Birch, Richard Aubrey
889 Private Richard Aubrey Birch - 32nd Battalion & 5th Pioneer Battalion AIF
Richard Aubrey Birch was born on the 10th April 1873 in Perth WA to Richard and Eliza Birch. He was one of twelve siblings and after his birth the family moved from Perth to Fremantle. Richard was educated locally in Fremantle.
In August 1897 Richard began work as a clerk for WA Government Railways and also joined the Citizens Military Forces.
On the 1st September 1898 Richard married Hannah Maud Allpike and they would go on to have nine children; Viola (1898), James (1900), John (1901), Ethel (1903), Noel (1905), Norman (1908), Horace (1910), Ronald (1913) and Cyril (1915).
In 1906 they lived in Wardie Street then the family moved to 74 Jenkins Street South Fremantle. (later renumbered 19 Jenkin St and now Mills and Ware Park)
On the 25th June 1915 Richard enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for enlistment with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 6 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 135lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-36 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Light Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment Richard was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to "C" Company of the 32nd Battalion AIF.
The 32nd Battalion was a joint South and West Australian unit. The two WA companies did some of their training in WA but then went to Adelaide to join up with the rest of the Battalion and trained for a few more weeks in South Australia.
The 32nd Battalion left Adelaide in December 1915 and sailed for Egypt. After their arrival they spent more time in training and were also used to man part of the Suez Canal defensive line.
The 32nd Battalion became part of the 8th Brigade of the 5th Division AIF. They spent the first six months of 1916 training in the Egyptian desert. However on the 4th May 1916 Richard was transferred the 5th Pioneer Battalion.
On the 19th June 1916 the 5th Pioneer Battalion left Egypt aboard the transport ship Canada and made their way to France, disembarking at Marseilles on the 25th June 1916.
After their arrival they were sent north to the Armentieres region to have their first experience of trench life on the Western Front. The 5th Division were soon thrown into an assault on the German positions at Fromelles. The attack did not succeed despite the bravery of the infantry. While the 5th Pioneer Battalion did not take part in the infantry assault on German lines they went forward in trying to improve the trenches under heavy German fire, while maintaining the main communication avenue and building a sap across No Mans Land to the part of the front that the infantry did capture. All this was done under heavy German fire. Casualties were heavy but Richard came safely through.
The 5th Pioneer Battalion remained in the Armentieres sector till October 1916 when they were transferred to the Somme. They then spent October 1916 to February 1917 on the wet and cold Somme battlefield in and around the ruined village of Flers, Longueval and Delville Wood. The wintry conditions were the coldest in decades and many men were evacuated due to sickness.
On the 28th January 1917 Richard was evacuated to hospital with an injured forearm. After treatment he returned to the 5th Pioneer Battalion on the 25th February 1917.
The Germans then began their withdrawal to their defensive position known as the Hindenburg Line. The 5th Pioneer Battalion would be stationed near Bapaume through April and in May 1917 were drawn into the fighting at Bullecourt. After this action the 5th Division were withdrawn from the line for a three month rest period. Richard had come through the last few months safely. During this time out of the line the 5th Division undertook much training and also much more enjoyable sporting activities.
In August 1917 Richard was granted leave to England but while there fell ill and was sent to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford as he had been diagnosed with venereal disease. He recovered quite quickly and by October 1917 had returned to France.
In his absence in September 1917 the 5th Division had moved back to the line in Belgium to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 5th Pioneers were tasked with work near Menin Road and did much vital work during the capture of Polygon Wood on the 26th September by improving the roads and access to the front line. They continued to work at Nonne Boschen, Hooge, Westhoek, Dickebusch & Zonnebeke sectors.
When Richard rejoined his unit in October 1917 the mud and devastation of the battlefield had worsened and the tasks of the 5th Pioneers had increased dramatically.
From December 1917 to March 1918 the 5th Pioneers were stationed south east of Ypres near Hollebeke.
On March 21st 1918 the Germans launched their Spring Offensive which broke through the Third and Fifth British Armies and captured much territory on the Somme and so the Australian divisions in Belgium were sent south to stem the advance. The Fifth Division came down and helped stop the Germans, their most notable action being at Villers-Bretonneux on the 24th/25th April 1918. The Germans had captured the village from British troops and the 4th & 5th Divisions helped recapture it.
On the 24th April during the German capture of the village they sent over large amounts of shells. The 5th Pioneer Battalion, stationed at Bussy-Les-Daours suffered 1 killed and 7 wounded from the shelling. Fortunately Richard escaped being hit. The 5th Pioneers then remained in the Villers-Bretonneux region for the next few months.
When the great advance of 8th August commenced, the 5th Pioneers followed their infantry and served at Peronne and the Hindenburg outpost line in September 1918. They were then withdrawn from the line for a rest period. Richard had come through the 1918 actions unscathed.
He was sent on leave to the UK in September but after his return to France he rejoined his unit. Richard was still serving with his unit when the Armistice was announced.
When the German units pulled back to their own country, the Australians were sent to garrison parts of France and Belgium that had been under German occupation. The Australians would remain here for the next few months, but as more men were being sent home, the units were getting smaller and by April/May 1919 many units were being disbanded.
Richard returned to England in March 1919 and spent the next few months in the AIF Camps in England. On the 24th July 1919 he boarded the transport ship Main and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 27th September 1919.
Richard was discharged from the AIF on the 27th November 1919.
After his return home the family moved to Amherst St Fremantle and Richard resumed his role at WAGR as a Clerk. The family continued residing there through the 1930's to 50's.
Richard's wife Hannah died on the 4th February 1938 and sadly his son Ron died in New Guinea on the 1st December 1942 while serving with the 2/16th Battalion.
His other son Noel had served in the Royal Australian Navy during World War Two but died in Fremantle in 1950.
His youngest son Cyril died in Ballarat in 1954.
Richard Aubrey Birch died on the 25th February 1955 in Fremantle aged 81. He was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Wesleyan CA 0317A.
(Photo of Richard courtesy of the family ancestry page)