There were several men who were the sons of those involved in the Kelly
story
who became ANZAC's and fought in World War One. They included men from both
sides, outlaws & police.Surnames such as Bracken and Curnow represented
the AIF in what were arguably some of the toughest
battlefields of the war to end all wars.
"For Australia, as for many nations, the First World War remains
the most costly conflict ever in terms of
deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five
million, 300,000 men enlisted, of which over
60,000 were killed and 156,000 were wounded, gassed or taken
prisoner".
"The outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other
places, with great public enthusiasm.
In response to the overwhelming number of volunteers, the authorities
set exacting physical standards for recruits.
Yet most of the men accepted into the army in August 1914 were sent
first to Egypt, not Europe, to meet the
threat which a new belligerent, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), posed to
British interests in the Middle East
and the Suez Canal." Source Australian War Memorial.
As an ex serviceman (Army) myself I feel a great empathy with these
soldiers. So many were killed in action,
so it should not be a surprise to learn that most of the men I cover
here were also to lose their lives.
I hope that through this page these brave souls will not be seen merely
as names and numbers, but as young
men who gave their lives for King & Country. One cannot but feel sorrow
for the wasted lives of this and
subsequent battles. Both men & women, soldiers and civilians suffer
during and after war. Going by current
world events it seems nothing much has changed, except perhaps the scale
and weaponry of the conflict.
World War 1 began on June 28 1914! Does that ring any bells?
To the day exactly 34 years after the siege.
The war began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir
to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian
empire, Sarajevo Bosnia. Who would have thought that the world would be
in such chaos for four terrible years.
It would end on November 11 1918, another date (11 Nov) which
should have meaning for people who know the
Kelly story.
........................................................................................................................................................................................
Sydney was the son of Constable Gascoigne who was at Glenrowan.
Sydney Victor Gascoigne
Service number: 2416
Rank: Private
Roll title: 46 Infantry
Battalion - 2 to 5 Reinforcements
(April-September 1916)
Conflict: First World War,
1914-1918
Date of embarkation: 7
September 1916
Place of embarkation:
Melbourne
Ship embarked on: HMAT Port
Sydney
Ship number: A15
Headstone Benalla Cemetery (D.White)
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JAMES BRACKEN
**James was the son of Hugh Bracken the
Glenrowan policeman.
.
His service record is as follows:
Service Number: 4365
Date of enlistment: 12/Oct/1914
Place of enlistment: Unknown
Date of birth: 1885
Place of birth : Richmond Victoria.
Service History: 14th Battallion, wounded at
Anzac 19/May/1915 & invalided to Australia
in September. Re-embarked 21/Mar/1916
with the 11th re-enforcements 23rd Battallion.
TOS (taken on strength) Anzac Provo Corp 3/Apr/1916
TOS 14th Battallion 23/Aug/1918.
Death: KIA 19/Sep/1918 aged 32 (Engineer)
Place of death: Hindenburg Outpost Line
Next of kin: Half brother R. Bracken
C/- Huddard Parker Ltd Melbourne.
Source Australian War Memorial.
It is great to have all of the above information on James, son of
Hugh. However we are extremely fortunate
in that not only do we know this, we also have a photograph that 'may'
be James. The photograph below
was sent to me by Mike Lynn, (and exclusive copyright permission given
to this site) a descendent of
Hugh Bracken. I am most thankful indeed to Mike and it is his hope that
someone can assist to either
confirm or rule out this image as being James Bracken.
The uniform is devoid of markings, except the cap. Can anyone help? The
photograph was in the family
album. Also found was a photograph believed to be Hugh Bracken in later
life and another
photograph of a couple that could include Richard Bracken.
**said to be Richard James Bracken in many texts. Richard was the 2
yr old boy present when Ned knocked
on the door of Constable Bracken at Glenrowan.)
***I have the full dossier of James' war record, I shall upload
sections of interest shortly. (6 May 04)
THOMAS CURNOW
Thomas was son of Thomas Curnow,
the schoolteacher who alerted and stopped the police train at Glenrowan.
He was a bootmaker who lived in Ballarat Victoria.
After his death at age 35, Thomas's details were provided by his mother
Jean Curnow
(nee Mortimer, sister of fellow Inn prisoner
Dave Mortimer)
His service record is as follows:
Service Number: 3135
Date of enlistment:
Place of enlistment: Unknown
Date of birth: 1883
Place of birth : Ballarat Victoria.
Service History: Private in the 57th Battalion
Death: KIA 8 Aug 1918
Place of death: Villers Bretonneaux
Next of kin: T. Curnow Father
.
Source Australian War Memorial.
| Name: |
CURNOW, THOMAS |
| Initials: |
T |
| Nationality: |
Australian |
| Rank: |
Private |
| Regiment/Service: |
Australian Infantry, A.I.F. |
| Unit Text: |
57th Bn. |
| Age: |
35 |
| Date of Death: |
08/08/1918 |
| Service No: |
3135 |
| Additional
information: |
Son of Thomas and Jean Isabella Curnow,
of 225, Raglan St., Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. |
| Casualty Type: |
Commonwealth War Dead |
| Grave/Memorial
Reference: |
II. E. 20. |
|
Cemetery: |
HEATH CEMETERY, HARBONNIERES |
Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=559298
FREDERICK ARTHUR FOSTER
Frederick was the son of Kate Foster nee Kelly, (Ned's sister) and
William Foster.
He was a labourer before enlisting and is listed as having been a Cadet.
Parents listed on service record were William & Ada Foster.
His service record is as follows:
Service number: 2002B
Date of enlistment: 12/Oct/1914
Place of enlistment: Unknown
Date of birth: 1885
Place of birth : Forbes N.S.W.
Service History: 16th Light Horse Benalla,
4th reinforcements 13th Light Horse
Deserters Roll, AIF Goulburn N.S.W.
14th Jan 1916 3rd reinforcements
55th Battallion, 23/Jun/1916 Sydney
HMAT Barambah Plymouth 25/Aug/1916
trained in England 28/Feb/1917 Folkestone
SS Golden Eagle for France 1 Mar-24 Mar
Etaples transit depot TOS 17th Battallion
Death: KIA Bullecourt 15th Apr 1917
Source Australian War Memorial.
GLEN RAWLINS
Glen was the son of Charles Rawlins, the man
who joined Hare at Benalla.
Rawlins took an active part in the siege.
The Evening Post, 22 December, 1914
(Courtesy of The National Library of New Zealand)
(Thanks also to Sharon Hollingsworth)
CUTTING WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS
Corporal Glen Rawlins, a New Zealander, of the 28th London Territorials,
was
killed while cutting the enemy's entanglements, work for which he
volunteered.
The Evening Post, 30 December 1914
(Courtesy of The National Library of New Zealand)
Coporal Glen Rawlins whose death at the front was reported by cable last
week, was not a New Zealander, but an Australian. He was a son of Mr.
Charles Champion Rawlins well known in Dunedin as a mining engineer for
many
years at the Island Block, near Lawrence.
Dr. Robert Fulton (Dunedin) supplies these additional particulars.
Glen Rawlins was named after Glenrowan Station, where the Kelly gang
were
finally exterminated, his father having taken a prominent part in the
affair
as a special constable.
"To volunteer to go under a hail of fire to cut wire entanglements
implies
heroism and patriotism of a high order, and I am sure his comrades and
friends will raise a permanent memorial to this brave young Englishman."
See also the Commando magazine.
www.nedonthenet.com