Barbier, Louis

7707 - Private Louis Barbier – 16th Battalion AIF

Louis Barbier was born in Roubaix France in 1880. Not much is known of his early life but it appears he came to Western Australia in the early 1900’s. Louis took up residence in Essex Street Fremantle and found employment as a fireman. On the 12^th June 1917 Louis went to the Fremantle Drill Hall to enlist in the AIF. He was passed as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height:                                     5 feet 6 inches;

Weight:                                    163lbs;

Chest Measurement:               39-41 inches;

Complexion:                            Fair;

Eyes:                                       Brown;

Hair:                                        Brown;

Religious Denomination:         Roman Catholic;

Distinctive Marks:                    Tattoos on both arms

After his successful enlistment Louis was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was allotted to the 26^th Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion AIF. He trained with this group in WA though they were soon sent to NSW. On the 31^st July 1917 Louis and his group boarded the HMAT Medic in Sydney Harbour and set sail for England via the United States. On the 21^st September the ship reached Halifax Nova Scotia where they men were sent onto another ship and from there sailed to England, disembarking in Liverpool on the 3^rd October 1917. Louis and his group were then disembarked and sent into the 4^th Training Battalion at Codford Camp on the Salisbury Plains.

Louis now commenced on an intense training routine but on the 25^th October he was sent to the Sutton Veny Military hospital suffering from pneumonia. On his release from hospital on the 3^rd November Louis was sent to the 13^th Training Battalion where he remained until the end of the year. On the 16^th January 1918 Louis was put in a draft of soldiers leaving camp for the front. They boarded a transport ship at Southampton and sailed for France, disembarking at Le Havre, where they were then marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot. He didn’t have long there and joined the 16^th Battalion on the 26^th January 1918. The 16^th Battalion had just returned to the Messines sector from Peronne, and they would remain in this sector for the next two months.

On the 21^st March 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive which broke through the Third and Fifth British Armies. The Germans were making a speedy advance towards the vital city of Amiens, so the Third & Fourth Australian Divisions were sent south to stop the German advance. On the way south, the 4^th Brigade, to which the 16^th Battalion belonged, was sent to Hebuterne to support New Zealand & British units to hold this vital sector. The Germans soon advanced though the 16^th Battalion managed to push the Germans back and they even managed to go on the offensive, capturing back some territory.

Louis survived the actions at Hebuterne and in late April the 16^th Battalion was sent to the front near Villers-Bretoneux. On the 30^th May Louis went Absent without leave though he was apprehended on the 1^st June, for which he had to forfeit 11 days pay. On the 26^th June Louis was granted leave to Paris, returning on the 12^th July, thereby missing his Battalion’s successful action at Hamel. Unfortunately just after returning to his unit, Louis was caught being drunk on duty and had to endure 7 days of Field Punishment No.2..

On the 8^th August 1918 Louis was involved in the 16^th Battalion’s assault on the German lines during the Battle of Amiens. It was a successful advance though Louis was evacuated due to being exposed to poisonous gas fumes from German shells. He was initially sent to the 13^th Field Ambulance and from there was transferred to the 20^th Casualty Clearing Station. On the 9^th August Louis was put on a hospital train and taken to Boulogne where he was admitted to the 7^th Stationary Hospital. Louis spent the next nine days here on recovery and on the 18^th August was transferred to the 7^th Convalescent Depot. Two days later Louis was sent to a Rest Camp and spent six days there recovering his fitness. On the 24^th August Louis was returned to the Australian Infantry Base Depot but as it seems his fitness was not yet at a good level, Louis was transferred to work for the Australian Employment Company rather than rejoin the 16^th Battalion in the field. He was still with this Company when the Armistice was announced on the 11^th November 1918.

On the 25^th November Louis was given leave to the UK and on the 30^th November he married May Mowday at Camberwell London. They didn’t have a long honeymoon as Louis had to return to France on the 12^th December. He spent another two months in France and on the 19^th January 1919 was marched into the Australian Infantry Base Depot at Le Havre. On the 20^th February he boarded a transport ship to take him back to England. Louis and May were able to spend the next four months in England as it wasn’t until the 24^th June 1919 that he was given a berth on a transport ship to Australia. The Kongin Louise arrived back in Fremantle on the 3^rd September 1919.

Louis was then sent to No.8 AGH in Fremantle for a medical check and after being released started to look for a place to live for when May came and joined him once a berth on a ship became available. Louis was discharged from the AIF on the 22^nd October 1919.

Post WW1 resumed his role as a fireman but in the 1920's moved to North Perth