Sharland Thomas John 1895

Thomas John Sharland

1895-1918

Father Nm: James Frederick Shaw (Sharland)
1853–1929 BIRTH 3 AUGUST 1853 • Hobart City, Tasmania, Australia DEATH 28 DECEMBER 1929 • New Zealand.   Note from BFA database Charles Fredrick Sharland (Formerly Shaw). These records seem to correspond James Frederick Sharland died 1930 in New Zealand aged 77 born 1853; James Frederick Shaw born 4.8.1853 Hobart Tasmania father James Shaw mother Sophia Neate. The reason for the change could be originally a Convict.

Mother Nm: Jessie Blincoe [3494] born 11.5.1860 Nelson died June 1947 Canvastown

Marriage Dt:

K comments: Brother Charles Frederick served in both World Wars  with NZ Regiments

Spouse comments:

Children:

Born 1895

3 May 1895 Nelson

WW1

Thomas John Sharland, Lance Corporal, 7/1783, 10th Brigade ( Nelson and Marlborough), 7th Brigade Canterbury Mounted Rifles.

1915

• 25 August. Attested in Nelson.
• Training at Waikanae and Trentham before embarking in August for Egypt.
• 23 September. Embarked. Both the 8th and 10th Squadrons on H.M.N.Z. Transport No. 11, Athenic. 
• 9 October. Disembarked Suez Egypt.

1916

• 23 January. Sent to Zeitoun where training was continued.
• 23 January. “The regiment left Zeitoun to take up a new defensive post on the Suez Canal eighty-seven miles (140 km) to the east. ……Later that month, the brigade was assigned to the ANZAC Mounted Division.” Wikipedia
• 25 January. Promoted to Lance Corporal.
• 23 April-19 July. The Regiment sent to Kantara 51 miles from the Suez Canal where they patrolled for Turkish Forces. 
• 2 May. In this period in Kantara Thomas is admitted to Hospital in Cairo with defective vision. Thomas returned to duty on the 29 June.
• 4 August. Battle of Romani. “Just after midnight on 4 August the 1st and 2nd Light Horse Brigades were attacked at Romani.” Wikipedia  ………..the Regiment were approaching the Turkish position on Mount Royston, and the regiment opened out to attack, with the 8th Squadron positioned on the left, the 1st in the centre, and Thomas with the 10th on the right. The Regiment casualties were 1 dead 15 wounded.
• 8 August.  Battle of Bir el Abd. This action and previous action accounted for casualties of 4 killed in August, two of these from the 10th Brigade.
• 17 August. Thomas admitted to Hospital with Measles. and until the 27 September in the following hospitals 24th SH Kantara, 24th General Hospital Abassia and Aotea Convalescence Hospital in Port Said.
• 27 November Transferred from Training Battalion to the field.

1917

• 9 January. Battle of Rafa
• 26 March. The First Battle of Gaza. ” Casualties for the day were one dead and six wounded.” Wikipedia.
• 16-18 April. 2nd Battle of Gaza. “The three days of fighting cost the regiment three dead and twenty-eight wounded” Wikipedia.

  

   

• 31 October. The Battle of Beersheba. The regiment’s casualties during the battle were one dead and six wounded.
• 1 November. The Battle of Tel el Khuweilfe.
• 11 November. The Battle of Ayun Kara
• December. The British forces capture Jerusalem

1918

• 16-22 February. The capture of Jerico.
• 27 March. Amman Raid initial attacks failed. “The next day it was decided to make a dismounted attack on Hill 3039, outside Amman. The regiment, while still holding its own lines, provided eleven officers and 102 other ranks to take part in the assault. At 02:00 they formed up and started forward, the regiment’s contingent forming the second line with the Wellington Mounted Rifles. The assault was successful, the first line capturing their objectives. The second line passed through them onto their objectives. With around three hundred yards (270 m) to go, Turkish machine-guns opened fire on them, but they pressed on, capturing a machine-gun and fourteen prisoners. Then the 8th Squadron moved forward with the 4th (ANZAC) Battalion, Imperial Camel Corps Brigade, and captured the last Turkish position on the hill. The brigade settled in to defend the hill, the regiment located between the brigade’s other two units. At dawn Turkish artillery targeted the hill, and at 09:30 the Turks counter-attacked the New Zealanders. They were stopped by the brigade, using captured machine-guns in addition to their own weapons. Turkish artillery continued to bombard the hill until 16:00, when another counter-attack began, mostly to the regiment’s left; this was driven off. The third counter-attack came an hour later but was also defeated. Elsewhere the rest of the division had been trying to reach Amman but could not make any progress.Unable to continue the attack, and with a shortage of ammunition and rations, the division was ordered to withdraw back to the River Jordan. The brigade was ordered at 18:00 to retire back to Ain Es Sir. On arrival the 1st Squadron formed a defensive line, while the rest of the regiment rested. However, the 1st Squadron were soon engaged by a Turkish force, and the regiment and the Auckland Mounted Rifles moved up to support them. For the remainder of the night, the division retired through the line held by the regiment, until 04:00 on 1 April when the Wellington Mounted Rifles took over from the regiment, which then followed the division back to the river. They reached the Jordan Valley at dusk and moved back across the river. During the operation, the regiment lost eighteen dead, thirty-seven wounded and one man missing in action. See appendix below for more detail on this battle
• 30 March -1 April. It was in the Raid on Amman that Thomas was mortally wounded. Reported missing in action and then found and taken to 2/4th Field Ambulance nr Hill 3039, where he died from wounds 1 April.

Medals

Sources

• Ancestry and BFA database
• The History of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles 1914-1919
  Author: Colonel C. G. Powles
• Wikipedia
• Nelson Museum

Burial

Initially buried at Jericho , Thomas was later moved to Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM WAR CEMETERY
J. 3.
Israel and Palestine (including Gaza)

Gallery

Three photographs of Thomas from Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection:

Appendix

An account of the battle for Hill 3039 by Steven Becker member of the Great War Forum.

“The morning of the 30 March did not brood well for the Allied cause as rain fell heavily over the battlefield and as preparations continued the Camel brigade had moved into position in the dark. General Smith had ordered the assault to be carried out by a mixed force from the Brigade under command of Major Day, he assembled two sections from each of the 4th, 7th, 9th and 18th companies in the first wave under Captain Newsam while the remainder of the companies under Captain Deas formed the second wave in all about 200 men. The first lines in both waves were Cameleers while the two companies of the 2/18 London Battalion under Captain Crossby formed the second lines in both 1st and 2nd waves they also had about 200 men, the 8th and 10th company under Captain Tredinnick were in support with 120 men and the 2nd company and the Machine Gun Squadron were held in reserve to provide fire support. On the Brigades left flank the 2/18th London Battalion (less the two companies detached to the Camel Brigade) were to attack along the ridge towards Pt 2828 to pin down Turkish fire while the New Zealand Brigade with the 4th Anzac Battalion would attack Hill 3039.

Promptly at 2 am the limited artillery fire fell on Amman and the surrounding area, this time the advance would not start till news came that the attacks on both flanks had been successful and were now clear, as the troops waited in their exposed position the limbs of the men cramped as they waited in the cold till the word came at 3.30 am and the signal was given by Captain Newsam with a blast on his whistle.

The troops rose quickly (shaking out their cramps) into the assault and at once gained the first line of Turkish trenches on hill 400 showering the confused and surprised Turks with bombs, the fighting was short and deadly as the Turks fought hand to hand, some stayed to fight, more raised their hands while others ran taking pot shots as they disappeared into the darkness yet thankfully the fighting lasted only a few minutes before taking between 28 and 60 prisoners including two officers of the 126th Turkish Regiment and killing the remainder. Captain Arthur Newsam was killed shot in the back by a Turkish soldier who it was said had surrendered and a machine gun was captured by a soldier in the 7th company who having lost his rifle was armed only with two tins of bully beef while Private Archie Searle shot down five Turks with five rapid shots.

The men having secured the first trench now pushed on to capture the second line acquiring it as the Turks broke and ran back into the city, Lieutenant Fred Matthews of the 4th company rushed after them with a collection of men and entered the city. There in the dark and rain they hid in the outer buildings however the hail of fire from the Citadel stopped any further advance and Privates Carl Pearce in the 4th and Bill Thornton from the 18th company was killed during the fighting.

On the left flank the attack by the 2/18th London along the 2828 ridge had at first succeeded yet had broken down under heavy fire and the lack of pressure from this battalion allowed a number of Turkish guns to be turned on the exposed Camel Brigade these inflicting many causalities with their enfilade fire which soon forced the abandonment of the city by Lieutenant Matthews whose men could not be reinforced because of this fire, he ordered the men back to the positions won during the night where the remainder of the troops had consolidated in the enemies trenches and waited until the dawn. While taking a message back to HQ Private Gus Jennison was shot in the head and killed”.

At 2 am the 4th Anzac Battalion was to advance with the New Zealand Brigade to attack Pt 3039 which required them to advance over 1500 yards of exposed ground, along the way the troops had to bypass a strong Turkish position on the route before assaulting the first Turkish trench. The men of the Battalion were all fatigued most not having rested for the last few days yet despite the bitterly cold and wet night all were ready for the attack.

The attacking force deployed along the form up point on the Quseir track with the Auckland Mounted Rifles and 4th Anzac Battalion in the front wave and the Canterbury and Wellington Mounted Rifles in the second wave. The 4th Battalion had the 16th New Zealand Company under Captain George Yerex in front for the attack with the 17th company under Captain John Hampton in support both deployed in two lines while two sections of the 13th company was held in reserve, with the remainder of the company with the demo party watching the breaks in the Hejaz Railway.

The advance went well from the start General Meldrum had planned his attack skilfully and the wind and rain helped by blowing into the faces of the Turks. Two troops of the Auckland Mounted Rifles secured the strong point in front of Pt 3039 allowing the remainder of the force with the 16th company to assault the foremost trenches which were captured at the rush with the bayonet taking the Turks by surprise, the garrison (who stayed) were all killed while the others ran away in the dark and 23 prisoners of the 126th Turkish Regiment and five Machine guns taken. Lieutenant George Sanderson the Battalion Intelligence officer, who had been ill and advised to remain behind, however had insisted on joining in the attack was killed during the assault. Veterinary Sergeant Matthew Kirkpatrick of the 16th company who in the last days had been busy caring for the many injured animals took part in the assault doing excellent work with the bayonet and clearing a section of trench allowing the objective to be gained by 2.40 am. Private Eric Tapfield of the 13th company had the misfortune to be accidentally killed during the advance when he progressed too far in front of the line and was mistakenly shot in the dark; he was found dead when the line reached him.

As the men consolidated the captured position shooting came from the second line of Turkish trenches 300 yards ahead and the second wave of the Canterbury and Wellington Mounted Rifles moved up and captured them with 14 prisoners and a machine gun, more machine guns and prisoners were taken as the New Zealand troops concentrated while others moved around the hill to clear it of all the Turks. The 16th company as per orders was moved up to join the second wave and with troops of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles attacked the third trench, the Turkish fire was heavy yet mostly high and as the troops secured this last trench on top of hill 3039 the Turks fled towards Amman, the casualties thankfully during the assault were light.

The warming rays of dawn showed to General Chaytor that the only success during the night had been limited to Hill 3039, a number of trenches captured by the Camel Corps in front of Amman and 181st Infantry Brigade to the north of the city and all were in danger of destruction as the Turks quickly organized a number of counterattacks against the ground lost during the night, the first of which came in on both sides of Hill 3039.

The defence of the Hill had placed the 4th Anzac Battalion on the far right or eastern flank of the NZ Mounted Brigade with the Wellington Mounted Rifles on the Battalions left flank. All the Battalion worked on stone sangers during the night, these were built for protection as the rocky ground allowing the shallowest of holes to be dug as the troops had no entrenching tools and once daylight came it was found that the soldiers were too exposed on the top of hill so most were withdrawn to the rear trenches leaving only one section of 10 men and two Lewis guns of the 16th company to hold it.

At 5 am the first attack came in supported by shell fire which smashed the stone Sangers the men had built for protection as shell and rock fragments sprayed the area. The shelling lasted an hour at which point the exposed section of Cameleers were withdrawn. By 9 am 500 Turks were seen massing to the north and at 9.30 they attacked yet despite their bravery the attack was beaten off by New Zealand troops with the help of captured machine guns. The Hong Kong and Singapore Battery had attached a section of guns to support the New Zealand Brigade in its attack however counter battery fire had smashed one of the guns sights and ammunition now ran out and the section was forced to retire to the main position.

Despite this setback the Turks tried again and during this attack someone was heard to order a retirement this allowed the front trenches to be abandoned and the New Zealand trenches were lost as the troops fell back to their second line. This order was reported by the New Zealand Mounted to have come from the Camel Brigade however it was more probity a German or Turkish officer who spoke English which fooled the fatigued troops.

This mix up was soon sorted out by the officers and a counterattack by the New Zealanders drove the Turks out of there ill gotten gains and down the hill at the point of the bayonet and the use of the bomb, the Adjutant Captain Alex Watt and the Regimental Sergeant Major Bob MacLean were wounded in the counterattack and Lieutenant’s Charles Thorby and Arthur Crawford of the 16th company inspired their men in the charge who with Sergeant Harold Jones as they coolly rallied their men and led them back into the Turkish trenches. Captain Stan Howard advanced with elements of the 13th company as the Turks made a fight of it however the men would not hold back and soon the Turks was driven off and despite the casualties the men stood on top of the hill shooting down at the panicked Turkish survivors as they fled back to Amman, the 16th company lost Sergeant Colin Campbell and Privates Carl Bailey, Roland Wilkie killed during the fighting. In the 17th Company Lance Corporal Stan Campbell was manning a Lewis gun when he was shot down, his brother Norm was the No 2 on the gun and quickly took his place only to be killed soon after, the Campbell brothers had enlisted in the 6th Light Horse Regiment in 1915 from Scone NSW before transferring to the Camel Corps, they died together on the barren heights of hill 3039.

The Turkish troops used in these counter attacks were largely from the 23rd Regiment 8th Division and the 46th Storm Company. Who had not long arrived and took time to sort out where the allied line was and the bravery of these men advancing in the open was acknowledged by the New Zealand troops who fought them. The veteran 23rd Regiment (8th Division) had been fighting in the Caucasus against the Russians for some years only with the revolution had moved down to the Syrian Front, to be detached and sent to Amman the day before.

While the New Zealand Brigade fought gallantly for there hard won gains on Hill 3039 the Camel companies under Major Day in front of Amman were subjected to attacks in force as the Turks was only 200 yards away, Major Julian Day was severely wounded in the arm and shoulder as the men sheltered from enfilade fire from artillery and machine guns under which a force of over 100 Turks attempted to recapture their trenches and reached within 30 yards before our fire cut them down and repulsed the attack with substantial loss, this assault was repeated again during the day as attacks continued without respite, the 10th company lost Sergeant Stuart Craggy (reported MIA) and Lance Corporal Wilfred Lyth killed during this attack.

Meanwhile Lieutenant Leonard Brothers of the 9th company help organize the defence after Captain Newsam’s death as the Turkish fire increased killing Privates Stan Stanfield and Herb Thoday and under this intense fire Private Bob Robertson carried messages from company HQ to Captain Deas however despite the courage of the men they were ordered to hold the captured trenches as the supporting artillery ran short of shells while some batteries had ran out. The Hong Kong and Singapore battery was now down to only three guns as one had been put out off action with shell splinters and with no ammunition left little could be done to support the men.

At 2 pm General Chaytor had ordered one last attack be made by the Infantry in the north yet it had little hope of success and with its failure the exhausted troops could do no more yet hold on. Lieutenant Herbert Denley was killed and Lieutenant Thomas Smith mortally wounded while attending to the defences, Private Arthur Mills of the 7th company found him self cut off with a number of wounded men as Turkish counterattacks came in, he held the line encouraging the men around him and providing first aid to the wounded. At 4 pm the troops were ordered to retire back to the original positions abandoning the captured works however because of the danger this was not attempted till dusk. Once it became dark the troops departed under Captain Deas direction back to the lines having buried the dead and carrying back the many wounded. This was accomplished without the enemies knowledge even though they were only a few hundred yards away with Lieutenant Matthews commanding the rear guard with the 4th company, as the worn out troops moved back in the darkness all the wounded were recovered however a few may have been left behind as some were reported missing later. The total Cameleers casualties in the attack were four officers and 40 men in the 2nd Battalion killed or wounded with about 20 Australian casualties.

The 2/18th London battalion reported the lost of five men killed and two officers and four men died of wounds with the wounded unknown while supporting the action on the 30 March.

Meanwhile on Hill 3039 the Battle still went on as the enemy kept throwing attack after attack at the New Zealanders. The next came at 4 pm and fell on the Camel Battalion where the Turks of the 46th Storm company out flanked the Cameleers line on the right and managed to gained a lodgement, Lieutenant Charles Thorby a butcher from Dannevirke NZ gathered a few men about him and led a counterattack to drive the Turks out yet was killed in the valiant attempt, while Corporal John McMillan carrying a Lewis gun advanced on the Turks firing his gun from the hip however he was soon killed, then Private Dave McConnell who had joined the attack by garbing a sack full of bombs, threw them with deadly effect until shot down, as Private Len Pask went out rescuing the wounded however thanks to the support of New Zealand reserves which in turn out flanked the Turks the attack was driven off. The casualties continued to mount in the battalion and the 17th company lost Corporal Bert Lincoln (reported MIA), Lance Corporal’s Bill Brown, Eric Cheney (reported MIA), Privates Cliff Jenkins (reported MIA) and Percy Collins killed, while the 13th company lost Corporal George Haag (reported MIA), Lance Corporal Les Delaney (reported MIA), Private’s Bill Temple and Will Trenaman (reported MIA) killed, the 16th company lost Sergeant Charles Lovett, Private’s Gilbert Alexander, Tom Bowman, John Craig, Rupert McKenzie, Sid Mills and Doug Walker killed.

During the day communication between Battalion HQ and the forward companies was constantly broken by shell fire which fell regularly over the exposed hill, Sergeant Albert Hooper was kept out continually repairing broken telephone lines at great risk to himself. Communications were accentual to the defence which enabled reinforcements to be switched from one threaten point to the next and under the able command of Lieutenant Reg Jephcott never failed. At 5 p.m. another attack came on with the support of three Turks batteries yet again it was stopped with assistance of the recently arrived Somerset battery using the last of its available ammunition.

As the long day wore on General Shea on hearing of the progress of the Battle asked General Chaytor his chances of success “if he could take the city” which he replied “little to none and only if reinforced with more guns and troops” these were now not available to Shea and he knew the battle was lost. The word was sent out at 5.45pm that the contest was over and all troops were ordered to be prepared to retire back across the Jordan.

In the late afternoon a supply column had arrived bring a little food and ammunition and a soldier was dispatched up the hill with a camel carrying a bag of rations and two fantasies of hot tea, he also carried the battalions withdrawal order which was gladly received as well as the tea.

That night the Army began to move back as the New Zealanders and 4th Anzac Battalion received their orders around 6 p.m, they began moving down from Hill 3039 at midnight with the many wounded carried in blankets as the rear guard covered the withdrawal however the Turks did not bother them.”.