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Mildura Weekly : Friday April 24 2015 Vol 9 No 24
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18 NEWS MILDURA WEEKLY FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 By DENNIS MATTHEWS HAROLD ‘Curly’ Croft’s “A” compa- ny was in the thick of the desperate attempts to keep their toehold early on April 27 when 200 men, includ- ing 12 officers, were mowed down in a massacre at Quinn’s Post, where the Turks were less than 30 metres away. This was the welcome that Curly and his mates received at Gallipoli, where the Turks outnumbered us more than four to one. Records show that Curly was ad- mitted to the hospital ship on May 19 with a wound to the right thigh. On this day 40,000 Turks massed against the heavily dug in 12,500 ANZACS, including Curly’s 14th Bat- talion. This was the day Simpson and his donkey were killed by a shell during the preceding artillery bom- bardment. It was the day Albert Jacka won his VC. In the eight hours up to midday, when the Turkish assault ceased, the defending ANZACS cut down 10,000 Turks, including 3000 killed. The men of the 14th had fired 23,000 rounds of ammunition dur- ing the action. Curly was one of the 440 ANZACS wounded. The death toll was 160. There were 11 killed and 69 wounded in Curly’s Battal- ion. After recovering from his wounds, Curly returned to Gallipoli for a time before being hospitalised again, this time with rheumatism and influenza. He returned to Gal- lipoli in November, just in time to be evacuated when all forces were withdrawn. With the other troops he went back to Egypt for re-training and despatch to the Western Front via train from Marseilles, where troop ships from Alexandria had dis- embarked them. Family stories described Curly as always a joker, and the sociable fo- cus of any group. That may have just been seen as eulogising a lost youth had it not been for what was docu- mented in different places by differ- ent writers. Lawrinsky has numer- ous references to Curly’s cheek and joking, even in serious situations. While hiding in the dark with faces blackened by burnt corks waiting for the signal to go out on the ‘stunt’ the night he was killed, Curly is telling funny stories to his mates and mak- ing them all laugh when they are meant to be quiet and serious. In Wanliss’s official history of the battalion a description of the 14th’s sea journey from Egypt to Marseille includes the following pas- sage: “The sea was calm, the weather was delightful, and it was rendered more comfortable because it was not necessary to sleep haphazard on the deck. Each man had a bunk to himself. Three sittings were required at each meal to enable all troops to dine. At the Sergeant’s mess the voice of the popular ‘Curly’ Croft could be heard above all others, laughing and joking.” All these little stories were bricks in a path of understanding in me, of one of my family, and the more I discovered the more intrigued I became, and the less dispassionate it was possible to be. Curly was killed In the battalion’s first action on the western Front on July 3, 1916. It was a decoy ‘stunt’ to deceive the enemy, involving a raid on German trenches at night. Plans didn’t work out, and two-thirds of the group that went out became ca- sualties. Curly suffered wounds to his head, right leg and right arm. He was captured by the Germans af- ter being stranded on the wire, and placed in hospital in Lille where he died less than a week later. He is bur- ied in the Lille cemetery. The letters home from the Red Cross and the unit Chaplain re- marked on the character and leader- ship qualities of Curly. In his letter to the family the chaplain wrote: “Dear Mrs Croft, you will have heard ere this of the loss of Mr. H .Croft. Sgt. in one of the most splendid feats of daring which any men have under- taken. “The loss which we all feel in his death is unmistakeable. Some men always stand out from their fellows. He was one such. The lads adored him. They would have followed him anywhere.” Battalion historian New- ton Wanliss, father of Lt. Wanliss who led the fatal ‘stunt,’ over two thirds of which group became casu- alties, and who himself was killed at a later stage, wrote of Curly that “The death of the veteran Sgt. Curly Croft was severely felt. He was a great NCO – one of the finest, indeed, in the AIF. A man of exceptional personal- ity, with great initiative and driving power, he enforced discipline by shear force of character.” It took six years and two months for the family to finally have all the details surrounding Curly’s death, and have his file closed. How must they have managed? How must any of the families have managed? What for me started as an inquiry of interest quickly became a person- ally engrossing and very emotional experience. As you pored over the ac- tual documents written and signed at the time, and read the comments by people unknown, as my wife and I did in the National Archives in Can- berra, with tears streaming silently down our faces, a picture of a man really did begin to emerge. Accounts of incidents and places came alive as connections from other sources added depth to the picture. There were personal little links you’d never imagine. My own second name, Gale, is Curly’s mother’s maiden name, (Harriet Gale). It was a jolt to think I jumped one generation beyond Curly without ever fully understand- ing the connection. My mum some years ago had given my wife Harriet’s own bible that was presented to her and written in (“from her affection- ate father”) in 1878. Mum remembers her as a very devout woman who prayed daily and never ate, even alone, without first saying Grace. Other keepsakes we’ve had suddenly gained new meaning. An old and very worn goldy-coloured spoon we have, be- longed to Harriet and was an impor- tant trophy in the house. Well-be- haved children got to use that to eat their porridge of a morning. An old Swan vase (sentimental value only), sitting on our china shelf is one of a pair that once rested on the organ in Harriet’s home. A learning journey follows a very unpredictable path. You start down one trail trying to find out one thing, and suddenly connections go every- where. The final picture looks noth- ing like the original plan; but what you finally know is much more in- teresting. The story is never really finished. And for me, knowing the story as much as I now do will change my own story. I have a much better un- derstanding of my heritage. I feel very proud to have such fine people to be connected to. It heightens a sense of obliga- tion to be as good a person yourself as you can be, especially when you think of all the people whose lives were cut short, and all the other peo- ple who never were, who might have been your progenitors too. People like our ‘Uncle Curly.’ The Mildura Weekly continues with Dennis Matthews’ quest to learn the full story behind ‘Uncle Curly,’ one of many soldiers who signed up for World War One, put their lives on the line, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for God and country. Today, Dennis tells of the bitter fighting at Quinn’s Post when... Enemies battled it out 30 metres apart! ANZAC DAY 2015 ANZAC DAY 2015 • ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: Mildura’s Bernard Denner, a friend of Dennis Matthews, pays respects on his behalf at the grave of ‘Uncle Curly,’ LEFT, during a recent overseas visit. ‘Curly’ was killed on July 3, 1916, joining millions of soldiers from both sides who lost their lives in ‘The Great War.’ Call today 0408 418 694 49-51 Seventh St East Mildura (Between Etiwanda & Benetook Ave) info@metalonthemurray.com | www.metalonthemurray.com Metal Wall Art • Indoor/Outdoor Metal Screens • Garden Art • Planter Boxes • Industrial Furniture • Custom Property Signs Insta TRADING HOURS: FIRE UP THIS WINTER Tuesday to Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday Closed for ANZAC Day WITH A UNIQUE FIRE PIT FROM META L ON THE MURRAY
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