Pte
Bert William Greathead
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1892 |
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Place of birth: Gippsland, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Labourer |
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: 4427 |
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Enlistment date: 12/11/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Casula, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 20th Bn. (New South Wales) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 09/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Defy Crossing, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 25 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: V Row: A Grave: 18 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private Bert William Greathead served in the Australian Infantry 20th Battalion, part of the 5th Brigade, of the 2nd Australian Division.
On the 9th of October 1917 the 20th Battalion Australian Infantry took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 2nd Australian Division was to cover the right flank of the 66th British Division, and it attacked with the 5th and 6th Australian Brigades, respectively on the left and right flank.
The 5th Australian Brigade attacked with the 20th Battalion, the 17th Battalion was in support. At 5.30 a.m. the barrage came down short and some shells fell behind the attacking troops. When the men advanced they came under enfilade machine gun fire from a German position across the railway in the 66th Divisional area. Nevertheless they men were able to capture a German strongpoint at Defy Crossing. By 8.25 a.m. the Battalion took their first objective, the Red Line, which was occupied with only slight casualties.
The 17th Battalion moved through the 20th and advanced on the Blue Line, supported by parties of the 20th Battalion. The intermixed troops cleared Decoy Wood and Rhine. On the left the railway cutting was cleared with grenades and bayonets. The intermixed troops reached their final objective, but with so few men remaining, they were soon forced to pull back to the first objective, which they consolidated.
Private Bert William Greathead was killed in action on the 9th of October 1917. He was initially buried near Defy Crossing. According to a witness report in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File, he was killed by a shell and buried close to where he fell. His remains were exhumed after the war and were interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
On the 9th of October 1917 the 20th Battalion Australian Infantry took part in the Battle of Poelcapelle, a stage in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 2nd Australian Division was to cover the right flank of the 66th British Division, and it attacked with the 5th and 6th Australian Brigades, respectively on the left and right flank.
The 5th Australian Brigade attacked with the 20th Battalion, the 17th Battalion was in support. At 5.30 a.m. the barrage came down short and some shells fell behind the attacking troops. When the men advanced they came under enfilade machine gun fire from a German position across the railway in the 66th Divisional area. Nevertheless they men were able to capture a German strongpoint at Defy Crossing. By 8.25 a.m. the Battalion took their first objective, the Red Line, which was occupied with only slight casualties.
The 17th Battalion moved through the 20th and advanced on the Blue Line, supported by parties of the 20th Battalion. The intermixed troops cleared Decoy Wood and Rhine. On the left the railway cutting was cleared with grenades and bayonets. The intermixed troops reached their final objective, but with so few men remaining, they were soon forced to pull back to the first objective, which they consolidated.
Private Bert William Greathead was killed in action on the 9th of October 1917. He was initially buried near Defy Crossing. According to a witness report in his Red Cross Wounded and Missing File, he was killed by a shell and buried close to where he fell. His remains were exhumed after the war and were interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 4
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20th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/37/27). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10237331 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, GREATHEAD B W). http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 104-106. 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/480251 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=61a7cf3b-4eca-49b3-875b-bbae76f2332c |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7458160 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=117729 |