Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Aloysius James Cotter or "Trooper" as he was then called was the eldest son of James Garrett Cotter of Yarram Yarram was born in Feb 1896 and has a most interesting history.

He was educated in Yarram and Ballarat and worked on the family dairy farm.

Trooper enlisted in the first AIF on September 16 1914 aged 18 and was attached to the 4th Light Horse, 1st reinforcement and embarked on the "Barunga" on 22 December 1914.Trooper saw war service in Egypt, Palestine and Gallipoli and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and the Victory medal.

Trooper was also part of the last large scale cavalry charge at Beersheba on October 31 1917 and had a miraculous escape when his horse was shot from under him just as he reached the Turkish lines, he was pinned by one leg by his now dead mount. He and a Turkish soldier had a private duel, firing 5 shots at each other,Trooper won.



He returned to Australia on 15th November 1918 after shooting his own horse for fear that the Egyptians might misuse his horse. I have a great deal of information about Trooper that is written in "Beersheba" Cptn Cyril Smith in the official history of that event as well as his obituary in the July 16 issue of The Gippsland Standard newspaper these files are contained in a PDF should anyone like to read further.

Trooper married Kathleen Roberts from Swan Hill in 1927 and had two children Dorothy and James both now deceased, James wife Eileen still lives near Burleigh Heads where she raised a family of Cotter,s including Jason Cotter who was a brilliant footballer. I met her daughter Suzanne in Paris some years ago when she was at Sorbonne university.



He played football for many years with Devon. In 1927 along with his brothers they made up five of the 18 players in one particular match.In the booklet written by Gary Farley on "Devon, The first Hundred Years" the Cotter brothers throughout 1920-1931 were often named as outstanding players and just as often reported by the umpires for rough play. It is supposed that this was as a result of sticking up for ones' brothers! however they were part of the Devon premiership teams from 1919-1932 in a row.



Trooper came to an untimely death on July 13 1930 after cheating death so many times at Gallipoli he received a heavy knock at Football which exacerbated an infected hydatid and later died in hospital at Yarram. He is buried at Greenmount catholic cemetery Yarram on July 15 1930 aged 34.



Gippsland Standard July 16 1930 Obituary " Death of Trooper Cotter "

A soldier and a Man.



The whole district was stirred when it became known that Trooper Cotter of Stacey's Bridge had received hurt at football, and was in hospital in a critical condition. Word of his death which occurred on Sunday morning was received with deep regret. No young man could be held in greater respect and esteem than Trooper Ally Cotter.

Ally Cotter played football with the Devon team against yarram on the show ground an Sat 5th inst.

Like his brothers he throughly enjoyed the game in which he excelled. Going after the ball he and a club mate collided and during the rest of the game was unfitted for play. At the end of the final quarter although suffering pain and unsteady on his feet, he drove his car into town and got dressed. His desire was to return home to his wife and family, but he was prevailed upon to see Dr Rutter. Then the truth was revealed, unknown to himself he had a hydatd on the liver. The impact on the football feild had cased these to burst and how he continued to play in such a state is remarkable- only another instance of his fortitude at war and throughout life. It was stated that had the mishap not happened, it would have been a few weeks when themalady may have futher developed.

He was operated on the same night at St Elmo's Private hospital.

Ally Cotter had a wonderful war record. At the age of 18 on the !6th September 1914 he enlisted in Yarram and joined the light horse regiment. He left Australia on Dec 21 1914 and went to Egypt where he saw service until the following April. He then went to gallipoli and was at the landing on the 25th April 1915 and served there till the evacuation in the following December. He later went through the Egyptian and Palestinian campaigns in which he was in the noted charge of Beersheba, stated to be the greatest horse event in history.He was in the first line and in the charge his horse was shot from underneath him within a few yards of the Turkish trenches. Trooper Cotter lay on the ground, had he jumped up he would have been shot.Displaying great presence of mind he lay still for a few moments. raising his head a Turk fired and missed, Trooper Cotter returned the fire and got the Turk. He then hopped over into the trenches and fought with his mates, and the Turks surrended after a bayonet charge. In Palestine he took twelve Turkish prisoners single handed.

Ally wrote to his sister Gertrude as follows after the Charge of Beersheba, “LETTER FROM PALESTINE.
Corporal A. J. Cotter
Palestine to his sister Miss Cotter,
Staceys Bridge, 27/11/17:--
We have been knocking the old Turk about to some order since last I wrote. We grabbed Beersheba out of his hands, intact one fine evening. We rode all night, and by daybreak we were hid ing in the hills behind Beersheba waiting for a charge, which came off successfully at a quarter to 5 in the evening. Imagine a line of hills broken by gullies in which we were hiding, and then a grassy flat of about two miles to a town we could see in the distance. Well, we filed down out of the gullies, and formed along thin line with about four yards between horsemen. A squadron 0f the 4th Light Horse was the first line and was the first to enter the town.The 1st Light Horse was on our right and the 12th Light Horse on our left flank. We got the order to trot and then to gallop,and the the bullets started to crack. I can tell you my head was well down in the old horse's mane. The grassy flat we could see on a closer view was crossed by numerous trenches filled with Turks,who, armed with numerous machine guns, bombs, rifles, ans saw-edged bayonets, seemed to have but one object in life, and that was to stop us from galloping over them; but they did not succeed, poor chaps. If we had been armed with swords we would have sliced the old Turks up a treat. A bayonet is absolutely useless on horseback against a dismounted man, especially when he is lying down shooting at you, and your horse is going at full gallop. My old horse got shot from under me just as we crossed the first line of the enemy, and I finished the journey on foot. A few rode right into the town, but the majority dismounted when they got fairly in amongst the Turks,and we were shooting at one another from a distance of five yards. The Turks' machine guns were killing as many of their own men as they were of us. The Turks are a dirty,treacherous mob of swine. They would throw down their rifles one minute and as soon as you turned your back to deal with someone else they would have a pot at you. Our troop officer got shot dead. I settled the hash of the Turk who shot him. I bagged five.We lived for two day son Turkish rations at Beersheba,horses and all. The Turkish flour is like pollard, and the bread is brown.Some of it was just out of the ovens, and it went down alright after army biscuits. We took 11,000 prisoners at Beersheba, and we have been scrapping ever since. On the 14th Nov. we captured a railway station, the junction of lines running from Gaza, Jaffa, Beersheba, Jerusalem and several branch lines. There were several trains, large quantity of munitions and stores,three damaged Taubes, and a Turkish hospital with wounded and hospital staff. I and another young chap had a look through the hospital. We found one wounded Australian out of the Light Horse in there. All the Turkish doctors could speak good English. One man and I took 11 prisoners that day, and four out of the 11 had saw-edged bayonets. I am still carrying a Turkish bayonet, as it is very handy for sawing wood to boil the billy. A few days ago we were halted for a day and a ate alongside a pretty little Jewish village, where we got plenty of brown bread and oranges which, though a bit heavy, went down alright after a month on biscuits. We also got a drop of grape wine which, though sweet, was very acceptable. And another thing we got was a wet skin that night, as it rained, actually rained heavily! The first rain we had seen for a long time. We are camped about two miles from the sea, and yesterday rode down for a swim. Both air and water were very cold.
This is a beautiful country. They grow the best oranges in the world, also grow dates, figs, grapes, and all the country is under crop. The win ter here is the same as in Australia. We are moving on again to-morrow morning, so I don't know whether II will have a chance to post this letter or not. This Jewish village I was telling you of was like many others about here, financed by Lord Roth child. There are some very pretty Jewesses in the villages. They told us that they have had no sugar for three years.Some of the Light Horse that saw Jaffa while passing by tell us that the town is for all the world like Ballarat. Jerusalem is surrounded bv our troops. The country where the fighting is going on at present is so hilly and rocky that horses are with difficulty led over it. I suppose they will be turning us into infantry unless the Turks make a run for home,which he can't doubtless he breaks through some part of our line. Our aeroplanes have complete mastery of the air. It is terribly cold here at night, and even the days are not too warm. In fact it is raining as often as not, and we can only carry one blanket, a water-proof sheet and overcoat. They are starting to issue to us Australian tunics in place of the cotton ones we have.

Three Stacey's Bridge boys were enlisted on the same day, viz, Pat Sexton, Jack Cantwell and Ally Cotter, the former was killed in France. Jack Cantwell and Ally Cotter were mates through the campaign and were furloughed together on the day of the Armistice, landing home in Australia on Christmas Eve 1918, both having been promoted to Seargent. Ally was recognised as one of the best companions and amonsgt the keenest soldiers in the regiment and as such made hundreds of pals.



Ally Cotter was foremost in all sport, and his genial demenour won general admiration, of fine phisique he excelled where strength and judgement were essential and at all times was a clean sport, there too his coolness and gentlemanly manners earned esteem.

He married Miss Kathleen Roberts from Swan Hill a teacher at the Stacey's Bridge school and had a family of two children, for whom the deep sympathy of the district is felt: also for his aged father Mr James Cotter who has lost his eldest son from this well known and respected family.



The Union Jack was hung at half mast at the Soldiers memorial in Commercial Rd. The funeral yesterday was one to be remembered which moved from St Mary's in the afternoon. The Union jack was draped on the caskat St Mary's gates and remained there till the hearse reached the cemetary at Greenmount.

The hearse was preceded by 60 returned men, amongst whom were the Revds N Elliot and C H Ball.The funeral was considered to be one of, if not the largest ever in the district. There were over 140 motor cars and the gathering at the grave site was estimated to be 700 people.

The courtege was over a mile long. Beautiful floral emblems were sent from the Devon and Ramblers football clubs, the diggers club and the Stacey's Bridge rifle club of which the deceased was a member since inception and a noted marksman.

The casket was covered in flowers Rev Father Donavan read the service and the last post was played by Mr B Griffiths- a fitting close to a career of a brave soldier. His age was only 34 years. R.I.P