Pte
Ernest Ambrose Mulhall
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1895 |
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Place of birth: Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Shop Assistant |
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: 3163 |
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Enlistment date: 06/10/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Rutherford, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 56th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 26/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Jetty Wood, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 22 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 29S |
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
Ernest Ambrose Mulhall was born in 1895 and was the son of James and Elizabeth Mary Mulhall. Ernest worked as a shop assistant and baker apprentice before enlisting. He joined up in October 1916 - though he had previously been rejected for service, due to his eyesight - and embarked for Europe in November.
By September 1917 he served in the Australian Infantry 56th Battalion, part of the 14th Australian Brigade, of the 5th Australian Division. From September onward the Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele and on 26 September 1917 it attacked Polygon and Jetty Wood with two Brigades, the 14th Australian Brigade on the left and the 15th Australian Brigade on the right. The attack of the 14th brigade was carried by the 53rd Battalion; the 55th and 56th Battalions were in support.
Once the 53rd Battalion had captured and consolidated the Butte in Polygon Wood, the attack was taken up by the 55th and 56th Battalions. The 56th reached its objective, a ditch in Jetty Wood, dubbed the Blue Line, by 9.15 a.m. and had cleared Jetty and Jumper Trenches by 11 a.m. Any further progress seemed impossible, as the troops on the right had been held up, and the men would be subjected to enfilade fire from Juniper Trench once they left the cover of the ditch. So the 56th started consolidating their positions on the Blue Line.
The attack had been a success. Polygon Wood had fallen and the allies now had a foothold in Jetty Wood. But casualties in the 56th had been high. During their time in the frontline a total of 39 men were killed, 117 men were wounded and 106 men went missing. Private Ernest Ambrose Mulhall was one of the men who was killed in action on 26 September 1917. The 22-year old possibly fell during the attack on Jetty Wood. Ernest has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
By September 1917 he served in the Australian Infantry 56th Battalion, part of the 14th Australian Brigade, of the 5th Australian Division. From September onward the Division participated in the Battle of Passchendaele and on 26 September 1917 it attacked Polygon and Jetty Wood with two Brigades, the 14th Australian Brigade on the left and the 15th Australian Brigade on the right. The attack of the 14th brigade was carried by the 53rd Battalion; the 55th and 56th Battalions were in support.
Once the 53rd Battalion had captured and consolidated the Butte in Polygon Wood, the attack was taken up by the 55th and 56th Battalions. The 56th reached its objective, a ditch in Jetty Wood, dubbed the Blue Line, by 9.15 a.m. and had cleared Jetty and Jumper Trenches by 11 a.m. Any further progress seemed impossible, as the troops on the right had been held up, and the men would be subjected to enfilade fire from Juniper Trench once they left the cover of the ditch. So the 56th started consolidating their positions on the Blue Line.
The attack had been a success. Polygon Wood had fallen and the allies now had a foothold in Jetty Wood. But casualties in the 56th had been high. During their time in the frontline a total of 39 men were killed, 117 men were wounded and 106 men went missing. Private Ernest Ambrose Mulhall was one of the men who was killed in action on 26 September 1917. The 22-year old possibly fell during the attack on Jetty Wood. Ernest has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Sources 4
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56th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/73/20). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10248327 Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, MULHALL E A). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/NameSearch.aspx. Sources used |
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McCarthy C., Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Uniform, 2018), pg. 94-95. 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/1599899 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=145e33f6-2283-48e0-bf5b-22640fbec805 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7517290 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=217140 |