Compton, Cecil George

No.1921 – Private Cecil George Compton – 4^th Pioneer Battalion AIF

Cecil George Compton was born in Fremantle WA in 1896 to Cecil and Amy Compton. His father was a Warder at Fremantle Prison, with the family living in Henderson Street, though the family soon moved to Geraldton where Cecil was educated.

Cecil became a plumbers apprentice after leaving school and also served in the 88^th Infantry Militia for over a year. On the 28^th January 1915 in Geraldton, Cecil offered his services to the AIF. As he was under 21 years of age he needed his parents’ consent to enlist and this was duly given. Cecil was accepted as fit with the medical officer finding him to be 5 fee 7 ½ inches in height; weight of 138 lbs; chest measurement of 35-37 inches; fair complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.

Cecil was allotted to the 5^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion AIF. This group trained in WA until the 26^th April 1915 when they boarded the transport ship H.M.A.T. “Hororata” in Fremantle Harbour. They travelled to Egypt though they did not spend much time here as they were immediately sent on to the Gallipoli peninsula.

On the 16^th June, Cecil joined the Battalion on Gallipoli and took part in subsequent actions by the 11^th through July. On the 1^st August the 11^th Battalion launched an assault on the Turkish position opposite and captured it. This post was later to be known as Leane’s Trench and much fighting took place, firstly to capture and then to hold it as the Turks launched fierce attacks on the position to retake it. Cecil was hit with bullets to the abdomen, chest and right arm and was evacuated back to Hospital in Alexandria Egypt.

In Egypt his wound was deemed serious enough for evacuation to England and on the 22^nd August 1915 was admitted to King George Hospital at Stanford. Cecil would spend the next few months in England recuperating from his wounds. A further stay in hospital eventuated in December 1915 when Cecil was diagnosed with VD. After being passed as fit, on the 30^th December 1915 he was sent to the Anzac Depot at Weymouth. Cecil was at this base depot for the next few months and did not leave until the 25^th March 1916 when he was allotted to the 27^th Draft to rejoin the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in Egypt.

After arriving at Alexandria, on the 16^th April Cecil was marched into the 3^rd Training Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. As the 11^th Battalion had already reached France, Cecil was allotted to the 47^th Battalion AIF. His stay with the 47^th was short, and four days later he joined the 48^th Battalion AIF. He trained with the 48^th Battalion in Egypt until the end of May and on the 2^nd June embarked at Alexandria with the 48^th Battalion, bound for France. The 48^th Battalion as part of the 4^th Division were sent north to the region of Armentieres.

It was here that Cecil was transferred to the 4^th Pioneer Battalion. He subsequently served with this unit through the actions at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm in 1916 and the Somme winter actions of 1916/17, Bullecourt in April 1917 and Messines in June 1917.

On the 25^th June 1917 he was detached for a short time to the 4^th Brigade HQ as a Lewis Gunner but had rejoined the 4^th Pioneer Battalion by 14^th July 1917. On the 31^st August he went on a period of leave to England though had returned by the 15^th September 1917. Cecil served through the actions of the Third Battle of Ypres and the subsequent winter in Belgium of 1917/18.

In March 1918 when the Germans broke through the Third & Fifth British Armies, the 4^th Division were sent south to the Somme to repel the Germans. The German advance was stopped, with the 4^th Pioneers seeing action at Dernancourt and Villers-Bretonneux.

On July 4^th 1918 the Pioneers were involved in assisting the capture of the village of Hamel and subsequent days were spent in improving the defences of the newly captured area. On the 8^th July 1918 Cecil Compton was killed in action. He was given a battlefield burial but after the war he was exhumed and reburied in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery Plot XII.A.10.

His uncle, Clarence Compton died in Palestine with the 5^th Light Horse Regiment.