Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

From François Berthout

Captain James Edward Herbert, 26th Inf Bn
 
On the old battlefields of the Somme, stand in silence, under a peaceful sun, hundreds of white cities, serene cemeteries in which, for eternity, a whole generation of men rest in peace among the poppies, eternal symbol of the courage and sacrifices of millions of men, eternal symbol of Remembrance which, through their blood-red petals, remind us of the history of these young men who, in France, did their duty with bravery and who, side by side side, in the finest spirit of mateship, fought and fell and who, forever, on those sacred grounds of the Somme where so much blood was shed,will never be forgotten.Gone but not forgotten, they still stand, proud and brave as they were in the trenches and we will always keep alive their history, their memory, their Remembrance so that their names, their faces, their history remain engraved in our hearts.

Today,it is the memory of one of these men who, for Australia and for France paid the supreme sacrifice,I would like to pay a very respectful tribute to Captain James Edward Herbert who fought in the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion,2nd Australian Division, and who died of his wounds 103 years ago, on April 17, 1918 at the age of 36 on the Somme front.
James Edward Herbert was born on June 4, 1881 in Toowoomba, Queensland and was the third son of James and Emily Herbert, of Cavendish Road, Cooparoo, Brisbane, Queensland, who had nine children.James travelled to England and Wales to live with his family while still a young child, where some of his siblings were born.The family returned to Australia in 1888/1889 settling in Queensland.Before the outbreak of the war, he worked as a traveling salesman for S. Hoffnung and Co, a prominent wholesale import business with branches in New South Wales, Queensland and the Pacific.In 1909 James married his wife Amelia Mabel Preston and had a daughter, Florence Emily who was born in January 1911 but unfortunately a year later, in 1912,his wife and their second child both died during childbirth.Prior to the outbreak of war, James had held a commission as a Lieutenant in the Moreton Regiment (Citizens Forces) which he had held for 6 years.

Enlisted on May 1, 1915 in Brisbane, Queensland on May 1, 1915 in the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion, B Company,his application for a commission in the AIF was granted on 21st May 1915, at the rank of 1st Lieutenant and he embarked with his unit from Brisbane, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on May 24, 1915.The 26th Battalion had been raised in April 1915 at Enoggera as part of the 7th Brigade of the 2nd Division AIF. The 7th Brigade was comprised of battalions from the so called “outer” states of Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. The 26th Battalion was a combined Queensland/Tasmanian battalion.

The 26th Battalion along with the remainder of the 7th Brigade arrived in Egypt in early September and were soon on Gallipoli to relieve the original 1st Division which had been there since April and absorbed most of the fighting. The 26th Battalion performed mainly defensive roles at Courtney’s and Steele’s Posts until being withdrawn in December 1915. While at Mudros Harbour awaiting transport to Egypt, James Herbert was made second in command of A Company. In camp in Egypt, James received a second promotion, this time to Captain commanding A Company.

On 21st March 1916, the 26th Battalion landed in Marseilles and proceeded north to the Ypres sector of the Western Front around Messines to be introduced to the business of warfare on the Western Front. In July 1916, Haig (Supreme British Commander on the Western Front) launched the Somme offensive. Casualties were enormous but Haig was determined to keep up the pressure. Three of the four Australian divisions in France were deployed to the Somme. (The other division, the 5th had already suffered a mauling at Fromelles). The Australians were to go into their first major action at Pozieres. On the 23rd July, the 1st Division AIF was tasked with capturing the village of Pozieres. The 1st Division took the village but were unable to take the two lines of trenches beyond. The 1st Division were withdrawn and the 2nd Division tasked with taking the enemy trenches. The attack, the first major offensive by the 26th Battalion since arriving in France, was to begin just after midnight on the 29th July. Prior to going into the line, each man was issued with a tin triangle which was to be sown on to the back of the tunic as an aid to artillery spotters. During the attack on the German trenches (known as OG1 and OG2), Captain Herbert received a serious gunshot wound to the left arm and shoulder.

James was evacuated via a Casualty Clearing Station to the 1st Red Cross Hospital in Boulogne for surgery. A fortnight later, he was evacuated to England on the Hospital Ship “Dieppe” and admitted to 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth on 14th August 1916. Whilst recuperating in London, a medical board was convened to determine the extent of the incapacity James had sustained, and also to determine if the injuries warranted a discharge on medical grounds. The board were informed that a bullet had entered at the point of the left shoulder and exited at the shoulder blade fracturing both humerus and scapula. The exit wound had not properly healed and the left shoulder and his left arm were very weak.

Given that the supply of infantry officers for the AIF was finite, the board appear to have deferred a decision regarding James’ incapacity, instead placing him on the supernumerary list while he went first to the 5th Australian Auxiliary Hospital and then to Perham Downs Convalescent Depot. He would spend a total of 8 months recuperating from his wound before being placed back on the active list.
James rejoined his unit on 29 May 1917. Two months later he was detached to the 5th Army Infantry School for five weeks and rejoined the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion as the battalion moved from the Somme north to the Ypres sector.

The 26th Australian Infantry Battalion, as part of the 2nd Australian Division were put into the line during the Battle of Menin Road. The advance was most successful and Gough, the 5th Army Commander, decided to press home the advantage by continuing to attack the low ridge to the east of Ypres. On the 4th and 5th October, the three Australian divisions attacked beside each other towards the crossroads at Broodseinde, just south of what is now the large Commonwealth War Cemetery at Tyne Cot, outside of Passchendaele.

As a result of the action at Broodseinde Ridge, James Herbert was recommended for the Distinguished Service Order (the second highest award for gallantry) in that he “displayed conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in consolidating the captured position and contributing in a major way to the battalion’s success.”

Perhaps because of this action, or because the effects of his previous wounds were still apparent, James was granted 6 days leave in Paris just two weeks after Broodseinde. The time in Paris although short was sufficient for James to contract a dose of VD and whilst in hospital being treated, he was informed that he had been awarded the Military Cross (instead of the DSO) for his actions at Passchendaele. It can only be guessed as to the reason for the award being downgraded to MC(Military Cross), but it may have been simply that his rank was too junior for the DSO and the MC was considered more appropriate. In any event, James was entitled to forever after append the letters M.C. after his name.

After discharge from Hospital in January 1918, James was granted two weeks leave in England, again an indication that his shoulder wound was perhaps still causing trouble. In March 1918, Operation Michael pushed a German advance from the Hindenburg Line back across the Somme battlefields as far as Villers Bretonneux. The Australian divisions were rushed to the Somme to stem the tide of the German advance.
Unfortunately, it was near Villers-Bretonneux, a month later, on April 17, 1918, that James met his fate. On the 17th April 1918, the battalion diary records that Captain Herbert was shot in the back by a sniper whilst supervising the burial of a fellow officer. James was taken to a Casualty Clearing Station but he had already succumbed to his wound at Warloy-Baillon,Somme.He was 36 years old.

Today, Captain James Edward Herbert rests in peace with his men, friends and brothers in arms at the Warloy-Baillon Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, and his grave bears the following inscription "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die ".
At the war’s end, James Herbert’s war medals,14/15 Star, Empire Medal, Victory Medal and Military Cross were despatched to his only daughter, Florence. In 1965, after much pressure, the Australian Government announced that the Gallipoli Medallion would be awarded to all surviving Gallipoli veterans or their next of kin. The medallion could not be worn as a campaign medal, but a signifying badge could be worn. Florence Mossop of 36 Amelia Street Coorparoo wrote to Central Army Records to advise that she was the only child of Captain James Herbert, 26th Battalion and requested a Gallipoli Medallion be issued to her.
Captain James Edward Herbert had a brother who served and fought courageously in the first world war, Sergeant number 3359 John Reginald Herbert who also fought in the 26th Australian Infantry Battalion.
John also fought in the Somme and was awarded the Military Medal with the following citation:
"During the attack on 8th August 1918, East of Villers-Bretonneux, near Amiens, this N.C.O.(Non Commisioned Officer) was on the extreme right of his Battalion. He displayed great courage and initiative by crossing the railway line many times, mopping up individuals of the enemy who were holding out and sniping our men, and always kept close touch with the troops attacking on the South side of the railway. On the following days of the advance, he twice organised small parties and rushed enemy posts, inflicting many casualties on the enemy and capturing several prisoners. Owing to his energy, his flank was never in doubt. He inspired confidence in all ranks by his fine display of bravery and initiative, and when most of the officers became casualties, he took command and led the men in fine style. He has rendered conspicuous service throughout the whole of the operations of the past six months.".

John survived the war and returned to Australia on December 24, 1918 and died of natural causes on August 23, 1959 at the age of 73 in Queensland (John is to the right of his brother James in the photo, seated).

James, Sir, you who fought with the greatest bravery in Belgium and France, on these soils flowered by the poppies which saw so much blood and courage and in which fell so many men, a whole generation who rest in peace in the cemeteries of the Somme, I would like, with the greatest respect and eternal gratitude, to say thank you, for all that you have done for us, in this long and tragic war which took so many men from their homes and of their loved ones who today and forever rest on the soil of France, of a friendly country who will be forever grateful to them.they were young, they were brave and all stepped forward to answer with conviction the call of duty, standing and proud, they left the warmth of love of their families and gathered in the comradeship with which they walked with confidence and faith towards the battlefields of northern France, following the sound of drums and bagpipes, listening to their hearts and their conscience, they were determined to go all the way by following their friends, their comrades, their officers .they walked through the roads and the fields singing with in their hearts the certainty of their actions and the causes they defended, all were united for freedom and justice, for peace and the future of a better world , for better days, they walked fearlessly alongside their friends for whom and with whom they fought. through the towns and villages of France, through the poppy fields of the Somme, they never stopped to move forward by bringing light and hope through the darkness of war that has invaded hearts and minds.Under the lightning of the guns, under the dark clouds of a world on the edge of the precipice, they dug in the mud in which they buried themselves deep in trenches, under kilometers of barbed wire, under the endless fire of the shells which kept falling from the sky, spitting out by cannons, by increasingly deadly and destructive weapons which, at an infernal rate, pulverized the battlefields and which mowed down thousands of men every day.in this hell on earth, these men, these heroes remained united and held their own, they remained strong and determined and with a courage beyond possible, beyond their limit, beyond bravery, they held the line which was never broken,they never retreated despite the rain of bullets and the hurricanes of fire which they endured and which they crossed at the cost of terrible losses, they held their positions on the front line, firing all their weapons, rifles and machine guns swept through the battlefield, they fought and resisted with the courage that bound them, guided and encouraged by their officers, brave men like you James, who did everything to guide these men as best as possible to keep them alive and protect them like a father would for his boys.you who had the lives of all these young men in your hands, you were always by their side, always in front of them to lead them resolutely through the battlefield, under the intense and murderous fire of the machine guns, pistols in hand, charging with determination, you did your duty with the greatest bravery that a man can give and I am sure that your men were honored and proud to serve by your side and that they were very sad to lose you but you showed them the way to follow and thanks to you, thanks to the courage and the sacrifices of your men, your brothers in arms who fought at your side, we live today in a world at peace.More than a hundred years have passed and neither you nor your comrades have been forgotten, your memory, alive and strong has never faded.We do not forget who you were and what you have done and given for us and we will keep in our hearts, imperishable, the memory of a courageous and good man who gave his life for us and over whom I would always watch with respect just as I would watch over the men who fought by your side, none of they, never, will never be forgotten, I would keep alive your memory and that of all your brothers in arms who fought and fell here, in the Somme for whom the flame of Remembrance will never cease to shine.Thhank you James,for everything.At the going down of the sun and in the morning,we will remember him,we will remember them.