Australians in Gallipoli

[Noor]

Hi all,

A random local find again (not my interest so it's actually up on evil-bay already). Just wanted to show how it's still possible to find a random sets of medals that research could turn out something extraordinary...

1058 Private Richard Glass

A Coy, 2nd Battalion, A.I.F.

Richard was born in Cork 3rd Jan 1893 as a son of shop keeper.

He travelled to Australia 1913. When the Great War started he enlisted into the famous A Coy 2nd Battalion Australian Imperial Force. They landed in Egypt Egypt for extra training before front line service.

Private Glass must been one of the many Australians who landed in Gallipoli on the 25th April and probably he got wounded. He was sent back to Australia on the 28 April 1915 on board "Suevic".  He was discharged after recovery 8th August 1915. 

From Wikipedia: 

Gallipolli 

During the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, the 2nd Battalion, under Braund's command, came ashore in the second and third waves, landing a total of 31 officers and 937 other ranks. Upon landing, the 2nd Battalion dispatched two companies, 'A' and 'D' to assist the 3rd Brigade who were pushing inland towards a high feature known as "Baby 700", which overlooked the beachhead. One of the 2nd Battalion's platoons, under Lieutenant Leslie Morshead, advanced further than any other Australian unit, making it to the slopes of Baby 700, before a determined counter-attack by Ottoman forces drove them back in the afternoon. 

At some stage he was returned back to Ireland. He served as a Sergeant S/493 in Ulster Special Constabulary, union Barracks, The workhouse, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. They were heavily involve of turbulent times in Ireland at that time, operating during the Ireland War of Independence and IRA operations. 

He died in UK 10 August 1967. 

I was also able to find a nice portrait of him from Ancestry.

 

Edited September 25, 2018 by Noor

[Tony]

Are you sure he made it to Gallipoli? His record only shows service in Egypt.

Nice trio and photo wherever he served.

[Noor]

Hi Tony, looks like you are correct. It was really puzzled me why there is no more if him being wounded, etc?

Here is a message that I received from Australia last night:

Hi, a bit of info your medals to Pte. Glass.
Per the National Archives of Australia and State Records Office
As happened to many at the time, your man was sent home to Australia from Egypt having contracted VD. This action was in line with the regulation laid down at the time.
Looking at the dates it is highly improbable that he ever reached Gallipoli.
When declared free of VD on 8/8/15 he would have been immediately discharged and given the option of rejoining .. Apparently he chose not to.
This was a very common sequence of events. The AIF records were deliberately kept sparse to keep family etc. from the stigma as it was perceived to be at the time.
Hope this is of some interest.
Cheers

He got home and married in Cork 1916...

Also yesterday I found out that after his time in Northern Ireland he returned at some stage to Dublin and died here.

[Tony]

Yes I noticed that in his record but wasn't sure if that was the reason for discharge. Disembarked at Melbourne MU. Non-venereal 8/8/15.

I bet he didn't mention it to his future wife.