Clegg, Herbert Wallace

22 Private Herbert Wallace Clegg - 16th Battalion & 4th Light Trench Mortar Battery AIF

Herbert Wallace Clegg was born in Melbourne Victoria on the 10th June 1882 to Enoch and Agnes Clegg.

The family soon moved across to Western Australia and took up residence in Fremantle where the family residence was at Cemetery Road.

Enoch Clegg started a business called Clegg's which was situated on the corner of South Terrace and Collie Street Fremantle (17 South Terrace). Enoch is pictured below with his wife Agnes. It's possible that Herbert is also in the photo.

In 1908 in the Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie Herbert married Johanne Mathilde (Tilly) Wuttke. They would have several children, Dorothea (1908), Herbert (1909), Sylvia (1910), Charles (1912), Arlena (1914), Joyce (1919) and Wallace (1921).

Herbert was working as a painter when he enlisted into the AIF on the 8th September 1914.

He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording Herbert's physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 7 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 133lbs;

Chest Measurement - 34-35 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment, Herbert was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 16th Battalion AIF.

Herbert trained with the 16^th Battalion at Blackboy Hill for the next month. As the battalions of the 4^th Brigade were all from different states, it was decided to get them all together for further training at Broadmeadows camp in Victoria, so on November 21^st 1914 the 16^th Battalion left Helena Vale for Fremantle where they embarked on troopships for Melbourne. Under command of Colonel Monash the 4^th Brigade settled down to more training at Broadmeadows Camp. Rumours were always circling around camp as to when they would be embarking for service overseas and after the 4^th Brigade march through Melbourne it was thought that embarkation was close at hand and on the 22^nd December 1914 the 16^th Battalion boarded the HMAT Ceramic and set sail for Egypt.

The journey from Melbourne took over six weeks, with HMAT Ceramic berthing at Alexandria on the 3^rd February 1915. After being disembarked the men of the 16^th Battalion were sent to Heliopolis Camp near Cairo where they were initially organised into four Companies from their previous 8 companies. The 16^th Battalion trained in Egypt for the next two months and on April 11^th 1915 they received orders to proceed to Alexandria. On arrival Herbert's Company boarded the transport ship and soon set sail, arriving at Lemnos Island four days later on the 15^th April 1915. For the next few days the soldiers practised their landing into the ships boats and other training that was practicable.

On April 25^th 1915 at noon the 16^th Battalion’s transport ship left Lemnos and proceeded to Anzac Cove where they arrived at about 4pm. The men of the 16^th landed at Anzac Cove from 530pm and on the battalion landing at the beach they were immediately sent up Monash Valley to what would later be known as Popes Hill, named after the 16^th Battalion commander Lieutenant-Colonel Pope. Herbert and his battalion dug a trench as they were receiving Turkish fire from the front and rear as there were still Turks on Russel’s Top. Herbert survived the actions of the first few weeks at Pope’s Hill, Dead Man’s Ridge and Quinn’s Post when the 16^th Battalion had heavy casualties. He came through the first months of the campaign including the August battles unscathed.

However the constant action and terrible conditions had taken a toll on Herbert's health and on the 24th August 1915 he was evacuated to Lemnos Island and then on to Malta. Herbert was suffering septic sores on his legs and hands. After a month in hospital in Malta, he was then sent on to England where he was admitted to the 3rd Southern General Hospital at Oxford.

In February 1916 Herbert left England for Egypt to return to the 16th Battalion but health complications saw him readmitted to hospital. He was in and out of hospital in Egypt for the next few months, alternating with being in the training camps.

The 16th Battalion departed for France in June 1916 but Herbert was still in Egypt but had been left with the 16th Battalion details as part of thr AIF reinforcement camp. On the 6th August 1916 Herbert left Egypt aboard the transport ship Megantic and set sail for England. After a short time in England with the 4th Training Battalion he was sent to France and rejoined the 16th Battalion on the 1st October 1916.

The 16th Battalion were in Belgium when he rejoined them but they were soon on their way back to the Somme battlefield in France where they would spend the 1916/17 French winter.

On the 2nd January 1917 Herbert was evacuated suffering an ulcer on his foot and was evacuated to England. He was admitted to Norfolk War Hospital on the 12th January 1917 and remained there till April 1917.

During his time at Norfolk he wrote a letter home to his parents part of which was published in the 12th March 1917 edition of the Daily News;

WAR LETTERS FROM W.A. SOLDIERS. " TILL THE JOB IS FINISHED."

BUT THE RELIEF SHIFT IS WANTED.

Mr. and Mrs. E. Clegg, of Fremantle, have received the following letter from their son, Private H. W. ("Bert") Clegg, who now lies in the Norfolk War Hospital, England, suffering from wounds and sickness: —

" Soldiering is a very peculiar sort of business. We get the two extremes of life in the army — the very roughest and most dangerous, and the hospital part, which is the very opposite. I am sure that I am getting my full share of the hospital part— cared for as if I was some precious jewel. But no doubt we are precious to our Empire and King, and if we cannot get more and more men to join the forces, we will have to go on till we are all killed or all our man power is worn right out of our bodies. But never mind, I am quite content to go on until the job is finished, and I want to be right in it the day we conquer our enemies, and I hope that that day will be in this year. It may be, but I won't prophesy. A very big sacrifice of men will have to be made to make a decisive blow on the
western front, and that might occur in a very few weeks as soon as the weather gets a bit brighter. It is very cold and snowing almost every day
here in England, and my poor comrades in the Somme will be feeling the cold very much. Indeed just now it is only the physical strength that helps
to make our chaps stand the cold, but in about six weeks' time the weather will begin to get fine again. Living is very costly in England at
the present time, but work is plentiful, and the whole of England is working in the interests of the war. I am going back to harder fighting shortly, and putting all my trust in God to bring me safely through, but should He take me I shall meet you all in the better land, but I know all our prayers 'will be heard and answered."
 
[Private Clegg has been at the front since the landing at Gallipoli. He was nearly five months in the trenches when he got septic poisoning, and was sent to England. This is his second time in hospital in England.]

On the 24th April Herbert was sent to No.1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield. He had two more months there and on the 24th June 1917 was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp.

On the 16th August 1917 Herbert was transferred to the Overseas Training Brigade at Perham Downs Camp. He remained in this camp until the 2nd November 1917 when he was put into draft of soldiers going back to France.

On the 13th November 1917 Herbert rejoined the 16th Battalion on the Western Front. He rejoined them when they were at Peronne but in early 1918 the 16th Battalion moved back to Belgium where they helped to hold the line between Messines and Ypres.

In January 1918 Herbert was sent to hospital for a short time but returned soon after. On the 20th March 1918 Herbert was evacuated to hospital with scabies though was only away for the unit for 8 days.

Herbert rejoined his unit on the 29th March 1918 when they were in action at Hebuterne. On the 31st May 1918 Herbert was seconded to duty at the 4th Brigade Salvage Dump, this only lasted for four weeks and then on the 27th June 1918 he was assigned to duty with the 4th Light Trench Mortar Battery.

Herbert served at the Battle of Hamel on July 4th 1918 with his new unit and subsequently served in the August 8th Advance from Villers Bretonneux up till the 4th Brigade's last action on 18th September 1918 at Le Veguier. Herbert came through these last actions unscathed.

Due to being a 1914 enlistment Herbert qualified for what was known as Anzac Leave. This was six months leave given to the original Anzacs.

On the 8th October 1918 Herbert left England on the transport ship HMT Kaiser-el-Hind and set sail for Australia via Taranto in Italy. However at one of the ports on the journey Herbert changed ship to the HMAT Port Sydney and eventually arrived home in Fremantle on the 25th November 1918. Herbert was discharged from the AIF in Fremantle on the 23rd January 1919.

After Herbert had enlisted in the war his wife Tilly moved back to Tanunda in South Australia as this was where her family was from. She had then moved to 20 Blyth Street Parkside South Australia.

Herbert died on the 10th April 1948 in Joslin South Australia