.

Edward was appointed to the 2nd Depot Battalion, A Company on the 22nd of March and 9 days later he was transferred to the 10th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement at Mitcham Camp.
On the 11th of April he was transferred to the 5th Pioneer Battalion, 2nd Reinforcement and embarked from Adelaide, on board HMAT A60 Aeneas this very same day, disembarking in Seuz on the 18th of May.

Edward embarked from Alexandria on the 21st of June, disembarking 8 days later in Marseilles, France.

On the 15th of July he was hospitalized in Estaples suffering from measles. He was discharged on the 24th of August and was taken on strength with the 5th Pioneer Battalion on the following day in Fauquissart.
Edward spent all of September in this region constructing railway lines and drainage.

On the 14th of October they moved to Neuf Berquin, a village 9 miles back from the line & entrained a few days later at Bailleul and proceeded southwards to take its part in the Great Battle of the Somme.
Adverse conditions were experienced right from the outset; the train journey was exceptionally slow, the train was overcrowded & when the detraining station (Pont Remy – near Abbeville) was reached it was pitch dark & raining. The station yard was ankle deep in mud & the unloading arrangements extremely crude. To crown it all it was learnt that their billets were 8 miles away at Ailly-le-Haut-Clocher and each man had a full pack, a full quota of ammunition & a second blanket in addition. From their billets they were then conveyed by a French motor convoy through Amiens to Dernancourt & the following day marched into their first camp on the Somme near Montalban. Here they maintained two long communication trenches (both over 2 miles long) which were the only two trenches leading to the front line and they then began road works. After a fortnights work the battalion had converted the Bernafay – Longueval road from a series of lakes & mud to a properly drained road with a fairly hard surface which traffic could negotiate without risk.

They then moved to Waterlot Farm to construct trenches & narrow gauge trench tramways to the front line as none existed in this sector and it was during this time that Edward was appointed as a Driver.
Christmas 1916 was spent at Waterlot Farm and on the 17th of January they went back to front line work once more. The situation was eased by the fact that accommodation for 150 men was available in deep dug outs recently constructed right at their work. They took advantage of a hard frost from January 20th to February 17th. As the ground was frozen solid for about one foot deep they were able to get large quantities of material forward so that when the thaw on the latter date & the trenches got slippery once again material was available to meet the situation & work was consequently a good deal easier. Previous to this the task was one continual plug against the efforts of both the enemy & the weather.

By the summer they had moved to Fricourt but were then ordered to move to the front once again and on the 9th of May they were conveyed by Light railway to Bapaume, marching on to a camp near Vaulx.
In the first week of July they moved to Corbie and spent 6 weeks in training before being ordered to Ypres to construct gun positions for the Heavy Artillery.
They then moved to Westhoek to construct trench tramways and then a new plank road to Menin.

On the 15th of December they were relocated to Hesdigneul for rest and spent Christmas 1917 here before returning to Messines to repair the roads. By April they were at Villers Brettoneux and engaged in trench digging and then they were moved to Bellicourt to fix the roads and the communication trenches. They remained in this area maintaining the roads before moving to Vaux sur Somme and then onto Morcourt to construct deep dug outs. At the end of August they moved to Flaucourt for more road maintenance and light bridging works before being ordered to the Hindenburg Line and at Beelicourt, due to a heavy mist, they found themselves amongst the enemy and were drawn into the fighting for the first time.

Further work on the roads was carried out beyond Belllicourt on the 1st of October and one of the Battalions platoon exploited the St Quentin tunnel.
Three days later Edward and his Battalion moved back to Roisel which subsequently proved to be Edwards last day in actual warfare.
After a few days first at Roisel & subsequently at Peronne the whole division was withdrawn to an area near Abbeville for a thorough rest. Here training was carried out & a large amount of time devoted to athletics & sport amusements. Orders were received to be ready to move on the 10th of November to further take part on the fighting, but fortunately this move was postponed for 2 days and the day before their move the armistice was signed.

Edwards’s war was now over and his Battalion was moved in stages to Hautrepe and then onto Beaurieux where he spent his last Christmas overseas.

Edward finally embarked for Australia from Devonport on board the HMT Beltana, on the 2nd of June 1919.
He disembarked in Adelaide on the 15th of September 1919 and was discharged on the 29th of August 1919.