35th Battalion Historys
Acting Sergeant: 1647 James Wright FORRESTER.
35th BATTALION A.I.F.
Acting Sergeant: 1647 James Wright FORRESTER.
Born: 1894. Plattburg via Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia. Birth Cert:34914/1894.
Married: 23rd July 1919. Glasgow, Scotland. Marriage Cert: ME10941.
Wife: Mary Ann Forrester. nee: Hull.
Died: 9th May 1949. Mayfield, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:12536/1949.
Father: David Murray Forrester.
Mother: Mary Forrester. nee:.
James was promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 5th July 1918 vice Lance Sergeant: 210 Frederick John STAPLETON. (A Company) was evacuated.
30/09/1918.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 23rd May 1919. Page 879 Position 98.
Under Construction; 17/10/2010-25/06/2016.
Lieutenant: Wynter Wallace WARDEN. M.I.D.
35th BATTALION A.I.F.
Lieutenant: Wynter Wallace WARDEN. M.I.D.
Born: 14th August 1890. Milton, New South Wales, Australia. Birth Cert:21845/1890.
Married: 1927. Toronto, New South Wales, Australia. Marriage Cert:8545/1927.
Wife: Dorothy E Warden. nee: Scott.
Died: 1968. St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:20019/1968.
Father: Wynter David Warden.
Mother: Margaret Wallace Warden. nee: Kendall.
The 3rd Reinforcements embarked for England on board HMAT A68 "Anchises" on the 24th August 1916 and disembarked at Devonport on the 11th October 1916. Wynter was marched in to the 9th Training Battalion as an instructor where he remained until the 15th April 1917 when he proceeded overseas for France.
Wynter was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 25th June and was Wounded in Action on the 19th July 1917 when he received a Gun Shot wound to his Left Buttock. He received treatment from the 11th Australian Field Ambulance before being evacuated to Rouen where he embarked for England for further treatment.
Wynter remained in England for the next 6 months before proceeding overseas for France on the 11th January 1918 and was marched out to the Front Line. On the 15th May he was treated by the Casualty Clearing Station as he was suffering from a disability and he was invalided back to England
Mentioned in Dispatches
Lieutenant Unit: 35th Australian Infantry Battalion .
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 18 April 1918: Page 844, position 17
London Gazette: 28 December 1917: Page 13566, position 140
Wynter returned to Australia in 1918 where he was discharged from the AIF.
Second Lieutenant
Bruce Wynter Warden
56th Bn. Australian Infantry, A. I. F.
27th September 1917, aged 23.
Son of Winter David and Margaret Wallace Warden, of "Airlie," Milton, New South Wales. Native of Milton, New South Wales.
A Grazier prior to enlisting in August 1914, Private Warden embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Star of Victoria (A16) on 20 October 1914. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal on 11 August 1915 at Gallipoli, and to Sergeant while serving in Egypt in January 1916. He arrived in France for service on the Western Front in March 1917 and was transferred to the 56th Battalion. In July 1917 he was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (2nd Lt). On 27 September 1917, 2nd Lt Warden died of wounds received in action at Polygon Wood, Ypres, Belgium. He was 23 years of age.
An eyewitness saw him hit in the abdomen by a piece of shell "to the left of the big mound in Polygon Wood." He believed he had been killed outright but this was incorrect. Another remembered seeing him wounded in a shell hole. 2nd Lt. Warden was taken to the Canadian C. C. S. at Poperinghe, where he later died.
Under Construction; 10/03/2013-28/01/2015.
Sergeant: 774 Cammeles FITZSIMMONS. MSM.
35th BATTALION AIF
Sergeant: 774 Cammeles "Con" FITZSIMMONS M.S.M.
Born: 15th June 1897. Dungog, New South Wales, Australia. Birth Cert:20830/1897.
Married: 1921. Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia. Marriage Cert:3534/1921.
Wife: Mabel Rosa Fitzsimmons. nee: Drinkwater. (1891-1963)
Died: 22nd January 1924. Lambton Colliery, Redhead New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:2816/1924.
Father: Michael Fitzsimmons. (1854-1932)
Mother: Mary Jane Fitzsimmons. nee: Smith. (1860-1936)
INFORMATION
Cammeles "Con" Fitzsimmons enlisted with C Company 35th Battalion AIF on the 4th January 1916 and was an original member of the Battalion.
4th March 1918.
Meritorious Service Medal
Sergeant: 774 Cammeles FITZSIMMONS 35th Bn AIF. "For exceptional and sustained devotion to duty coupled with marked personal gallantry and power of leadership during period September 22nd 1917 to February 24th 1918. as a Scout this NCO has done much meritorious work and on many occasions has personally gained much valuable information concerning enemy disposition".
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 7 November 1918 on page 2114 at position 72.
London Gazette: 17 June 1918 on page 7178 at position 107.
Con returned to Australia on the 11th December 1918.
For sale here is an historically important and highly emotive group of personal items to a brave and gallant Australian Soldier in world war one.
These items were found in a tin on a council rubbish pickup at Charlestown NSW, they were saved from the going to the tip, hopefully some collector can give them a good home.
The items belonged to no.774 Sergeant C. Fitzsimmons MSM of the 35th Battalion A.I.F
The group of items consists of:
1.WORLD WAR ONE Returned from Active Service badge issued to Sergeant Fitzsimmons with issue number to the rear (257189) made by “Stokes & Sons Melb”. This badge is confirmed via records searched on the National Archives website to have been issued to Sergeant Fitzsimmons. An extract of that record is attached in the photographs.
2. WORLD WAR ONE Brass & Enamel Returned Sailors & Soldiers Imperial League badge with issue number (91740), this badge has a date of 1919 on it. Records don’t appear to exist to confirm the issuing of the badge but it was found with the other badges so it would appear to have belonged to Sergeant Fitzsimmons.
3. WORLD WAR ONE Oval colour patch of the 35thBattalion AIF worn on the shoulder of the uniform. I would suggest that this is the actual patch that was worn in battle in France by Sergeant Fitzsimmons, incredible history to hold in your hands.
4. WORLD WAR ONE Australian Commonwealth Military Forces hat badge (also called the Rising Sun)
5. WORLD WAR ONE “Australia” title worn on the shoulder.
6. WORLD WAR ONE Military rank of three stripes which indicates “Sergeant"
These items were auctioned in March 2023 and acquired by a private collector. His medals were acquired by a family member in 2022.
Family Information
Con was a single 18 year old Labourer from Gateshead, Charlestown via Newcastle, N.S.W. upon his enlistment with the AIF.
Con was an Onsetter at the Redhead Colliery when he was killed on the 24th January 1924 when he was crushed under cage in downcast shaft and Died instantly.
Con is buried at the Whitebridge Cemetery at Charlestown, N.S.W.
Michael Fitzsimmons. (1854-1932) Mary Jane Fitzsimmons. nee: Smith. (1860-1936)
Military Records
© Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia)
Under Construction: 17/05/2020-03/01/2021.
Private: 1440 George PEACOCK. MM,
35th BATTALION AIF
Private: 1440 George PEACOCK. M.M.
Born: 22nd October 1896. Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.
Married: 1920 New Zealand.
Wife: Clara Peacock. nee: Humphrey. (1901-1983) Born at Greta and died at Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.
Died: 24th May 1961. Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:11554/1961.
Father: Thomas Peacock. (1860-1934) Died at Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.
Mother: Charlotte Peacock. nee: Williams. (1867-1926) Died at Greta, New South Wales, Australia.
INFORMATION
George Peacock enlisted with the AIF on the 3rd December 1915 and was transferred to Broadmeadow Camp at Newcastle where he was allocated to the 35th Battalion on the 6th March 1916 as a Signaller to Headquarters Company.
35th Battalion leaving Broadmeadow Station 1916
The 35th Battalion travelled from Broadmeadow Station the Central Station in Sydney before embarking on board HMAT A24 "Benalla" on the 1st May 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth England on the 9th July 1916 and were marched in the the 9th Training Battalion at the Durrington Army Camp where they settled down to hard training, which included Route Marching, Trench Digging, Bomb Practice, Musketry and General Camp Routine.
George proceeded overseas for France on the 21st November 1916 via Southampton and disembarked at Harve where the Battalion went into billets before being marched out to the lines. George was Taken on in Strength with the 35th in the field. He attended Signal School whist in France from the 2nd of January 1917 until the 30th January 1917.
5th December 1917.
While defending the LE TOUQUET Sector, between 3 & 4:30 pm, 7 pear shaped balloons passed over the Sector travelling from South to north. Various bundles of paper were seen to fall from them. The balloons were coloured (black and yellow vertical stripes). One balloon came to earth in the enemy lines near HOUPLINES. Another appeared to be suddenly relieved of its load and immediately shot up vertically in the air and disappeared in the direction of PLOEGSTEERT WOOD. None of our anti aircraft guns fired on them. Through glasses they appeared unoccupied and apparently had some automatic device for releasing the papers.
7th December 1917.
The Battalion was relieved in the LE TOUQUET Sector by the 33rd Battalion, and moved back to the billets of the Support Battalion at PONT de NIEPPE. The casualties sustained during our recent tour of duty were; 1 man Killed and 2 wounded.
(35th Battalion War diary)
8th February 1918.
George was awarded to Military Medal
Military Medal
| Service number | 1440 |
|---|---|
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 35th Australian Infantry Battalion |
| Service | Australian Imperial Force |
| Conflict/Operation | First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Award | Military Medal |
| Commonwealth of Australia Gazette | 27 June 1918 on page 1393 at position 166 |
| London Gazette | 4 February 1918 on page 1619 at position 68 |
George embarked from England 2nd March 1919 for Australia and was discharged from the AIF on the 9th June 1919.
Brother: Private: 879 Joseph PEACOCK. C Company 35th Battalion AIF.
Family Information
George was a single 19 year old miner from Bridge Street, Holmesville, West Maitland upon his enlistment with the AIF. George returned from the Great War and married in New Zealand in 1920 before retuning to Australia. George enlisted with the AIF at Lithgow New South Wales during World War 2, service number:N349202 and died at Lithgow, New South Wales where he is buried with his father Thomas.
Memorial Plaque to George Peacock (1896-1961) Lithgow General Cemetery.
Studio Portrait of a young Clara Humphrey. (1901-1983) possibly taken at Greta New South Wales.
Thomas Peacock. (1860-1934) early 1930's
Military Records
Under Construction: 01/04/2017-12/11/2020.