Bright Hurtle Murray 1895-1971 – Blencowe Family in World War One

Hurtle Murray Bright

1895-1971

Father Nm: Samuel Bright 1847–1926 born 24 JANUARY 1847 • Bristol, Gloucestershire, died FEB 1926 • Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia

Mother Nm: Mary Ann Blencowe [7195] born 24.1.1856 Amherst Victoria parents John Blencowe Emma Scown died 1941 Camfield Victoria: Oldest known Ancestor -John Blencowe 1830, Brackley.

Marriage: 1921 Melbourne

K comments: Brother Percy served with the 24th Infantry Bn. and brother Albert served in the 58th Bn.

Spouse comments: Violet Maude Evans (1900-1956)

Children:

WW1

Hurtle Murray Bright,1897, Brighton Vic. Sapper, 4742, 6th, 59th, 58th and 57th Battalions AIF.

1915

2 Dec. Enlisted at Bendigo and sent to 24 Depot Royal Park. When he departed in March 1916 from Melbourne, he gave details as age 21 yrs, a Saddlemaker by trade, and gave his home address as 42 Laura St New Brunswick. Vic.

1916

6 Jan. Transferred to 16 Depot Battalion Bendigo. Transferred to 15th Reinforcements to 6th Battalion.
7 Mar. The 15th Reinforcements of the 6th Battalion departed Melbourne of HMAT Wiltshire destination Egypt.At some point transferred to the 59th Battalion.
19 May. Transferred to 58th Battalion from 59th Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir. Egypt. Note: the 59th Bn was raised as a new unit in Egypt in February 1916 and was made up predominantly of the Gallipoli veterans of the 6th Bn. and new reinforcements like Hurtle. The 58th became part of the 15th Brigade of the 5th Division AIF.
23 Jun. 58th Bn. arrives in Marseilles France and entrains north.
26 Jun. Arrived at Steenbecque. The Bn. billeted here before moving in July to the front line near Lens via billets on the 8th at Estaires.
15 Jul. Lens. The 58th Bn then took over from the 57th Bn. the area from Pinneys Ave. to a point near VC Ave.

15-16 Jul. Heavy enemy bombardment on this day followed by a German raiding party which killed one man Casualties for the period was very heavy as the Bn. war diary records
19 Jul. Wounded in the Battle of Fromelles. The 15th Bde (of which the 58th was part) advanced next to the British 183rd Bde, towards the junction of the German line and Laye’s brook, which ran diagonally across no man’s land. The right battalion advance was stopped after 300 yards (270 m) by machine-gun fire from the Sugarloaf and the left-hand battalion was stopped at the German wire, both battalions suffering many losses as the survivors dug in. Casualties for the Bn. in this attack recorded in the war diary differ greatly from CWGC’s final total of men killed by the WD stating 27 but 90 died according to CWGC. Hurtle was wounded GSW to the right thigh in this attack.
Jul. In total for this first month of action, the battalion lost 138 men killed.
21 Jul. Hurtle is admitted to the 30th General Hospital at Calais with GSW to the right thigh. He stayed for 5 days in Calais before being invalided to England on HS Dieppe.
The Service records don’t give us a date for Hurtle re-joining his battalion, but it did confirm him at Ypres with the 58th Bn. in September 1917.

1917

25 Sept. Third Battle of Ypres. Wounded again this time at Polygon Wood. War diary records “Enemy attempted to storm our sector this was repulsed however they did gain a foothold in the sector of the unit (58th Bn.)” Casualties 20 killed on the days 25-26 Sept.
25 Sept. Hurtle is admitted to No 3 Canadian CCS at Remy. then transported onto 2nd Canadian Gen. Hospital at Le Treport.
13 Oct. Transferred to the 2nd Australian Convalescent Depot. (Esault) and then moved on to Le Havre to 5th Australian Division Base Depot.
20 Oct. Transferred to the 57th Bn.who were in Belgium at Cornwell Camp, near Ouderdom in the Ypres Salient.

1918

1 Apr. The German Spring Offensive. The Bn. took over the defences of the Corbie area along the Somme Canal.
Hastily dug gun pits tell of these British artillerymen quickly responding to the advancing German Army. Near Corbie 1st April 1918 Imperial War Museum
4 Apr. Severe bombardment by the enemy, news that the British Cavalry and 11th AIF Brigade attacked.
5 Apr. Ordered to move forward to fill a gap on the right of the 60th Bn. came under heavy machine-gun fire and a heavy bombardment in front of Fouilly and Hamelet. The war diary states 52 casualties, CWGC records 10 men killed in this forward movement.
15 Apr. Ten days after the previous action Hurtle appears to have “lost it” and gone AWOL for 14 days. He was caught and subsequently (5 May) sentenced to 32 days and paybook deductions. This could be given his bravery prior to having a case of post-stress traumatic disorder but in WW1 no such diagnosis would have been done and he was lucky not to be more severely treated.
May-Aug. Hurtle was incarcerated while the counter-attack at Villers Bretonneux took place in April. There was on his return in May a quieter period and it wasn’t until August that combat was heavy again. Indicative of this relatively quiet period is the front page of the war diary for August obviously took some time to draw.

There is evidence that Hurtle was the Cook for Company ‘C” in late March 1919 and it may be his breakdown and AWOL sentence was related to him taking up this role at some point as it would have taken him out of heavy combat situations.

As we cover the balance of the period of the war for Hurtle and the 57th Battalion we need to remember he may have been behind the lines.

In the last 100 days of the war, the allied armies were very much used as a combined force attacking and driving the Germans back in waves using aircraft and tanks and infantry in a coordinated way.

8 Aug. Harbonnieres. In conjunction with the 24th Bde. Canadian Infantry the 15th Bde AIF successfully attacked Harbonnieres. Below the War Dairy summary and map showing the area attacked.
8th Aug. 1918 Attack line simplified see War Diary map in Gallery
The casualties for this attack for the battalion this day were 15 killed as per CWGC records.
29-30 Sept. Attack on the Hindenburg Line. In a combined attack to breach the Hindenburg line, the 57th was confused at first by fog but later successful in reaching the line. Casualties over the two-periods were heavy with 22 men being killed as per CWGC records.
The ‘AIF in France’ relates this attack in the fog ” The 5th Division’s foremost brigades, 8th and 15th, had run into denser fog. The 57th Battalion (15th Brigade), which should have been next to the 59th, marched in two parallel columns, and after passing quickly (by way of a trench) through heavy shelling on Cologne heights, saw billowing from the canal valley the mist thickened by the southern smoke screen. Fortunately the intelligence officer, Lieut. Staley had noticed on the previous day a line of telegraph poles leading towards the battalion’s objective, and the column led by him and Lieut.- Col. Denehy reached these as it entered the fog. It was impossible to see more than a few yards, hut the troops closed up in the file, each able to tap the back of the man ahead. Staley and Denehy then led them on from one broken pole to another by stooping down to keep sight of the telegraph wires which lay twisted on the ground. A passing lift of the fog enabled them to check their position. Soon, on passing some old barbed wire with trenches behind it, they guessed they were in the main Hindenburg Line. Denehy halted his men while he searched for a road that should be north of him. As he found it the fog cleared, and shells soon burst thickly around. His column was hurrying to the second trench when the other half of the battalion appeared to the left rear, coming down Mount Olympus, and near it the support battalion, the 58th.”
1-3 Oct.Continuing the push on the enemy the Battalion advance from Bellicourt to a point east of there Bank Copse and Polemprise Farm WD records “here Coys came under intense bombardment and took severe casualties.” CWGC records 15 men being killed between 1-3 October.
This appears to be the last combat for the battalion, relieved on the 2nd October it went to billets at Hargicourt behind the lines and on the 5th October to Peronne and by the 8th via train to Abbeville.
8 Nov. Hurtle is granted leave (also on this day brother Albert is granted leave) to the Uk just three days before the war ends.He rejoined his battalion now in the Valenciennes area.

1919

28 Mar. Hurtle in the Embarkation order 20 that sent men to Bussou-lez-Walcourt for transportation return home.
1 Apr. Hurtle departs from Le Havre for Weymouth, England.
15 May. Embarked for Australia on ‘Orontes”.
30 Jun. Landed at Melbourne.
20 Oct. Discharged from the Army.

SOURCES