Emerald Anzac Walk Multi-cache

This multicache follows the Emerald Anzac Walk plaques which begins at the posted co-ordinates and follows a short trail around to the Emerald RSL. It has 8 separate points along the trail that detail 32 of the young men of the district who made the supreme sacrifice during the Great War. The stories below are not special to the township of Emerald, similar stories are re-told countless times amongst all the sleepy little towns around Australia, as at the time, every person in every little country town was affected, in some way, by the horrific war that raged thousands of miles away in Europe. Young men from every town volunteered their time, strength and ultimately their life for King and Country. The effect of this great loss, the sacrifice of an entire generation of young men, has had a lasting impact on the Australian psyche, permeated through the years and endures to this vey day.

The deep respect that we still feel for our ANZACs is still palpable 100 years later. Creating this cache was not an easy task. Many times during my research I discovered some horrific stories; I had to walk away from my computer, stand outside in my beautiful Emerald garden, listen to the birds and smell the gorgeous smells and enjoy the clean mountain air, to really appreciate what these men fought for. This cache is not for the glorification of war, it is to remember those who went before us and fought and died because they believed it was the best thing they could do to keep the way of life that they enjoyed back home for others. I haven’t placed this cache lightly, but purely to focus on and highlight the stories behind these plaques. So please, visit Emerald, pay your respects and enjoy our town, as these boys would have wanted you to do. The plaques at each location contain the information you require to find GZ.

On the 8th of June, 1915 as the fierce battles at Gallipoli raged overseas, a boy named Charles from Emerald enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. News of the gallant fighting at Gallipoli filled the newspapers. Less than two months later, his elder brother Harrie also enlisted to fight alongside his little brother. They began their training at Broadmeadows before heading overseas in April of 1916, joining up with the 14th Battalion in Egypt after the corps had withdrawn from Gallipoli, and were heading to France and the Western Front. It was here the two brothers first saw action, in August of 1916, in the battle of Pozieres, on the front line along the Western Front. Both brothers died on the same day, the 8th of August, 1916 defending the same French village from the Germans. The younger brother, Charles, was A years old when he died on that battlefield.

There are three sets of brothers amongst those listed on these plaques. The earliest set of brothers died one day apart from each other on a lonely battlefield at Gallipoli, in Turkey, at a place called Lone Pine. Both brothers survived the infamous Gallipoli landing of the 25th of April 1915, and helped secure the area for the Imperial forces, enduring horrific conditions in what could only be described as a hell-hole. Meanwhile, many thousands of miles away their loving parents in the tranquil surrounds of the town of Emerald worried about their two sons. On the 6th of August, 1915 both boys were led into the Battle of Lone Pine. The Battle of Lone Pine was successful, although with a significant loss of life. Over 2,000 ANZAC soldiers and over 5,000 Turkish soldiers lay dead after only 4 days of fighting. Amongst these were our two brothers from the little town of Emerald in Australia. They were killed one day apart, thousands of miles away from their worried parents. The elder of these two brothers, Frederick was B years old when he died.

Lance Corporal is the lowest rank of the non-commissioned officer ranks in the Australian Army. The rank is one step up from a private and is the only rank whereby demotion is possible without a court-martial. In the army, the Lance Corporal is second in command in a section. C is the number of these brave boys listed on these plaques as being a Lance Corporal.

The Battle of Passchendaele, in the last half of 1917, was particularly atrocious on both sides. It is a sad fact that the terrible losses suffered by Australian troops on this battlefield in Belgium have been almost overshadowed by the legend of the ANZACs at Gallipoli. The conditions and the human suffering that was experienced here particularly between October and December as the European winter set in, is incomprehensible. What is now known as Flanders Field and what inspired the war poem, "In Flanders Field", was the place that saw an estimated 800,000 casualties from both sides in just a few short months. Amongst the dead were a number of boys from a small town called Emerald, back in Australia. D is the number of boys listed on these plaques as having been killed in Belgium between the start of September and the end of December, 1917.

The 22nd Battalion was formed completely from volunteers in 1915, as part of the Australian Imperial Force, making up part of the 6th Brigade for service during World War 1. A few of the boys who enlisted from Emerald became part of the 22nd Battalion. Initially given rudimentary training at Broadmedows, they left for Egypt in May of 1915 where they completed the rest of their training. Following this they went to Gallipoli where they provided reinforcements for the campaign there. They were at Gallipoli to the bitter end and after that the 22nd Battalion was re-assigned to the Western Front in France. Between the two campaigns at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, the boys of the 22nd Battalion saw the worst of trench warfare. In the trenches, the men had to deal with the stench of dead bodies, rats, trench lice, trench foot, and shell shock, as well as, of course, being shot at by the enemy. The 22nd Battalion lost 854 men during the 1st World War. E is the number of local men from Emerald and surrounding districts that are listed as being from the 22nd Battalion on these plaques.

Not all of the guys who went away to war were men. Many could only be best described as boys. Think of the young people that you know who are now 21 years of age. Imagine these young people making the decision to go away to war and make the supreme sacrifice for their king and country! It is a huge decision for a young person to make. F is the number of 21 year old boys who are listed on these plaques.

At the time of World War 1, the district around Emerald was famous all over the world for its orchards and nurseries. Plants and fruit were grown here and shipped to all corners of the globe. Consequently, most of the young men who signed up had simple, humble jobs back home, growing plants and tending nurseries in a peaceful, close-knit community, thousands of miles from the horror of war in Europe at the time. G is the number of men on these plaques who identified their job back home as being a nurseryman. note this does not include Lister Foreman who identifies himself as a Nurseryman's Laborer

In March 1916, the Australian Imperial Force moved to France, and by July, the Australians were heavily involved on the Western Front. The 5th Division was the first to encounter the Germans on 19 July 1916 in a small but bloody engagement at Fromelles in Northern France. Shortly after, the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions became embroiled in the Somme offensive at Poziers and Mouquet Farm. In six weeks of operations, the Australian divisions suffered approximately 28 000 casualties.

In 1917, the Australians were again heavily engaged: in March at Bapaume, in May and June at Bullecourt and Messines and from September to November, in the great battle of the Ypres offensive. In November 1917, the five divisions were formed into the Australian Corps, although and an Australian – Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, was appointed to command it.

In March and April 1918, the Australian Corps played a prominent part in the defence of Amiens, Hazebrouck and Villers-Bretonneux, during a massive German multi-pronged attack in France known to history as the Kaiserschacht or the Spring Offensive. The German offensive was halted and the Allies mounted their own offensive from July, following a successful Allied attack in August, which featured the Australian and the Canadian Corps operating side by side. During this period, known as ’The Hundred Days’, the Australian Imperial Force was engaged at Mont St Quentin, St Quentin Canal and Montbrehain. While the Australian Imperial Force strength in France varied in response to battle casualties and problems with recruiting, it never fell below 117 000 men. Its battle casualties for three years of trench warfare between 1916 and 1918 amounted to over 181 000 men of whom more than 46 000 died. Another 114 000 were wounded, 16 000 gassed and almost 4000 taken prisoner. In terms of total deaths per 1000 men mobilised, the Australian Imperial Force figure was 145 – the highest of all the British Commonwealth armies.

H is the total number of men on these plaques that are listed as being killed in France.

The Gallipoli landing on the 25th of April 1915 is the event that we, as Australians, look back on as the defining moment of our young nation. Our country, officially formed only 15 years before, gathered volunteers, trained them and formed an army that was able to stand proud amongst the great armies of the world at the time. These were men and boys who had only ever known the tranquil life back home. The easy, laid back lifestyle of towns like Emerald were a sharp contrast to the horrors of trench warfare awaiting them in Europe. Gallipoli was the first test for these young men. When war was declared by the British in August 1914, thousands of men rushed to volunteer and they were accepted, trained and sent away. What these boys experienced at the landings at Gallipoli and in the terrors of the trench warfare that ensured is indescribable. J is the number of men listed on these plaques as having been killed in Turkey (please note that Gallipoli and The Dardanelles are part of Turkey)

Ethel Lillian Holliday kissed her husband goodbye in February of 1916. He was 34 years old and his son was just 6. He wasn’t a boy with dreams of adventures in lands unseen, he was a man who believed in the cause of serving his country. He promised his wife that he would be careful and would return to her shortly. Unfortunately he was killed in action, along with many others in Belgium in the April of 1918. K was the number of the Battalion that Ethel’s husband was in.