Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Hurtle the son of William James WILLIAMS & Johanna HEIER and was born on the 16th of February 1890 in Islington, SA.

William and Johanna had married on the 4th of December 1889 at the residence of Reverend E GRATLON, Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of Thomas James WILLIAMS & Tabitha BAILEY and was born on the 19th of July 1861 in Little Park, SA.

His mother was the daughter of Johann HEIER & Sophia Maria Magdalene GRABAWASCKI and was born on the 15th of March 1867 in Para Hills, SA.

Hurtle was the eldest child born into this family of 4 children; 4 boys.

Hurtle’s grandparents; WILLIAMS were the publicans of the Old Spot Hotel, Little Para (near Salisbury) for 50 years from 1849. Thomas had built the hotel in 1849. This was one of the oldest licensed premises in South Australia.

His father was a labourer and the WILLIAMS family grew up in Salisbury.

Hurtle was known as Jim and he and his siblings attended the Salisbury Public School.

Hurtle was a very keen billiards player and cyclist and a member of the North Adelaide Cycling Club.

On leaving school he gained employment as a commission agent Clerk with Elder Smith and was transferred to Bordertown.

In March 1915 Hurtle decided he would enlist into the AIF.

At the age of 25 Hurtle enlisted into the AIF on the 25th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 22224 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp. On the 16th of November he was transferred to the Field Artillery Reinforcements as a gunner and then transferred to the 23rd Howitzer Brigade, 108 Battery, which was part of the 3rd Division, on the 1st of April as a driver.

Hurtle embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 20th of May 1916, disembarking in Plymouth and relocated to Larkhill, Salisbury Plains, for further training and during this time Hurtle was promoted to Bombardier.

He proceeded to France on the 31st of December and when the 23rd Howitzer Brigade was then abolished, Hurtle was reassigned to the 8th Field Artillery Brigade, 108th Battery at Strazeele.

He fought at Armentieres before moving north into Belgium and then onto Ploegsteert, south of Ypres. He then fought in the battle at Messines Ridge, Menin Road, Broodseinde Ridge and Passchendaele.

On the 16th of December Hurtle gained a well earned 2 weeks leave in Paris where he was fortunate enough to spent Christmas day, away from the horrors of the trenches.

He then fought at Saint-Quentin and the Somme.

Hurtle became seriously ill with Lobar Pneumonia and was entrained and admitted into the 29th Stationary Hospital (B Section), Turlin, Italy on the 16th of December for 4 weeks.

After a long and cold war, Hurtle finally proceeded to England from Havre, on the 17th of March and transferred to Codford transit Camp.

In June 1919 his mother received an “order of the day” from Major General John GELLIBRAND, a relative of her and Hurtle.

It stated that “he had the pleasure of highly recommending No.22224, Bombardier H.J WILLIAMS, for devotion to duty and performing his work with coolness and determination throughout all operations in which his Battery was engaged”.

Hurtle finally embarked for Australia on the 11th of May 1919 on board HMAT Zealandia, disembarking in Adelaide at 2:30pm on the Thursday the 26th of June and was discharged from the AIF on the 10th of August 1919.

By 1930 Hurtle was living at 114 Pulsford Road, Prospect.

Hurtle died in Adelaide on the 27th of May 1937 and was buried the following day in the North Road Cemetery; Path 42 North, Plot 6752.

Hurtle’s grave has never been marked and the site is still current.

Military service:

At the age of 25 Hurtle enlisted into the AIF on the 25th of August 1915 in Adelaide, SA and was allotted the service number 22224 and posted to A Company, 2nd Depot Battalion in Exhibition Camp.

He listed his mother, of Salisbury, SA, as his next of kin.

On the 16th of November he was transferred to the Field Artillery Reinforcements as a gunner.

Hurtle was the transferred to the 23rd Howitzer Brigade, 108 Battery, which was part of the 3rd Division, on the 1st of April as a driver.

The 23rd Howitzer Brigade was raised from reinforcements and recruits at the artillery training camp, Maribyrnong, Victoria, in March 1916

Hurtle embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A7 Medic on the 20th of May 1916.

They sailed via the Cape of Good Hope in order to avoid German submarines in the Mediterranean and arrived at Plymouth on the south coast of England on the 18th of July.

On the recommendation of the Australian commander, Sir William Birdwood, 3rd Division had been deliberately formed by the Australian government to be a ‘professional’ division. The 1st & 2nd Divisions were poorly prepared for combat when they reached the Western Front and suffered many unnecessary casualties as a result in their early battles. Under the command of Major-General John Monash, the 3rd Division was to train extensively in England before moving to the Western Front.

They were relocated to Larkhill, Salisbury Plains, for further training and during this time Hurtle was promoted to Bombardier.

Because of its newness, its appearance (Monash made his men wear their slouch hats with brims down – much to their chagrin) and proficiency in exercises, plus the belief that it was the ‘darling’ of the Australian Department of Defence, the division was often referred to by other units as the ‘Neutrals’, the ‘Lark Hill Lancers’ or, rather derogatorily, the ‘Eggs-a-Cook’, an Egyptian egg-seller’s call used in reference to their oval-shaped battalion shoulder patches.

He proceeded to France on the 31st of December, disembarking at Le Havre.

Owing to a shortage of battery commanders, the brigade was reorganised at that location, an extra two eighteen-pounders being added to each battery.

The 23rd Howitzer Brigade was then abolished and John was reassigned to the 8th Field Artillery Brigade, 108th Battery at Strazeele.

They first went into action at Armentieres in northern France on the 17th of January. The area was known as the ‘nursery sector’, a relatively quiet part of the front where new troops could acclimatize themselves to the realities of trench warfare before being employed in major actions.

Hurtle’s unit was employed in counter-battery work, using its heavier calibre guns with aeroplane observation reports assisting it, to bombard the Germans’ mortars and field guns. This work was not without its dangers. Because of their high trajectory function, the howitzers were based very close to the front line and the enemy could and did counter bombard their position.

They then moved north into Belgium in the middle of March 1917 and established themselves at Ploegsteert, south of Ypres. A major offensive was planned for the area, beginning in June with the detonation of twenty huge mines buried beneath the German lines on a ridge at Messines. The artillery moved to the area first and established itself, and then the infantry of the 3rd Division moved into the area in May.

Hurtle and his artillery Battery stayed in the area, engaged in regular combat, until the start of May, when they returned to the Armentières area.

By the beginning of June, they were back at Ploegsteert and joined in a continuous bombardment of the enemy’s trenches that had begun on the 27th of May. This was in preparation for the detonation of the mines, planned for the 7th of June. The Germans, in return, bombarded the batteries with high explosive, shrapnel and gas shells.

The detonation at Messines took place as planned, nineteen of the twenty mines creating the largest man-made explosion ever seen (and heard!) up to that time. The batteries then joined in the follow-up bombardment as the infantry successfully took the remains of Messines Ridge (The unit diary tells that the men fired a total of 84 529 rounds in connection with the Battle of Messines).

Hurtle and his Battery was back in action in early July and one of its specific tasks was to cut the Germans’ barbed wire with its shells. Their higher trajectory, heavier weight and higher explosive content were more suited to this than were the eighteen-pounders. It was important to cut the wire to facilitate access to the German trenches during general attacks and night raids.

The Battle of Messines was the start of the Third Battle of Ypres, designed to capture the German-held section of the Belgian coast and open the way to the North German Plain. The first major attack took place on the 31st of July, the eventual target being the village of Passchendaele.

Hurtle would later remember this for the incessant rain and gluey mud which literally bogged much of the action down.

They were relieved at the end of the month and then moved into the area near Ypres for the major Australian attack at Menin Road on the 20th of September. The guns provided support from the 19th and, although the gains were modest in the whole scale of things, the battle was regarded as a great success.

On the 4th of October, the third stage of the battle – an Anzac attack on Broodseinde Ridge - began, the Germans retaliating fiercely.

Hurtle and his Battery was heavily involved in another successful assault, the ridge being taken at a cost of 6432 Australian casualties, of which 1279 Australians were killed in just 1 day of fighting (the deadliest day in Australia’s military history).

Rain set in again on the 6th, bogging the situation down once more. The shelling continued, however, until all the objectives were captured on the Ridge.

The fighting around Passchendaele proved to be their last offensive actions for 1917 and they spent the winter months in the rear training, or undertaking defensive duties in reasonably quiet sectors of the line as they were reformed and brought back up to strength.

On the 16th of December Hurtle gained a well earned 2 weeks leave in Paris where he was fortunate enough to spent Christmas day, away from the horrors of the trenches.

He returned to his Battery on the 31st of December and the following day they were relieved and proceeded to de Seule hutmen Camp. Owing to a hard frost the marching was difficult and on the following day the march was continued via Bailleul to Meteron Billeting Area, where the Billets were very scattered. While here the frost broke, making the road very muddy and unpleasant for marching and transport. General Training was carried out, interspersed with Sports and Football Matches.

In February they moved to a quiet sector covering the area between Armentieres and Messines.

In March 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive near Saint-Quentin and as the Allied line collapsed, the German forces advanced swiftly into the Somme valley. 

Believing that another attack would be directed against the forces in the Flanders sector, in an effort to reinforce the British forces there, the commanders recalled them from their quiet sector around Armentières and sent them to Ypres.

The attack came, however, at the Somme and so on the 24th of March they were transferred south to help stem the advance and defend the approaches towards the important railhead at Amiens. Temporarily placed under the command of the British VII Corps, they took up position to the east of Amiens in between the Ancre and Somme Rivers.

On the 30th of May 1918, Major General John Monash was appointed to command the Australian Corps, and Birdwood selected Gellibrand to take Monash's place in command of the 3rd Division.

Major General John Gellibrand was actually a distance relative of Hurtle’s.

On the 8th of August 1918, the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive around Amiens and the 3rd Division was tasked with leading the Australian Corps part in the attack.

Under the cover of a heavy artillery bombardment from the 108th Battery and nine field brigades, and supported by tanks and gas, the attack began at 4:20 am. The weight of the Allied fire support was intense as over 2,000 artillery pieces opened up on the German defences.

The thick smoke from the Battery artillery meant that the attackers found it difficult to maintain their spacing and some of the supporting armour was also delayed. Nevertheless, the attack proved successful, as the Australians overwhelmed the German defenders and by the end of the day the 3rd Division had achieved all of its objectives, thanks to the artillery support.

Throughout the rest of August, they continued offensive operations, even launching daylight raids upon the German positions. On the 22nd of August they attacked once more, advancing through the village of Bray, capturing a number of German prisoners. After a brief lull in the fighting, they continued the advance again 3 days later, capturing Clery at the end of the week before taking Allaines on the 2nd of September.

Throughout September the Germans began to withdraw back towards the Hindenburg Line and Hurtle with his Battery and the 3rd Division took part in the operations undertaken to follow them up and harass the rearguard.

They were then withdrawn from the Hindenburg Line sector and had moved onto their billets at Brancourt-le-Grand, for rest and further training.

Whilst here, on the 11th of November 1918 there was great rejoicing on the first news of the Armistice.

The next month Hurtle became seriously ill with Lobar Pneumonia and was entrained and admitted into the 29th Stationary Hospital (B Section), Turlin, Italy on the 16th of December.

He spent 4 weeks recovering in this hospital before rejoining his Battery in Hautmont, France, on the 17th of January 1919.

After a long and cold war, Hurtle finally proceeded to England from Havre, on the 17th of March and transferred to Codford.

With the end of hostilities in 1918 Codford was used a reception and transit camp for many of the men arriving with their Quota from Belgium and France and awaiting their return to Australia.

Hurtle finally embarked for Australia on the 11th of May 1919 on board HMAT Zealandia, disembarking in Adelaide on the 26th of June 1919.

Hurtle was discharged from the AIF on the 10th of August 1919.