Joyce, Gordon

No.1740 – Private Gordon Joyce – 28^th Battalion AIF

Gordon Joyce worked at the Union Stores Building In Fremantle. This is a building at the corner of High and Henry Street’s. If people are familiar with Fremantle, today it is the site of the New Edition Bookshop, but back at the time of the First World War it was the Union Stores. Built in 1895 by the local trader John Wesley Bateman, the Union Stores, built during WA’s gold boom became a one stop shop for groceries, hardware and ironmongery for local residents and those heading to the goldfields.

In the basement of the Union Stores there are signatures of staff and visitors from the 1890’s to the 1990’s. One of the signatures piqued the interest of our Building Maintenance Officer. This signature, one of the older looking ones was of a G Joyce.  It had been written on the wall twice.

He initially did his own research on a few of the names and realised that the G Joyce was a good chance of being a Fremantle soldier who was killed in the war; 1740 Gordon Joyce 28^th Battalion AIF.

Bringing this to my attention, we did further research and we did see that on enlistment Gordon put his trade as a Grocers Assistant, so this would fit his signature being in a building that was a Grocers.

Looking further on Trove, I was able to find a 1914 newspaper report of a football match between the staff of the Union Stores and the staff of J&W Bateman. One of the players listed in the team of the Union Stores was a Gordon Joyce. Interestingly, the two football teams were filled with men who would later serve in the war.

So what was Gordon Joyce’s story.  He had been born in Port Lincoln South Australia on April 2^nd, 1894, to William and Annie Joyce. The family moved to Western Australia while Gordon was still young and took up residence at 187 Holland Street Fremantle. He was educated at Fremantle State School and after leaving he took up work as a Grocer’s Assistant at the Union Stores. During this time Gordon served in the 11^th Australian Garrison Artillery at Fremantle. As a member of the 11^th AGA, when war was declared in August 1914, Gordon and other Gunners were stationed at the Fort Forrest in North Fremantle and also the fort on Arthur Head. Fort Forrest had been completed in 1907 in North Fremantle and provided crucial defence for the Fremantle port. Unfortunately, both fort sites were demolished post WW2.

In March 1915 Gordon enlisted into the AIF and was assigned to “D” Company of the 28^th Battalion AIF with the regimental no. 886. However, he was soon discharged from service as medically unfit. Undaunted he soon listed again and was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 8 inches tall; weight of 147lbs; chest measurement of 36 inches; fresh complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.

Gordon was assigned to the 2^nd Reinforcements to the 28^th Battalion with the regimental no.1740. He trained with this group in WA for the next few months awaiting their call to depart. On the 23^rd July 1915 Gordon and his group boarded the H.M.A.T. “Demosthenes” at Fremantle Harbour and embarked overseas. After arriving in Egypt in late August 1915, the men were disembarked and sent to the training camp. Gordon spent around six weeks in Egypt, though on the 19^th October 1915 he arrived at Gallipoli to reinforce the 28^th Battalion.The Gallipoli campaign was winding down due to the wintry conditions, and though there were no Australian attacks launched in the last two months casualties were still caused by shell fire. In November the decision was made to evacuate the peninsula and through December units began to leave, with only a small percentage of troops remaining in the last few days. Gordon withdrew with the 28^th Battalion and returned to Alexandria on the 10^th January 1916.

The next few months in the Egyptian desert consisted of training and also holding sections of the Suez Canal Defence line. On the 16^th March 1916 the 28^th Battalion departed Egypt for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 21^st March 1916. The men were marched through Marseilles to the railway station where they boarded a train for the journey to the north of France. Gordon obviously wanted to take a closer look at France as from the 23^rd to 25^th March he went absent without leave. He was charged with leaving the train without permission and was awarded 48 hours of Field Punishment No.2 as well as having to forfeit 5 days pay.

The 28^th Battalion had their first taste of life on the Western Front at Fleurbaix and remained here for the next few months. On the 28^th April Gordon was evacuated to the 7^th Field Ambulance suffering from bronchitis. He was transferred to No.2 Dressing Station where he remained for six days, returning to the 28^th when he was well again. By late June the 28^th Battalion had a short stint at Messines and were then sent to the Somme battlefield where they took part in the actions at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm. The 28^th had heavy casualties though the battles around the windmill at Pozieres, but Gordon came through unscathed.

In September 1916 the Battalion moved for a short period to Ypres in Belgium but in October were returned to the Somme. On November 3^rd 1916 they took part in an attack by the 7^th Brigade on the German trenches. In the wet, muddy, shell hole strewn battlefield the assault had little chance of success and despite gaining the German trenches; there was no chance of holding on to them. Unfortunately casualties for the 28^th were severe, Gordon being one of those killed in action. He was seen dead in a shell hole, and his possessions were collected by a mate who was also recorded as being killed in the battle. A 3939 Private CA Seymour of the 17^th Battalion later stated that when they came in to relieve the 28^th Battalion they found a body in the trenches, the only identification they could find was a letter marked “G Joyce”. He reported that they buried him in a shell hole but no cross was place to mark the spot. Gordon’s body was not located after the war when the war graves parties came through and so he is thus commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.