Crofts, Russell

5541 Russell Eustace Crofts – 13^th Field Company Engineers

Russell Eustace Crofts was born in Beaconsfield WA on the 29^th August 1898 to Sydney and Letitia Crofts. He was the second oldest of several children as Sydney was born in 1896; May in 1900, John in 1902 (died 1903), Joshua in 1903, Letitia in 1906 and Dalmore in 1909.

The family lived in the Fremantle region until the 1900’s when they moved to Claremont. Russell was educated in Claremont and also became a member of the local 87A Cadets of the Commonwealth Military Forces. After leaving school Russell took up an apprenticeship in Fitting and Turning with the State Implement Works in North Fremantle. The apprenticeship lasted for 13 months. Despite only being 17 years old in 1915 Russell put up his age to 18 years and 8 months when he enlisted at the Swan Barracks in Perth in October 1915. On the parental consent form he initially claimed his father was in the North West of the state but this was crossed out and the signatures of both parents were on the consent form. Russell was found to be physically fit for service with the medical examiner recording his attributes as;

Height:                              5 feet 9 inches;

Weight:                              125lbs;

Chest Measurement:          31-34 inches;

Complexion:                      Fresh;

Eyes:                                 Blue;

Hair:                                  Light Brown;

Religious Denomination:    Church of England;

Distinctive Marks:              2 moles on breast and back of neck.

Upon his successful enlistment Russell was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to No.33 Training Depot. He just spent over a week in this camp as on the 23^rd October 1915 he was transferred into the 2^nd Reinforcements to the 6^th Field Company Engineers. The small Western Australian section was sent to Sydney to complete their training with the remainder of the reinforcement group. They trained in NSW for several weeks but on the 17^th December 1915 Russell and his group boarded the HMAT Berrima in Sydney Harbour and set sail for Egypt.

The sea journey took just under a month and after their arrival in Egypt, Russell was sent into a reinforcement camp. The Field Company Sections that had arrived back from Gallipoli were soon at their full strength so Russell had to remain in the reinforcement camp for several weeks. However in early March 1916 the AIF expanded and Russell was assigned to the newly forming 13^th Field Company Engineers at Tel el Kebir Camp. Russell would train with this group in the Egyptian desert for the next few months but unfortunately in early May 1916 he was sent to the 13^th Field Ambulance suffering an illness. He was sent to the 54^th Casualty Clearing Station where he was diagnosed with Gonorrhoea. Russell remained at the 54^th CCS until the 20^th June 1916 when he was transferred to the 1^st Australian Dermatological Hospital and he also spent time at the 2^nd Australian Stationary Hospital.

Due to his unit going to France in early June 1916, Russell had been struck off strength. On the 2^nd August 1916 he travelled to England with the 1^st ADH on the HT Franconia. He remained with the hospital as they set up their base at Bulford England. Russell may have been kept back in England due to his real age being discovered. In November 1916 when Russell was 18, that he was transferred to No.1 Command Depot at Parkhouse Camp. He was then transferred to the Engineers training depot. Russell spent the next few months in various camps in England and on the 8^th April 1917 he was put in a draft of soldiers at Perham Downs Camp that was being sent to England.

On the 9^th April 1917 Russell arrived at Etaples where he was sent into the base depot. Nine days later on the 18^th April 1917 Russell was taken on strength of the 13^th Field Company Engineers. He joined the unit on the Bullecourt front and in May 1917 the 4^th Division were transferred to the Messines sector. Russell took part in the successful Messines action in June 1917 and for the next three months the 4^th Division remained in this region.

Russell also saw service during the Third Battle of Ypres in September/October 1917. He came through this action unscathed and in November 1917 the 4^th Division was sent to the Peronne sector as a reserve unit. In January 1918 the 13^th FCE returned to the Messines and Warneton sectors where they would spend the next few months. On the 13^th March 1918 Russell was given a fortnight’s leave to England, returning to France on the 4^th April 1918. During his absence the Germans had broken through the British lines and were making a speedy advance towards Amiens before the Australians helped to stop their advance. Russell would have been heavily involved around Dernancourt after he rejoined his unit in early April as the Germans launched a massive assault on this sector. A fortnight later the 13^th FCE were also involved in the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux.

In the next few months there was to be much activity for the 13^th Field Company between the front line and rear areas, as bridges were protected, new defences built and wrecked roads repaired.

On August 8^th 1918 the large offensive took place which pushed the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line. The Australians were constantly in the line on the attack from August to early October. Russell was with his unit through this period and he survived unscathed. The Australians were pulled out of the line for a rest and Armistice was announced before they returned to the line. The Australian units including the 13^th FCE remained in France and Belgium into 1919. On the 18^th February Russell reported ill with influenza and he was sent to the 13^th Field Ambulance. He had a week away from his unit but reported back on the 26^th February. On the 3^rd March 1919, exactly three years after he first joined the 13^th FCE, Russell left his unit for the last time as he was included in a quota of men returning to England. He spent the next ten days at Le Havre but on the 13^th March proceeded over the Channel on a troopship and disembarked at Weymouth. Russell was marched into the 4^th Command Depot at Hurdcott. He waited here to be allotted a troopship for the voyage home. On the 1^st May 1919 Russell boarded a transport ship for the voyage home to Australia. He disembarked in Fremantle on the 1^st June 1919.

After returning home to WA Russell travelled about, initially going to the North West of the state to work on the Pearl Luggers. In March 1923 Russell was working on a Pearl Lugger eighteen miles off the coast off Broome when a “cock-eye-bob”, (which takes the form of a straight rushing tornado rather than the usual circular movement) struck. According to the newspaper reports;

“Some eleven boats were sailing within sight of each other when cock-eye clouds suddenly appeared. Some of the luggers immediately downed all sail and anchored, but the others apparently merely waited. The cock-eye was several miles in width blowing with terrific force in the centre. Those in the boats on either side saw all that happened, experiencing a severe buffering themselves. One of McKay’s luggers met the full force of the blow early and immediately turned turtle and sank. Alexander’s auxiliary engine boat, further on, simply laid it’s masts on the sea while the hull filled, then it righted itself and sank stern first. As soon as the cock-eye passed, the lugger owned by Moss rushed over to where McKay’s lugger sank and rescued all the crew, who were scattered about in the water. Just as this lugger was leaving the scene a man was seen drifting towards them. He proved to be one of Alexander’s men and told the tale of his boats disaster. Moss’s lugger immediately searched round and found all but one man, including a shell-opener, Russell Crofts clinging to the gunwale of a filled waterlogged dinghy which one of the crew had the presence of mind to cut loose as the lugger sank. A Malay who refused to leave the sinking ship went down with her.”

After this dramatic event Russell returned south and as he had lost his discharge papers during the sinking he wrote to the military authorities for new copies as his originals had been lost at sea.

In 1926 got married to Kathleen Shaw and they lived for a time in South Perth. In 1931 the family had moved to Leonora in the Goldfields and they soon drifted south. In 1934 the family were in the small wheatbelt town of Kukerin though two years later in 1936 they were in Albany. However they soon returned to live in South Perth. Russell enlisted in 1942 for service in the 2^nd World War. He was given the regimental no. W62789 and served as a Corporal in the 8^th Supply Depot Company AASC. He was discharged from service in December 1945. Russell Crofts died in 1975 and he was cremated at Karrakatta Cemetery.

His elder brother Sydney served in the 28^th Battalion in WW1 and a younger brother Joshua served in the 2/16^th Battalion in WW2. Both were battalion originals and survived their respective wars.