Pte
Peter Banks
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 12/04/1881 |
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Place of birth: Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 6221 |
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Enlistment date: 05/04/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Burwood, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 4th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 04/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Romulus Wood, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 36 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: XXV Row: J Grave: 17 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Peter Banks was born on 12 April 1881 in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. He was the son of Peter and Elizabeth Banks. Before his enlistment, he worked as a labourer. On 5 April 1916, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in Burwood, a suburb of Sydney. He was assigned to the 4th Australian Infantry Battalion.
At the beginning of October 1917, the 4th Battalion was located in the region around Ypres. The Battle of Passchendaele had already been raging for two months. The next step was to capture the ridge near Broodseinde. This task was also assigned to the 4th Battalion. During the night of 2 to 3 October, they moved towards Westhoek to prepare for the upcoming attack. At 3 a.m. on 4 October, the day of the attack, they departed from Westhoek towards the starting positions near Molenaarelsthoek via Jabber Track. The journey to the front was not without casualties. The rear companies suffered several losses due to artillery fire.
At 5:25 a.m., the attack began. The 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion attacked first, supported by the 1st and 4th Australian Infantry Battalions. By 6:45 a.m., the 3rd Battalion had captured the first objective line. During this initial phase of the attack, casualties were low. In addition, several Germans were taken prisoner. At 8:10 a.m., after consolidating the first objective line, the attack continued towards the second objective line. During this phase, the opposition was stronger, and the battalion was pushed towards the left flank. Around 150 men were killed or wounded during this phase. Upon reaching the second objective line, near Celtic Wood, the decision was made to dig in. This decision was reinforced by the constant machine-gun and sniper fire. By 11 a.m., the battalion was firmly entrenched and ready to repel potential counterattacks. However, no further counterattacks were carried out.
Between 3 and 6 October, the 4th Battalion lost 23 men killed, 17 missing, and 149 wounded. Peter Banks was killed on 4 October at the age of 36 near Romulus Wood. He was reburied after the war in Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot XXV, row J, grave 17.
At the beginning of October 1917, the 4th Battalion was located in the region around Ypres. The Battle of Passchendaele had already been raging for two months. The next step was to capture the ridge near Broodseinde. This task was also assigned to the 4th Battalion. During the night of 2 to 3 October, they moved towards Westhoek to prepare for the upcoming attack. At 3 a.m. on 4 October, the day of the attack, they departed from Westhoek towards the starting positions near Molenaarelsthoek via Jabber Track. The journey to the front was not without casualties. The rear companies suffered several losses due to artillery fire.
At 5:25 a.m., the attack began. The 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion attacked first, supported by the 1st and 4th Australian Infantry Battalions. By 6:45 a.m., the 3rd Battalion had captured the first objective line. During this initial phase of the attack, casualties were low. In addition, several Germans were taken prisoner. At 8:10 a.m., after consolidating the first objective line, the attack continued towards the second objective line. During this phase, the opposition was stronger, and the battalion was pushed towards the left flank. Around 150 men were killed or wounded during this phase. Upon reaching the second objective line, near Celtic Wood, the decision was made to dig in. This decision was reinforced by the constant machine-gun and sniper fire. By 11 a.m., the battalion was firmly entrenched and ready to repel potential counterattacks. However, no further counterattacks were carried out.
Between 3 and 6 October, the 4th Battalion lost 23 men killed, 17 missing, and 149 wounded. Peter Banks was killed on 4 October at the age of 36 near Romulus Wood. He was reburied after the war in Tyne Cot Cemetery, plot XXV, row J, grave 17.
Sources 3
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4th Battalion Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/21/32). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 http://Ancestry.com Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, BANKS P). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/461816 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=12699 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=3f11121a-35cd-4e33-9f0a-76c47781731b |
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/7349174 |