Stephen Hubert Christian (Hughie) Wallace
From Our Contribution
 Ancestry.com | |
 The Serpentine by Neil J. Coy pp 176-177 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 25 Jun 1888 |
| Place of Birth | Warrnambool, Victoria |
| Death | 29 Sep 1918 |
| Place of Death | Bony, France |
| Age at Enlistment | 28 years, 2 months |
| Description |
5'7¾" (1.72m) tall ; 145lbs 65.771 kg ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; brown hair |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Bryn-Avol, Mundijong, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Step Mother , Mrs Elizabeth Mary Wallace |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 2772 |
| Date of Enlistment | 4 Sep 1916 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit/Formation | 44th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement to C Company / 11th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 29 Dec 1916 ‒ 3 Mar 1917 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A34 Persic |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 4 Jul 1918 Hamel Killed in Action 29 Sep 1918 Bony north of St Quentin. |
| Monument |
Mundijong School Roll of Honour Mundijong Honour Roll Villers-Bretonneux Memorial ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford) Australian War Memorial |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Contents
Pre War
War Service
Entered camp on 4 Sep 1916, where he was 10 days later allocated to the 18th reinforcement draft for the 28th Battalion. Transferred to a depot company on 16 Oct 1916 he was promoted Corporal on 22 Nov 1916 and allocated to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 44th Battalion on 15 Dec 1916, before travelling with them to England aboard HMAT A34 Persic, disembarking on 3 Mar 1917. On arrival in England Hughie reverted to Private and was sent to the 11th Training Battalion at Sutton Mandeville, where on 1 May 1917 he was appointed Lance Corporal, and qualified at Tidworth as an instructor at the SC Bombing School Lyndhurst. he proceeded overseas to France through Southampton on 17 Sep 1917, reverting to the ranks on doing so, and was taken on strength of the 44th Battalion at Poperinghe on 29 Sep 1917.
Hughie was wounded in action on 4 Jul 1918 at Hamel where the 44th Battalion's task was to take the second set of objectives, with the battalion splitting into two halves and moved around either side of the village. They continued on past the ruins of the village, and 'mopped up' a small wood near the village and the trenches immediately to the east of the village> It was at this point that they met significant enemy machine gun fire. Hughie's injury was a wound to his left thigh and after being attended to by the 13th Field Ambulance, he was sent back to the 47th Casualty Clearing Station. On the next day (5 Jul 1918) Hughie was admitted to the 12th General Hospital in Rouen. A day later he was moved on again, this time to the 2nd Convalescent Depot.
By 11 Jul 1918 Hughie was well enough to be transferred to the 3rd Division's Base Depot to await a recall to the 44th Battalion. With fit soldiers at a premium the call came quickly and he was back with the 44th Battalion near Foully where they were carrying out salvaging work.
On 29 Sep 1918, the 44th Battalion was in action approaching the Hindenburg Line, and tasked with breaching it. However, as they approached the Malakoff Farm they were pinned down my machine gun fire from enemy troops that had not been cleaned out by the preceding group (US Troops). Clearing them, they pushed on to the vicinity of the of the Somme Canal Tunnel before being forced back and then pinned down by well concealed and accurate enemy machine gun fire.
Red Cross file: [1]"He came from Western Australia. He was first wounded in the arm by Machine Gun fire at the Hindenburg Line near Bullecourt. He stood up to go to the Dressing Station, when he was hit again in the eye and killed outright. I do not know if his body was buried." Wilkinson A. H. Pte 2909
"I saw him killed by a Machine Gun bullet at the Hindenburg Line. He was killed on the spot and buried close to where he fell. I cannot say if a cross was put up. He was a school teacher at Claremont, and was in the same Coy. He was a signaller." Salter G.F. LCpl 614
Notes
- ↑ "Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Stephen Hubert Christian Wallace". Australian War Memorial. 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.