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16th at Bullecourt, a cross section of the Battalion
16th at Bullecourt, a cross section of the Battalion
On the 11th of April 1917, Australian forces attacked a sector of the Hindenberg line between Bullecourt and Queant. The 16th Battalion A.I.F. was one of four Battalions of the 4th Brigade involved in the attack. The initial advance was successful with the Brigade taking it's 1st and 2nd objectives into the 2nd line German trenches albeit with many casualties. However the hold was tenuous, enfilading machine gun fire made resupply impossible and the attackers soon began to run out of ammunition. A succession of fierce counterattacks eventually drove the Australians back to their own lines, by this time 75% of the 16th were either wounded or dead. The 16th went into the fight with 20 officers and 797 other ranks, the battalion lost in this one day's fighting 17 officers and 623 other ranks, dead, wounded and prisoners of war. The losses in the 4th Brigade as a whole were similarly high, 79 officers and 2,260 other ranks. This community attempts to reconstruct the battalion as it was on the day of the battle, starting with known casualties and survivors I am steadily checking service records of men of the 16th to identify the others who were wounded or captured, it will be interesting to see how many of the reported 817 who were in the attack I can identify. Those not in the attack, whether in the Battalion HQ or not with the Battalion (ie sick, wounded or training in England) will be listed in another community as I cross check. The deadline is upon us there is sadly not enough time to complete the cross checking so this community will remain an unfinished work.
Created by: , Fife3190
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Born 1895
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 1298 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Charles Robert Lewis -
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 4746 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about William Henry Adams -
Born 1885
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 405 Sergeant 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about George Mcwhinney -
Born 1896
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 3043 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Claude Colin Bruce Sowton -
Born 1895
Australian Imperial Force 6145 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 19th Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 6145 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about John William Croften Sadleir -
Born 1882
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 6565 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Nelson Victor Page -
Born 1897
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 5770 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Mervyn Daniel Payne -
Born 1892
Australian Imperial Force 6514 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 21st Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 6514 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Daniel Greenlees -
Born 1885
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 1334 Lance Corporal 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Harold Thorp -
Born 1894
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 6017 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Darcy Wersley Forrest -
Born 1891
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 652 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Hubert Clement Clues -
Born 1894
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 1046 Sergeant 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Henry Alfred Horsman -
Born 1887
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 5379 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Henry Edward Mccarthy -
Born 1892
Australian Imperial Force 6578 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 21st Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 6578 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about John Smith -
Born 1889
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 5415 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Alfred Arthur Rouse -
Born 1893
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 6145
Australian Imperial Force 6624 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about William Drew -
Born 1884
Australian Imperial Force 6143 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 19th Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 380 Private 60th Depot
Australian Imperial Force 380 Private Cyclist Corps
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More about Peter Falconer -
Born 1898
Australian Imperial Force 6583 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 21st Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 6583 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Leonard Oscar Schultze -
Born 1896
Australian Imperial Force 3037 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F. 10th Reinforcements
Australian Imperial Force 3037 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Leonard Ignatius Rzeszkowski -
Born 1891
Died 1917
Australian Imperial Force 6078 Private 16th Bn. Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
More about Stanley Edward Pettit