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My uncle, Rothwell Gordon, was born on 20 October 1889, the fifth child of Adam Wilson Gordon and Mary Davidson Grant (Margaret Jean). The family lived at 66 Nicholson St, Essendon. All the seven children – Florence, b1882; William (my father) b1884; Lydia b1886; Catherine (Kitty) b1888; Adam Wilson b1892 and Margaret (Launcie) b1895, were educated at Raleigh St State School. 

The Essendon house was called Ellerslie after the family home in Scotland. My grandfather Adam Wilson Gordon was born at sea on The Lighting in 1855 as his parents returned from a trip home to Aberdeen after their Melbourne marriage in 1854. The family were Presbyterian and attended St John’s. It is not surprising then that Rothwell served four years with the militia unit, the Victorian Scottish regiment, achieving the rank of Colour Sergeant. This unit was only for men of Scottish descent and they wore a special tartan similar to the Gordon plaid with the yellow stripes replaced by red. Soldiers had to pay for the cost of the uniform,  £11, as well as provide equipment for camps.

By the time war was declared in 1914 Rothwell was nearing 25 years and was a salesman with paper merchants Spicer & Detmold’s  of Flinders Lane. He was a striking figure, over six feet in height, 12-15 stone, with a dark complexion, hazel eyes and reddish hair. He was well known in the area as a cricket, football and tennis player. Family responsibilities may have prevented immediate enlistment as his youngest sister had died in 1913 aged 17.  He may also have been waiting for officers he had known in the militia to get a command. In February 1915 control of the new 6 Brigade was given to Colonel Richard Linton from the Victorian Scots Regiment, and in March 1915 Rothwell enlisted in the AIF and was allocated to B Coy, 23 Battalion. Training was at Broadmeadows. The influence of his militia training and ability showed in his promotion to Corporal on 30 April.

Although Essendon did not give a farewell banquet for this contingent the Mayor and other dignitaries did visit the camp and made formal presentations of gifts and souvenirs to the Essendonians who were to depart. Although the 23 Bn had been mainly raised in Ballarat, at least fifteen local men sailed with Rothwell. These included Lt Ernest King, a motor mechanic of Buckley St; Fred Melrose of the Melford Inn in Essendon and John Herweg whose father was blacksmith at the Puckle St junction. The last two both died overseas. The 1,261 strong Battalion embarked for the Middle East on theEuripides on 10 May 1915.  News of the Gallipoli Landing and its cost had arrived in Australia on 8 May so Rothwell would have known something of the task ahead and the family all the more anxious.

On the embarkation list his rank was Sergeant and this was confirmed in June. The voyage of the Euripides was a fraught one. At Colombo the men were refused permission to go ashore, unlike comrades from other ships. The troops, angered by this, stormed the armed gangway guard. Shots were fired and blows exchanged. During the voyage there were also eight deaths from disease. The Battalion trained in Egypt and it was there that Rothwell wrote to twelve year old Patsy Kenny praising her and her sister Kathleen as, "clever little girls for working very hard on Empire Day selling more than £10 worth of buttons. It is grand to think that I have little cousins who are working so hard to bring us victorious and I will do my best to keep the flag flying". 

In August he embarked as reinforcements for Gallipoli. Rothwell’s B Co were allocated to the Southland, sailing ahead of the convoy. A torpedo hit this ship and thirty-two men drowned, the rest being rescued by other ships that came across the disaster. My uncle spent three hours in the water before being picked up. As they had lost all their equipment B Co were sent into the Peninsula several weeks later after having been rekitted. At Gallipoli the Battalion held Lone Pine and Brown’s Dip enduring battle, disease, privations and the winter conditions. In November the Company Sgt Major Alfred Loveridge (a sugar refiner of Ascot Vale Rd) was evacuated badly wounded, and Rothwell was promoted in his place.

On 18 December Rothwell with his men left Gallipoli with a commendation for the work he had done. They returned to Egypt in mid January 1916 and moved to defend the Suez Canal in February. In late March the men were shipped to Marseilles and were trained via Paris to the northern French-Belgium border. At home his brother Wilson joined up in March 1916; however my father was prevented from enlisting by hearing problems.

Rothwell moved to trenches near Armentieres in April. Again there were short rations, rats and rain, but periods behind the lines such as in June when Billy Hughes, the Australian Prime Minister, addressed the troops. It was in the midst of the Battle for Pozieres July 1916 that Rothwell won his Military Cross:

"for conspicuous gallantry during operations notably when securing bombs and ammunition which had been buried by shell fire and when reorganising his defences under trying conditions".

This prestigious decoration was awarded to only 25 members of his Battalion during the course of the war.

He was recommended for officer training and in August joined No 9 officer cadet course at Gailes, Ayrshire in Scotland. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in October and after furlong proceeded to France in December.  By now Wilson was in France where he had been wounded in November, but stayed on duty. Although they do not appear to have met up, Rothwell’s letters home indicate they kept in touch. Rothwell was taken on strength, on the front line near Amiens. Conditions were freezing. Wilson told me that the mud froze to their boots so that they felt they were walking on high heels.

In April 1917 Rothwell was promoted full Lieutenant; however he developed influenza and was evacuated to London. In July he returned to his unit now at Arques.  By now Wilson had been invalided home.  In early October Rothwell was wounded during the Third Battle of Ypres. On 2 October Australian barrages resulted in a retaliatory German bombardment. This resulted in 36 casualties in the Anzac Ridge area. All four officers in the company were buried in the trenches but only Lt Gordon survived. He suffered head wounds, later having a silver plate inserted, and chest injuries. From Abbeville Hospital he was invalided to 3 London General Hospital. In January 1918 he was transferred to Cobham Hall, Kent. This sixteenth century estate with its renowned gardens was used as an Anzac Hospital during the war. During this time Rothwell was awarded his medal by King George at Buckingham Palace. In March he was transported home on the Kenilworth Castle arriving in May and being discharged in the July. He had an unblemished record apart from having to pay for the  loss of a gas mask and a great coat.  He stayed on the inactive list retaining his rank. 

In 1923 Rothwell was one of the ex officers called into the Town Hall by General Monash during the police strike. My father also enlisted as a special constable during this time and was brought home on a cart injured.

My grandfather died in 1924 and my grandmother in 1926.   In 1927 Rothie married Rose Evelyn Glide, b 1895. Aunt Rose’s father ran Glide’s real estate in Kensington. They lived in Richardson Street, Essendon and also attended St John’s Presbyterian Church. The Love Never Faileth memorial window at this church was donated by the Glides in memory of two daughters;  Ethel May who died aged five in 1896 and Beatrice Victoria (Judd) who died aged 27 years. Rose and Rothwell had a son and daughter, Graham and Jean.  In these years he started his own printing company The Gordon Press that was a casualty of the Depression.

Lt Rothwell Gordon volunteered for service in the 2nd AIF enlisting in Sept 1940. He, and the family, were posted to 17 Garrison Battalion, Tatura. 

This was part of a complex of seven camps in the district accommodating 13,000 Jewish, European and Japanese civilian internees including the Dunera boys, Vienna Boys choir, enemy aliens and Prisoners of War. In  1941 he transferred to 13 POW group. Camp 13 was constructed in 1941 near Murchison, 20 kms south of Tatura, to accommodate 4,000 prisoners of war. These included members of the German Afrika Korps and Luftwaffe crews captured in North Africa, also crew members of enemy merchant ships captured in various locations throughout the World, and over 300 of the German Raider, HSK Kormoran, who had been responsible for the sinking of the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney off the Western Australia coast in 1941. In 1942  he was promoted Captain and transferred to the 50 Australian Garrison Company,Dhurringile. This historic mansion was used to house Commissioned Officers from the German Army, Navy and Air Force, including the notorious Captain Dettmers who lived in the top tower room.

Dhurringile was the scene of many escape attempts. My uncle would speak of hearing the tunnelling at night and the officers singing the German anthem before the evening meal. Rothwell was promoted Major and Camp Commandant in 1943. 

Health problem caused him to leave the Army in 1944. He Joined the RSL acting as an advocate for returned servicemen at entitlement tribunal hearings. I remember him as a charming, confident, friendly man. He died in 1947 aged 57. 

Additional material proved by Major Graham Gordon. Written in conjunction with Marilyn Kenny. Thanks to Bob Chalmers for the St John’s reference.

Originally published in The Newsletter, Essendon Historical Society Inc, No 188, ....

References

Austin Ron.  Forward Undeterred History of the 23rd Battalion 1915-1918, Slouch Hat Publications: Rosebud, 1998

Essendon Gazette

Hammond J.  Walls of Wire,  the author: Tatura, 1990

National Archives of Australia WW1 service records B2455, Ships files Euripides, Internment camps in Australia during WW I and WW II

Speed F (ed).   Esprit De Corps: The history of the Victorian Scottish Regiment, Allen and Unwin:  Melbourne, 1988