Ronald Daniel Wallace

Ronald Daniel Wallace

Ancestry.com
Personal Information
Date of Birth	not known 1892
Place of Birth	Richmond, Victoria
Death	27 Oct 1917
Place of Death	Poziéres
Age at Enlistment	23 years, 6 months
Description	5'5¼" (1.66m) tall ; 121 lbs 54.885 kg ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair
Occupation	School teacher (Greenbushes)
Religion	Church of England
Address	'Bryn-Avol', Mundijong, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Step Mother , Mrs Elizabeth Mary Wallace
Military Information
Reg Number	466
Date of Enlistment	19 Nov 1915
Rank	Sergeant
Unit/Formation	44th Battalion, 10 Platoon, C Company / 11th Brigade, 3rd Division
Date of Embarkation	6 Jun 1916 ‒ 21 Jul 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A29 Suevic
Fate	Wounded in Action 10 Jun 1917 Wounded in Action 19 Oct 1917 Died of Wounds 27 Oct 1917 Passchendaele
Monument	Mundijong School Roll of Honour Mundijong Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Electoral roll entries - 1910 teacher at Armadale; 1914 - 1915 a school teacher at Greenbushes

War Service

Entered Blackboy Hill camp on 19 Nov 1915 and allocated to 'C' Company 44th Battalion at some point on 28 Jan 1916. In 1 Feb 1916 Ron was promoted Corporal. On arrival in Plymouth in England, Ron with the rest of the 4th Division was sent for extensive training at Larkhill on the Salisbury Plain before proceeding overseas as a member of the 44th Battalion on 25 Nov 1916.

On 27 Jan 1917 he was appointed Lance Sergeant. Ron was temporarily detached to the 3rd Division School for Non Commissioned Officers from 25 Mar to 8 Apr 1917, and when he returned to the 44th Battalion on 8 Apr 1917 he was promoted Sergeant. On 10 Jun 1917 The 44th Battalion was holding the line on Messines Ridge when Ron was wounded in action. He was treated by the 9th Field Ambulance for a wound to his left shoulder before being passed to the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station the same day. On 13 Jun 1917 he was admitted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital at Wimereux. Released to the 1st Convalescent Depot in Boulogne on 22 Jul 1917, and 5 days later he transferred to the 3rd Division's Base Depot in Le Havre.

His return to the 44th Battalion at Messines occurred on 10 Aug 1917, and on the night of 19/20 Oct 1917, the enemy fired numerous gas shells at the battalion which was in the reserve line at Hill 40, resting in dugouts and shelters. Ron was one of those affected by the gas shells (Mustard) and he died 8 days later in No 4 Casualty Clearing Station.

On 5 Feb 1918 A member of staff at the 44th Casualty Clearing Station where he died wrote a letter to his step mother:

Red Cross file: .

"His dug-out at Hill 40 was blown up by a gas-shell on the 19th. He not only got himself out, but he managed to get his mate Sgt Murray out as well, and this is what killed him; he had no business to do it when he was gassed, The flesh was blown off Murray's feet and Wallace dressed him and then noticed the gas, but it was too late then. He came over to my dug-out about 2:00am. I had two tubes of ammonia and I gave him that and some tea and kept his mask on (you get more gas from the clothes than the air) and kept him there the rest of the night and then sent him to the Dressing Station in the morning. He died in Hospital on the 27th but I do not know what hospital and I was too sick myself with the gas to make much enquiry at the time. He was a School teacher at Greenbushes, his people live at Jarrahdale Junction. He was engaged to Miss R. Wright; I have just got her address ("Kenilms", Shenton road, Claremont, WA), from his brother and I will write to her myself. "Ronnie" Wallace was a 'white man'; he could have had a commission but got on too well with his men. He was thoughtful for everyone. He had said to me " I would not call you up; you had done your bit and there are plenty of big Sgts to do the work! I was a rifleman at the time; now a stretcher bearer. He was C Company." Forcina H.V. Stretcher Bearer C Coy

• 

  Nine Elms British Cemetery Poperinghe CWGC
• 

  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Step Mother received pension of 24/3d per fortnight from 17 Jan 1918.

Notes

An extensive Red cross file exists on the AWM site, with a number of individuals in his unit describing the circumstances of his death. The Red cross representative correctly sums them up for his brother in law (Lieut PH Wright of the 5th Training Squadron, Australian Flying Corps) as having given his life to help others.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial