Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Richard “Dick” William MAY Lieutenant 42nd Battalion

Richard May was born in March 1877 at the All Saints Vicarage in Geelong. He was one of several children born to the Reverend John May and his wife Helena. Richard attended Brighton Grammar School in bayside Melbourne and matriculated to attend the University of Melbourne in 1893. It was reported that “Dick” May was selected in the Victorian Rowing Squad while at University.

Richard began employment in the banking industry, presumably in parts of Victoria, before being employed as the Manager of the Union Bank of Australia in Kilcoy which opened in 1908. The Kilcoy Historical Society has in its photographic collection a picture of the Union Bank with three gentlemen standing on the veranda, one of whom may be Richard May.

Richard travelled to Brisbane by train to enlist on 16th August 1915. The Australians were at that time fighting in Gallipoli and recruiting for reinforcements was at an all time high. Richard informed the recruiting officer that he was 39 years old and single. Both of his parents were deceased and he named his elder brother, Edward, as his next of kin.

Richard was put into a depot battalion at Enoggera before being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant for the newly formed 42nd Battalion. The embarkation roll of the 42nd records Lieutenant Richard May as a platoon commander in “A” Company when the troops boarded the “Borda” in Sydney on 5th June 1916. The battalion arrived at Southampton on 23rd July. The 42nd would become part of the 11th brigade of the 3rd Division AIF. The 3rd Division, under the command of Major General John Monash was being assembled in England for eventual deployment to France and the Western Front. On 1st October, Richard was promoted to Lieutenant. On 25th November, the entire 3rd Division was shipped across the channel to France. On 23rd December, the men of the 42nd Battalion went into the front line for the first time near the French city of Armentieres.

The Armentieres sector of the front was referred to as the “nursery trenches”. The ground was very boggy and did not lend itself to whole scale attack. As a consequence not a lot happened, particularly in winter. Nevertheless the Australians were “dead keen” to mix it with the enemy and soon after the battalion’s arrival in the line, a small scale trench raid was planned.

The 42nd Battalion War Diary records a very detailed account of the planning and subsequent action. A party of 3 officers and 70 NCOs and other ranks was selected and spent two weeks training for the operation. Lieutenant Richard May was one of the three officers selected and was given the task of Officer in Charge of the assault party. In spite of the extensive planning, the operation on 1st February followed the dictum that opined that even the best laid military plan is unlikely to survive the first enemy shot.

As the party moved through their own wire towards the enemy lines, they came under enfilading fire from two machine guns. The officer in overall command, Captain Leahy, ordered a withdrawal in which the three officers were praised in the war diary for the skill displayed in extricating the men from no man’s land.

The raid in spite of its lack of success, had unintended consequences. The Germans began retaliatory artillery barrages against the 42nd’s position, usually at dinner time to create as much annoyance as possible. On 11th February 1917, a high explosive shell landed in a part of the Australian trench killing 5 men and wounding 10; one of whom was Richard May.

Richard was taken to the 10th Field Ambulance suffering from shell blast wounds to his left shoulder and head. He died the next morning and was buried in a temporary grave near the aid station.

Richard’s brother, Edward, was informed of his death and in due course received his personal belongings which included a pair of binoculars and a cheque book issued by the Union Bank of Australia at Kilcoy. In 1922, Richard’s remains were exhumed and reinterred at the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery in Armentieres. The personal inscription on his headstone reads “ THIRD SON OF REV. J.MAY AND H. MAY OF GEELONG; DICK OUR DEAR BROTHER.”