Durnin, Ernest Victor

No.5687 – Private Ernest Victor Durnin – 11^th Battalion AIF

Patrick Victor Ernest Durnin was born in East Fremantle WA in 1897 to James and Mary Durnin. He was one of eight children, and the family lived at 131 Forrest Street East Fremantle (later renumber to 54 Forrest) and Ernest attended East Fremantle Primary School. After leaving school he went on to become a Farm Hand. On the 1^st of March 1916 aged 18 Ernest went to the Fremantle Drill Hall and enlisted into the AIF. He was accepted as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 8 ½ inches tall; weight of 142 lbs; chest measurement of 32-34 inches; sallow complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. His religious denomination was Roman Catholic.

Ernest spent a month in No.53 Depot and on the 4^th April 1916 was allotted to the 18^th Reinforcements to the 11^th Battalion AIF with the regimental no.5687. He trained with this group in WA until they embarked aboard the H.M.A.T. “Suevic” on the 6^th June 1916. The ship arrived at Plymouth England on the 21^st July 1916 and the men were disembarked, with Ernest being sent to the 3^rd Training Battalion at Perham Downs Camp. He trained here for six weeks when they were given orders to proceed to France. On the 5^th September 1916 he left England and arrived at Etaples in France. Here Ernest was marched into the 1^st Australian Division Base Depot where he stayed until the 16^th September.

On the 17^th September 1916 Ernest was taken on strength of the 11^th Battalion. The unit was then in Belgium, recovering after their ordeal on the Somme at Pozieres. In October the Battalion made their way back south to the Somme where they would remain for the 1916/17 French winter. On the 15^th January 1917 Ernest was sent to the 3^rd Field Ambulance with inflamed feet and he remained there for 5 days while his feet recovered, rejoining his unit on the 21^st January.

In February the Germans began to withdraw for their positions to a pre-prepared site called the Hindenburg Line. The Australians and British pressed them all the way and by April the Germans had finally withdrawn to this position. The 4^th Division attempted to capture Bullecourt on the 11^th April but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile the 11^th Battalion were holding isolated outposts in front of Lagnicourt rather than a trench line. The Germans took advantage of this fact and launched a large assault on the Australian positions, centring on the posts held by the 11^th, 12^th & 17^th Battalion’s. The Germans broke through the isolated outposts and made their way to the artillery lines. The Australians in the Reserve positions counter attacked and the Germans were pushed all the way back to the Hindenburg Line.

The men in the isolated outposts had generally fought till all their ammunition was expended and were then captured by the Germans. Lieutenant Charles Pope of the 11^th Battalion had indeed fought until all their ammunition was gone and then ordered a charge with bayonets into the Germans. He and his men were killed but they later found scores of dead Germans around their position testifying to the ferocity of Pope’s defence.

It is unknown what particular post the Ernest was situated in but it was later stated that he had been wounded by a rifle bullet in the shoulder while in the outpost and a half an hour later was killed by an enemy hand grenade as the Germans attempted to subdue the post. His surviving comrades, out of ammunition, were taken prisoner and subsequently his mates had to leave his body in the outpost.

There is no record of Ernest’s burial after this area was recaptured later in the day. He has no recorded burial spot and is therefore commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.

His mother Mary Jane Durnin was granted a pension of 14/- per fortnight after her son’s death.