The Gorey Family At War, Part 2

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008

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for a brave family times they come in a perfect tornado. To the man sitting in the trench it is Hell. He sees this one blown to pieces, that one buried, another shockingly mutilated. One of the most pitiable of sights is that of a man suffering from shell shock, his nerves shattered, and in some cases, his reason destroyed. He crouches on the ground, shaking like a leaf, and at the sound of an approaching shell he whimpers like a frightened child. The victory at VillersBretonneux in July 1918 is famous in Australian military history and to this day, French school children in the village honour Anzac Day in recognition of their town being liberated. Bill Gorey was serving with the 21st Battalion during this battle.

Edward Harold Gorey (Ned), the second youngest of Edward and Sophia’s seven children, was born at Corop on August 16, 1888. The family moved to what is today known as Reedy Lake near Whroo in 1890 and Ned attended the nearby Angustown State School that was provided for the children of local farmers and sawmill employees. Ned formally enlisted at Melbourne to serve in the First World War on March 26, 1917 when he was 28 years and seven months. His occupation at the time was described as cook. He gave his permanent address as being Shepparton and his father’s name as next of kin. Curiously, he had completed an attestation paper four days earlier at Trafalgar in which he gave his mother’s name as next of kin and stated his occupation as labourer. According to the enlistment papers, an earlier application to serve had been rejected on the grounds of ‘teeth’ which Ned must have had repaired. Ned disembarked at Liverpool on August 26, 1917 and proceeded to France on December 18 and joined the 57th Battalion on Christmas Day. On April 26, 1918, he sustained gunshot wounds to the back and was gassed severely. He was treated at the 6th General Hospital at Rouen and transferred to Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, England, where he was admitted on May 1. He rejoined his battalion on August 20, 1918 but just 10 days later he was wounded again, this time in the eye and he did not rejoin his battalion until shortly before the war’s end. He was discharged from the Army on December 8, 1919 and signed a receipt for his British War Medal on January 6, 1922. Ned lived in the Shepparton area for a short time after the war before moving to Gippsland where he acquired a Soldier Settler potato farm at Dalmore. Ned died on December 19, 1971.

The battalion’s success at Mont St Quentin on September 1, 1918 won worldwide attention. It was regarded as a turning point in

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His exemplary record was only tarnished when charged as being absent without leave. His service papers state that he was

Never before have I seen such a stream

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 from previous page The history of the 21st Battalion, The Red and Black Diamond, by N.C. Smith gives some insight into the horrors he endured. There is a graphic diary passage after the battle of Pozieres attributed to soldier Leo Hine. There is no sleep and little movement except for the endless procession of wounded. The dead lie in the trench in various attitudes. Here is one sitting with his back in a niche in the wall, a book on his knees. There is no wound. He was killed by concussion a week ago and still he sits there rotting away under our eyes. All the time there is the drawn-out whine and nerveshattering crash of the shells. Sometimes they come singly along the trench, and some-

of prisoners going to the rear, guns of all descriptions in scores, machine guns, trench mortars, etc and the dead Fritz were terrible to gaze on ... – WILLIAM (BILL) GOREY

the later stages of the war. The Germans had been retreating for several days, but chose to make a stand at Mont St Quentin. The German defenders were later found to be hand-picked troops who fought to the death. Bill Gorey completed his service in Britain.

absent from March 3 “until placed under open arrest by military police at Glasgow’’ on April 4. He was held under charge for four days before being severely reprimanded by Major W.V. Jardine and docked 39 days’ pay. Bill departed for Australia Charles Edward Gorey (left) was born at Pannoomilloo in the Shire of Echuca on September 18, 1878. The place name of his birth does not survive on maps today, but is situated near Echuca. Charles was nicknamed Boney by his brothers and sisters, presumably because of his angular frame. Until the 1908 electoral roll he is recorded as being a farmer of Whroo but around this time he moved to Queensland when he enlisted to serve with the 4th Tunnelling Co on December 7, 1915 at Brisbane. Charles was 37 years and two months at enlistement. Tunnellers dug trenches and did manual labor for

aboard the HT Runic on April 27, 1919 and disembarked on June 6. He was formally discharged on August 2. According to The News of Monday, July 14, 1919 an ‘enthusiastic gathering’ of Grahamvale residents welcomed their heroes. The local school was filled to capacity for a party in honor of Bill, his brother Charles and five other returned servicemen. There were speeches and musical entertainment including the “singing of Home Sweet Home by seven young ladies”. Shortly after his return Bill successfully acquired a Soldier Settler block at Lemnos. He was one of that area’s original settlers and his name appears on a 1924 petition to the Education Department seeking engineers. It was hard work and very dangerous. He embarked from Sydney aboard the Warilda on May 22, 1916 arriving in Plymouth on July 18. He proceeded to France on August 29 and was “taken on strength” with the 1st Australian Tunnelling Co on September 30. He sustained several injuries, the first of which was a dislocated shoulder that plagued him for at least several months. He rejoined his company at Rouelles on June 12 and was severely wounded by shell fire to the neck and left arm at Ypres on September 29, 1917, and as a result he saw no more active duty. His medical history reveals that Charles had his ulna nerve severed, lead-

James Daniel Gorey was born at Whroo on November 8, 1894 and baptised at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tatura on November 4, 1895. Little is known about his early life but as the youngest in the family, James was probably the only child still living with his parents when they moved from Whroo to Shepparton about 1910. Family tradition has it that James enlisted under age to serve in the First World War, but was pulled out by his father, Edward Gorey. James served with the 2nd Pioneer Battalion and proceeded via the British Expeditionary Force in Alexandria in Egypt to Marseilles, where he arrived on March 26, 1916. On February 14, 1917 he wrote to the Cobram and District Soldiers Committee. His sister Mary was living at Co-

the establishment of a local school. Bill worked as a rabbit trapper while waiting for his peach, pear, plum and apricot trees to bear fruit and continued to work the block until forced to sell the farm to clear debts in 1942. From 1942 to 1948 Bill and his wife Jemima operated the Central Dining Rooms in Wyndham Street which provided meals for bus travellers heading to or from Benalla, Bendigo and Echuca. The couple retired to Carrum where Bill built chicken sheds along the back fence of a large block and raised poultry. Bill Gorey died at Foster on June 6, 1961. His life and his service should never be forgotten.  The News would like to thank Michael Gorey for his assistance in compiling this feature.

ing to paralysis and discharged as the disability was permanent. Charles attended a welcome party with his brother Bill on Friday, July 11, 1918 at Grahamvale. Mr Roxburgh, representing the Shepparton Fathers’ Association, was reported in the The News as saying he hoped aid would be extended to all the Grahamvale soldiers in need of it “for too much could not be done for such men”. Charles was rarely seen by his relatives, although he did make several visits to his brother Bill at Shepparton between 1942 and 1948. According to his death certificate, Charles died “in camp on river” near Deniliquin in 1949. bram and presumably arranged for James to receive parcels from home. James was admitted to hospital twice with illness, the second time being for mumps on April 3, 1917. He attended divisional bombing school on May 27 and rejoined his unit on June 3. A year passed without incident, although there is evidence James fought in some of the war’s bloodiest battles. On June 16, 1918, James was transferred to the 2nd Australian Machine Gun Battalion a move which probably cost his life as machine gunners suffered a high rate of casualties. James was wounded in action on October 3, 1918, and died from his wounds 29 days before the war ended. Edward and Sophia Gorey were notified of their youngest son’s death on October 18.