Carlin, Cyril Brooke

2813 Private Cyril Brooke Carlin - 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron

Cyril was born in 1896 in Fremantle WA to Ernest and Pauline Carlin and he was one of three siblings, with Ethel in 1895 and Edna in 1904. The family lived in Tuckfield Street Fremantle.

He was educated at schools in Fremantle and Cottesloe. He had served in the 86A Cadets and four months in the 88th Infantry of the Citizens Military Forces.

Cyril was living in West Perth and taking on further study when he decided to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1916. He was passed as fit by the medical examiner who recorded his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 5 inches;

Weight - 130lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-36 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Grey;

Hair - Light Brown.

After his successful enlistment Cyril was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the training depot. He spent the first month of service undergoing basic infantry training. On the 1st April 1916 Cyril was assigned to the 12th Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion AIF. He was there for five days but requested a transfer to the Light Horse.

On the 6th April 1916 Cyril was transferred to the Light Horse Training Camp at the 6th Light Horse Depot Squadron. He spent six weeks here and then was assigned to the 19th Reinforcements to the 10th Light Horse Regiment.

He trained with this group in WA for the next several weeks. On the 17th July 1916 Cyril and his group were entrained for Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship RMS Mongolia. The ship then set sail for Egypt, reaching there on the 12th August 1916.

After being disembarked Cyril was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade Training Regiment at Moascar. He remained with this unit for the next few months and then on the 28th October 1916 was sent to the 3rd Light Horse Machine Gun Squadron.

Cyril served with his unit at the battles with the Turkish forces at Magdhaba in December 1916 and Rafa in January 1917. He came through these actions unscathed and continued to serve with his unit through 1917 at Gaza in April 1917 and the operations around Beersheba in October 1917 and Jerusalem in November 1917.

It was at the actions near Jerusalem that Cyril was captured by the Turkish forces. In his own words;

I was wounded and captured during the advance in Jerusalem. On the night of November 29th 1917, my squadron (dismounted) took up a position on the crest of a hill near Jaffa. It was a rocky boulder strewn hill and we held it all day without opposition though there was considerable activity on our right flank.

I was No.4 on the Maxim. We had the usual watches on the gun on the night of November 30th. I think mine was the fourth watch. About midnight, my mate McCormick and self were awakened by heavy rifle fire and bombing. We rose and made towards the gun but I could not see any of our gun crew. The bombing became intense and seemed to be at close range. McCormick got a bad wound in the leg and called to me for help. I went to his assistance. I tried to drag him away but he was too heavy for me. I turned towards where the gun had been and was wounded in the legs and face by a bomb. The Turks then rushed the position. They overpowered me and took me prisoner.

I bandaged up McCormick's wounds as well as I could. The Turks then took me away but left him lying there. I heard afterwards that our troops counter attacked and retook the position, also recovering McCormick.

For same days before capture I had been bad with diarrhoea . It became worse with the food provided by the Turks. I was taken by camel and bullock wagon to Turkullum and put into barracks there. I became worse here and about the ninth day the Turkish doctor ordered me into Nazareth Hospital. By this time I was bad with dysentery.

I was about six weeks at Nazareth Hospital where I was well treated. I then went to the hospital at Damascus and was six weeks there, the conditions being fairly good. I was the only Britisher in the hospital at that time. On discharge I went into the barracks at Damascus for about a week and then moved on to Aleppo for a fortnight. Mt next move was to Gelebek in the Taurus Mountains where I worked for four and a half months on a railway under German engineers. We were mostly engaged laying a heavy railway to replace a length of light line. The Germans paid us 10 piastres a day but charged us 5 piastres a day for the food they supplied us. It was of poor quality and just enough to maintain life. The German chief engineer would not allow us to receive monetary aid from the Dutch Consul.

I was next moved to Adana where I worked under the Turks for about two and a half months. I was in a sawmill at the Railway Station assisting to load engines and wagons with timber and firewood. I was treated fairly well at first but towards the end of my stay there the Turks became strict and harsh. I had recurrent attacks of malaria here and was in and out of hospital several times.

When General Allenby's forces were closing on Aleppo there was a general exit of the population from Adana. I was still weak with malaria when we were evacuated from Adana and had to break the train trip at Kvona for a week which I spent in hospital there. On continuing my journey towards the Bosphorus region I found the trains were crowded with refugees. Another Australian, Sgt King, 6th Light Horse and myself were herded into a truck containing about 50 Turks and a few Englishmen. The atmosphere in that Truck became unbearable after a time, so Sgt King and I climbed onto the roof for the rest of the journey.

I caught pneumonia through this and had to be taken off at Ash-Kisser where I was in hospital for about four weeks -  too bad to be moved. On discharged I continued my journey westwards. I was in Hydropasha Hospital on the Asia Minor shore of the Bosphorus for a few days and then crossed over to Constantinople.

I reported to the British RTO at Constantinople on November 30th 1918. He telephoned to headquarters about me and an ambulance was sent which conveyed me to the 82nd General Hospital. I was an inmate of that Hospital for six weeks. On January 14th I embarked on the hospital ship Glengora Castle for Salonika. At arrival at that port I was again sent into hospital, the 6th General hospital, suffering from general debility.

On February 8th I left Salonika on the SS Egypt for Marseilles. Here I spent a few days in camp before entraining for Havre. I finally arrived at Southampton on February 23rd 1919 and was entrained then for London where I went into King George's Hospital.

Cyril spent two weeks at King George's Hospital and on the 3rd March 1919 was transferred into the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford. He only had a few days here and was then transferred to the AIF Camp at Sutton Veny where he would wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.

On the 16th June 1919 Cyril boarded the transport ship Ormonde and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 24th July 1919.

After being disembarked Cyril was medically assessed at No.8 Australian General Hospital in Fremantle and was discharged from the AIF on the 6th November 1919.

After his return home Cyril resumed his studies. He headed for South Australia, where he undertook medical studies at Adelaide University.

After he had qualified he returned to WA and worked at a practie in Swanbourne.

In April 1932 Cyril married Olive Ellen Hope Wheatley at St George's Cathedral in Perth.

They then moved to Goomalling where he was the local doctor.

Cyril and Olive had three children, Judith, John, Peter and Geoffrey. Sadly, Geoffrey born in Perth in 1940 died in 1941.

Cyril Carlin died aged 51 on the 15th November 1947 at hospital in Subiaco. It appears the privations suffered during his time as a prisoner of war continued to affect Cyril for the rest of his life.

Cyril was buried at Karrakatta Cemetery plot Anglican FA 0379.