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War Memorial
Australia

Edward Francis Tierney: Artillery Service in the Great War, 1915-1919

Written by RH Milsom.

Service Number: 5992
Rank: Gunner
Unit: 6th Battery, 2nd Field Artillery Brigade
Theatre of War: Egypt (1915-1916), Western Front (1916-1919)

Early Life and Enlistment

Edward Francis Tierney was born in Preston, Victoria, to William and Mary Tierney. When he presented himself for enlistment at Albert Park, Victoria, on September 20, 1915, he was part of a wave of volunteers responding to the devastating news from Gallipoli. According to his daughter Jean, he added two years to his actual age of 19, a common practice that also enabled his 16-year-old brother Hugh to enlist by claiming to be 18. His intake form states he was "21 years and 3 months," and notes a previous bullet wound to his right eye.

Edward's enlistment came during a significant period in Australia's war effort. July 1915 had been the peak time for enlistment in the war, with three times as many enlistments as in the previous month, spurred by news of the Gallipoli landing and the announcement that there had been 10,000 Australian casualties. Volunteers like Edward who enlisted after these casualty figures were announced were known as the "fair dinkums," as they knew their chances of survival were limited.

Economic factors may have also influenced Edward's decision to enlist. As with many who joined up, the declining civilian job market—affected by wartime shipping disruptions—made military service an attractive alternative for stable employment.

Edward's three years of prior service with the 55th Infantry (Collingwood) Regiment in the Citizen Forces provided him with valuable military experience. The Citizen Forces were part-time military units and the precursor to today's modern Army Reserves. This experience likely influenced his assignment to the 2nd Field Artillery Brigade as a gunner, where his technical skills and discipline would prove essential in the campaigns ahead.

His younger brother Hugh would soon follow, creating a bond of brotherhood that would see them serve together through much of the war.

Service in Egypt

Tierney was taken on strength into the 6th Battery at Heliopolis, Cairo, on December 8, 1915. This period coincided with the AIF's reorganization following the Gallipoli withdrawal. After a brief attachment to the 5th Battery at Tel El Kabir on January 15, 1916, he was transferred back to the 6th Battery on January 19, 1916.

The 2nd Field Artillery Brigade, formed in Australia prior to embarkation in late 1914, was raised to support the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Division, drawn mainly from Victoria. Unlike some artillery units that were reallocated during the war, the 2nd Brigade remained part of the 1st Division Artillery from August 1914 through the end of the war. During Edward's time in Egypt, his unit fought on the Sinai Peninsula, gaining valuable combat experience that would prepare them for the challenges of the Western Front.

Artillery was the dominant force on the battlefields of World War I, inflicting the most casualties and creating the devastated landscape so synonymous with the Western Front. As Napoleon Bonaparte famously described it, artillery was "the God of War" because of the effect its fire could bring to bear. For gunners like Edward, serving in an artillery unit was both technically demanding and extremely dangerous, as enemy forces prioritized counter-battery fire to neutralize artillery positions.

Western Front: 1916

Tierney departed Alexandria for France on March 22, 1916, disembarking at Marseille on March 28. After disembarkation, his unit travelled via a gruelling 58-hour train journey to Le Havre. The artillery unit he served with operated the standard 18-pounder field guns—workhorses of the British and Australian artillery capable of firing high explosive, shrapnel, gas, smoke, star (illumination), and armour-piercing shells up to 6,500 yards (almost 6km).

His brother Hugh had arrived in France just days earlier, disembarking at Marseille on March 19. As Hugh recorded in his memoir: "Being the second boat of Australians to arrive here, we were regarded as a novelty. We did not receive much of an ovation at this time. Partly because the people did not know the Australians, + partly because of a so-called reputation gained in Egypt."1

The brothers would be reunited when Hugh was transferred to Edward's 6th Battery on June 29, 1916, a move that likely reflected the military's occasional efforts to keep siblings together while still maintaining operational efficiency.

Edward's arrival in France coincided with preparations for the Battle of the Somme, which began on July 1, 1916. In this initial battle, the 1st ANZAC corps suffered 23,000 casualties. By September 1916, Edward's battery relieved the 1st ANZAC corps at Menin Gate, where they spent 17 days in combat and would eventually endure the winter in appalling conditions.

Hugh's memoir captures the brothers' participation in the Battle of Pozieres in July 1916: "Our boys went in to take Pozieres, which fortification had already defied 4 attacks as far as we knew. The Tommies all laughed + said that they would not take it. But the morning the attack came off, they changed their tune. Although they paid a heavy price Our Infantry took + held this place."2 Hugh also described the artillery landscape: "Just behind Albert + on the railway line, was a huge twelve inch Naval gun. All round our horse lines were long range guns of all calibres, practically wheel to wheel. Below us were the smaller guns, with a plentiful sprinkling of French 75's."3

The harsh winter of 1916-1917 took a severe toll on the troops. On October 30, Tierney was hospitalized with bronchitis, a common affliction among gunners exposed to the elements and gas. He rejoined his unit on November 11, 1916, returning to the horrific conditions described by Colin C. Twist of the 18th Battery:

What happened between these dates I don't rightly remember. What with forced marches, nothing to eat and no sleep. Mud up to our thighs. It was an absolute nightmare... Oh! What a hole -- a hell hole.4

Hugh's memoir provides a vivid description of the notorious mud they encountered: "We soon learnt to divide mud into three or four classes, + needless to say we also learnt to respect each species, as we met them. One kind of mud if you had the bad luck to run into it, would immediately cling lovingly to your body. It was next to useless trying to get away from its embrace."5

On December 28, 1916, Tierney suffered "a simple fracture to left fibula (accident while on stable duty in the field)." The deep mud and treacherous conditions of the Somme made managing horses and moving heavy equipment extremely dangerous. Artillery units like Edward's relied heavily on horses to move the heavy 18-pounder guns, which weighed over a ton, through terrain that was often impassable for motorized vehicles. Hugh described these challenges: "We had up to 20 horses in a team, all that we accomplished was to snap traces and swingle trees... Ultimately the same gun was pulled out with a six horse team."6

Recovery and Return: 1917

After treatment in Rouen, France, Tierney was evacuated to England aboard the hospital ship St. David on December 31, 1916. His rehabilitation took him through several medical facilities, including Colchester General Military Hospital and the 1st Auxiliary Hospital. Between March 2-13, 1917, he was granted furlough before reporting to Weymouth.

The medical classifications he received document his gradual return to fitness: B1A2 (Fit for overseas training camp in three to four weeks), B1A4 (Fit for overseas training camp when passed dentally fit), and finally A3 (Fit for overseas training camp, to which transferred for hardening, prior to rejoining unit overseas). Each classification reflected the careful medical monitoring of wounded soldiers to ensure they were truly fit for the rigors of combat before being returned to their units.

While Edward was recovering in England, Hugh continued serving with the 6th Battery until he too fell ill on March 9, 1917, and was admitted to the 32nd Ambulance Casualty Clearing Station. He rejoined the unit on March 23, allowing the brothers to maintain a connection to each other through the shared experiences of their unit, even when separated by hospitalization.

On September 1, 1917, records show Edward was absent without leave for four hours, resulting in the forfeiture of 15 days' pay. Such minor disciplinary infractions were common among troops and rarely reflected seriously on a soldier's overall service record.

Tierney returned to France on September 11, 1917, rejoining his unit during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). This major campaign, fought from July to November 1917, aimed to control the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders. The 26th of September marked the commencement of the Battle of Polygon Wood, which included 23 continuous days of fighting. Weather conditions were atrocious, with mud and rain considered worse than the Somme.

In late September 1917, Hugh was evacuated to hospital with gas exposure and shell shock. In a 1953 letter requesting information about his service, Hugh wrote: "Could you please tell me the approx date I was evacuated to hospital in France 1917. My diary was lost. Believed with gas. Was down by hospital train from near Ypres to the English No. 46 military hospital at Le Treport on the coast about end of September 1917. Treated for gas and type of shell shock fever."7 This reveals the different types of injuries both brothers endured during their service.

Gunner Melville's diary entry from September 24, 1917, provides a vivid account of what wounded soldiers like Edward and Hugh experienced:

After the strafe was over was carried on stretcher to 2nd Dressing Port. From there was taken to Dressing Stn on Menin Road. Had to wait a long time for ambulance. Wound pained a bit. Had a rough ride to Dressing Stn outside Menin Gate where wound was dressed. Then got another bus on to the Canadian CCS. Had a long painful wait there. Underwent operation at 9pm and came to, freed up about 10 with nice little souvenir in my leg. Waited until morning for train.8

On November 4, 1917, Tierney was wounded in action in Belgium, suffering a severe bullet wound to his left leg, knee, and buttock. This injury occurred during what was known as the Menin Road Battle, described as "the most strenuous, drawn out, and dangerous the Battery had been in."9 Many members of the Battery were killed and wounded during this period. The injury saw Edward evacuated to the Central Military Hospital in Eastbourne, England.

Final Year of the War: 1918

By mid-1918, Tierney had returned to his unit. On July 17, 1918, records show he was detached to the 2nd Army Rest Camp in France before rejoining his unit on August 2, 1918. This return coincided with preparations for what would become a pivotal moment in the war—the Battle of Amiens. Hugh had been on leave to the UK from July 13, 1918, rejoining the unit just prior to this significant battle.

The Battle of Amiens, fought between August 8-11, 1918, marked the beginning of what Allied commanders called the "Hundred Days Offensive" that would ultimately lead to the end of the war. All five divisions of the Australian Imperial Force participated under the command of Lieutenant General John Monash, utilizing combined arms tactics that coordinated infantry, mounted infantry, artillery, tanks, and air support.

The preparations for the battle included unprecedented security measures to achieve maximum surprise. Gunner J.R. Armitage described the night before the attack:

It was utterly still. Vehicles made no sound on the marshy ground... The silence played on our nerves a bit. As we got our guns into position you could hear drivers whispering to their horses and men muttering curses under their breath, and still the silence persisted, broken only by the whine of a stray rifle bullet or a long range shell passing high overhead... we could feel that hundreds of groups of men were doing the same thing - preparing for the heaviest barrage ever launched.10

On August 8, Edward and Hugh's 6th Battery of the Australian Field Artillery occupied a position in a wheat field near Villers-Bretonneux, firing in the Zero-hour barrage at 4:20 am, which preceded the Infantry and Tanks advance. As Gunner Armitage recorded that morning:

All hell broke loose, and we heard nothing more. The world was enveloped in sound and flame, and our ears just couldn't cope. The ground shook.11

A dense fog obscured the battlefield initially, providing additional cover for the advancing Allied forces. Official historian Charles Bean described the scene as the fog lifted:

A little later the mist suddenly cleared, and for a moment all eyes on the battlefield took in the astonishing scene: infantry in lines of hundreds of little section-columns all moving forward – with tanks, guns, battery after battery, the teams tossing their manes.12

This battle was a stunning success for the Allies. In total, they captured 29,144 prisoners, 338 guns, and liberated 116 towns and villages. German General Ludendorff later called August 8, 1918, "the black day of the German Army." As he wrote: "[It] was the black day of the German Army in this war. ... The 8th of August put the decline of that [German] fighting power beyond all doubt. ... The war must be ended."13

On August 9, 1918, just one day after this historic battle, Tierney received his second bullet wound to the leg during the continuing advance. He was initially treated at the 8th Hospital and 61st Casualty Clearing Station before being evacuated to England aboard the hospital ship Stad Antwerpen on August 18, 1918.

This second wounding led to a significant change for Hugh. On September 15, 1918, Hugh was appointed Driver (temporary)—a clear protective measure to reduce the risk of losing both brothers. The practice of separating siblings or assigning them to less dangerous roles after one was wounded was common in the AIF, reflecting both official policy and unofficial compassion within the ranks.

Hugh's perspective on tanks during the battle offers additional insight into the brothers' experiences: "We had heard that they had been a great success ultimately found out that in the Debut they were a failure. Being very clumsy + hard to manoeuvre. As we made progress we came to more Tanks, battered + stranded."14 This firsthand account shows how the technological innovations of World War I were perceived by the ordinary soldiers using them.

The actions at Amiens, and the role played by men like Edward Tierney and his 6th Battery comrades, helped bring about the end of the Great War. The Australian Corps' commander, Lieutenant General John Monash, was knighted by King George V on August 12, 1918, at a ceremony where dozens of German guns captured during the battle were displayed.

Tierney returned to his unit in France on December 4, 1918, after the Armistice had been signed. He remained with his unit until March 1919, when he was shipped from France to England before returning to Australia aboard the Soudan on May 12, 1919, alongside his brother Hugh. They arrived home in Melbourne on June 29, 1919.

Family Bonds in Battle

Edward's service is inseparable from that of his younger brother Hugh. Initially serving with the 4th Field Artillery Battalion, Hugh was transferred to Edward's 6th Battery on June 29, 1916. This transfer likely occurred when military authorities discovered Hugh's true age of just 16. Rather than sending him home, they may have decided to place him with his older brother who could watch over him. As Hugh wrote in his memoir after joining the 6th Battery: "After meeting the brother + being introduced all round,"15 he became part of the tight-knit artillery community alongside Edward.

The service records of both brothers reveal a pattern of transfers and reassignments that kept them together through much of the war. This practice was not uncommon in the AIF, where brothers often sought to serve in the same units. The military sometimes accommodated such arrangements, recognizing the positive effect on morale, while also implementing measures to reduce the risk of losing multiple family members from a single family.

The brothers shared several key periods of joint service:

June 29, 1916 to December 28, 1916: Together in the 6th Battery until Edward's first injury
September to November 1917: Briefly reunited after Edward's return to France
January to August 1918: Serving together in 6th Battery through the Battle of Amiens
December 1918 to May 1919: Final period together until their return to Australia
Their shared experiences included participating in the Somme Offensive, enduring the notorious mud and harsh conditions of Flanders, voting together in the Australian conscription referendum, and playing a critical role in the pivotal Battle of Amiens. As Hugh noted regarding the conscription vote: "At this place we cast our votes on the question of conscription. Needless to say, the troops, bar a few, voted unanimously against it."16

Hugh's appointment as Driver in September 1918, following Edward's second wounding, illustrates the military's efforts to protect families who had already sacrificed significantly. The brothers ultimately returned to Australia together aboard the Soudan in May 1919, their bond strengthened by their shared wartime experiences.

Australian Artillery in the Great War

The 2nd Field Artillery Brigade that Edward and Hugh served in played a crucial role in the AIF's operations. Napoleon Bonaparte famously described Artillery as "the God of War" because of the effect that its fire could bring to bear on the battlefield. In World War I on the Western Front, artillery dominated and defined the battlefield, inflicting most casualties and creating the pulverized, devastated quagmire that became synonymous with that conflict.

The 18-pounder field guns that the Tierney brothers operated were the standard field artillery piece of the British and Australian forces. When the AIF first embarked, its artillery was minimal, but as the war progressed, artillery units expanded and developed increasingly sophisticated tactics. The Tierney brothers witnessed this evolution firsthand, from the early battles on the Somme to the sophisticated combined arms approach at Amiens in 1918.

Artillery required immense physical effort to maintain and operate, with crews working in all weather conditions, often under enemy counter-battery fire. Hugh's memoir captures the challenges of moving these heavy weapons: "We had up to 20 horse teams, all that we accomplished was to snap traces and swingle trees... Ultimately the same gun was pulled out with a six horse team."6 These practical challenges, combined with constant enemy fire, made artillery service particularly hazardous, as evidenced by both brothers' multiple hospitalizations.

Medals and Recognition

For his service in the Great War, Tierney was awarded:

1914/15 Star
British War Medal 1914-20
Victory Medal

Post-War Life

After the war, Edward married Winifred Whippy and attempted farming through the Soldier Settlement Scheme at Ellinbank. Like many returned soldiers, he faced the challenges of poor soil and unfavourable economic conditions that plagued many soldier settlers. The Soldier Settlement Scheme, while well-intentioned, often allocated marginal land to veterans who lacked the capital and agricultural experience to make their farms viable.

His farming background, evident in Hugh's detailed observations of French agricultural practices during the war, likely influenced his decision to take up land. Hugh had noted in his memoir the stark contrast between efficient French farming methods and the devastated war landscape: "As we advanced up a valley known as the Long Valley we saw for the first time, some of the desolation + destruction, caused by war. Although not in view of the actual battle line, the reserve trenches + gun pits, showed up white against the surrounding landscape."17

Adapting to the challenges of civilian life, Edward found new purpose as a telephone linesman with the General Post Office, providing for his wife and their four children: Jean, Margaret, Eileen, and George. He showed the same dedication to his family as he had shown to his country, adapting to new challenges and always working to provide for his loved ones.

Edward's life was tragically cut short by a motor vehicle accident on Dynon Road on June 23, 1934, while returning home from work in the early hours of the morning. He was survived by his wife and children. His wife Winifred passed away in 1940, leaving their eldest daughter Jean to care for her younger siblings.

The strength of character Edward demonstrated throughout his military service and civilian life—his resilience in the face of wounds and hardship, his commitment to duty, and his adaptability in changing circumstances—lives on through his descendants, who continue to honour his memory and sacrifice.

1.     Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979. ↩

2.     Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979. ↩

3.     Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979. ↩

4.     Colin C. Twist, diary entry, November 1-2, 1916, Private Record PR00314, "Diary of Colin C. Twist, 18th Battery, 6th Brigade, Field Artillery, 2nd Australian Division," Australian War Memorial, quoted in Samantha Battams, "The 6th Field Artillery Brigade of WW1: Corporal White and the 'Fair Dinkums'," FindMyPast, accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/anzac-day-stories/page-1/samantha-battams.

5.     Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.

6.     Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.

7.     Hugh Michael Tierney, letter to military authorities, August 13, 1953, National Archives of Australia, B4218, CV39993.

8.     Diary of Gunner Melville, September 24, 1917, quoted in "Edward Francis Tierney," primary source document.

9.     Dyer, J, The Story of the 18th Battery 6th Brigade, Field Artillery, 1st AIF, 1915-1919, 1965, unpublished document, private collection, S Battams, quoted in Samantha Battams, "The 6th Field Artillery Brigade of WW1: Corporal White and the 'Fair Dinkums'," FindMyPast, accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/anzac-day-stories/page-1/samantha-battams.

10.  Gunner J.R. Armitage, diary entry, August 7, 1918, quoted in "The Battle of Amiens: 8 August 1918," Australian War Memorial, accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/1918/battles/amiens.

11.  Gunner J.R. Armitage, diary entry, August 8, 1918, quoted in "The Battle of Amiens: 8 August 1918," Australian War Memorial, accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/1918/battles/amiens.

12.  Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean, Anzac to Amiens (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1948), 471, quoted in "The Battle of Amiens: 8 August 1918," Australian War Memorial, accessed April 15, 2025, https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/1918/battles/amiens.

13.  General Eric von Ludendorff, quoted in Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean, Anzac to Amiens (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1948), 473, quoted in "Australians in the Battle of Amiens 8 to 11 August 1918," ANZAC Portal, Department of Veterans' Affairs, accessed April 15, 2025, https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/where-australians-served/western-front/hundred-days/battle-of-amiens-1918.

14.  Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.

15.  Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.

16.  Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.

17.  Tierney, Hugh, WWI Memoir, 1918, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, accession number 3DRL/2979.