Clothing and Sport in the Broadmedows camp

Clothing and Equipment

In the early days at the Camp the most urgent problem seemed to be in the provision of clothing and equipment. For the first men to arrive in the Broadmeadows camp equipment was quite sufficient but subsequent drafts were met with inadequate clothing and kit. There were insufficient great coats in the cold Melbourne winter. What coats were available were in very large sizes with only a few in small or medium. No replacements could be found. Many men did not have clothing warm enough for the conditions (the Melbourne winter can be quite chilly).

The boots were defective in make and badly finished. These boots were eventually replaced but the replacement boots were also unsatisfactory. The trousers were 'useless' according to the 5th Battalion unit diary. They were eventually replaced but at at one stage 200 pairs were sent back as unsatisfactory.

Some clothing problems were caused by the new recruits deserting with their kit or men transferring to other units.

The Battalion leadership believed that many of these shortages and deficiencies could be sorted out when they got to London.

Many men, went to Camp in private clothes which they worn in camp whilst these supply issues were attended to. Many articles of clothing and other necessities were provided by private funds.

For the men the clothing and kit provided its own problems. The infantrymen practiced handling and wearing 'web equipment'. This comprised of a tangle of canvas straps and bags. It looked quite simple in the hands of an expert. To a new recruit it was exasperating. There were about 15 pieces of this webbing which ideally harnessed the soldiers kit and clothing.

Sport
Some attention was given to fitness and sports. A championship meeting took part one Saturday afternoon. A running track was laid out between the camp and Broadmeadows station. The 5th Battalion did well with 'F'company in particular providing many fine athletes. Events included the 100 yards dash, the high jump and relay races. There was a platoon marching contest.

Selecting Leaders
A few weeks after the formation of the camp, examinations were held to select non-commissioned officers.

...and in Europe
In the meantime, Europe was plunging into a new type of war. From 26th to 30th August 1914 (100 years ago this weekend), Russian and Germany threw great armies at each other in what is now Poland and then East Prussia. At the end of the Battle of Tannenberg, around 250,000 men - an entire army - was destroyed or taken captive along with large amounts of equipment and supplies. Samsonov the general leading the Imperial Russian 2nd Army shot himself.

...and in the Pacific
On 29th August 1914 the New Zealand Expeditionary Force captured German Samoa. Around 1,400 troops were involved but they met no resistance.

The Memorial Bracelet

The Memorial Bracelet

On the left is A.G. Adams (with observer wing), and on the right, his elder brother V. H. Adams (with his pilot's wings).
They were both killed in 1917.
The frames clip together and are held on a golden bracelet worn like a wristwatch. It is understood that this was commissioned by the boys' mother, A.E Sherwood, and worn by her.

When closed, the bracelet looks like this:

The inscription on this side of portaits' case:

"67th Squadron R.F.C. Athol 19.2.17 He served - he died"

The 67th Squadron was renamed the 1st Australian Flying Corps.

The reverse of the case has a similar inscription for V. H. Adams.

"70th Squadron R.F.C. Harold 14.5.1917 Per ardua ad astra"

My thanks to H. Clapham and A. P. Clapham for sharing this family treasure, and to Nick Robinson for the fine photography. www.creativeproof.com.au

The Darge photo - Broadmeadows

This is the first letter/post-card written home.
A.G. Adams signed his name 'Athol'. It was written to his mother Adah Emilie Sherwood who often had her mail directed to the Oriental Hotel in Collins Street Melbourne as she travelled frequently.
I'm posting this post card a little earlier than scheduled as it has some points relevant to this early part of the story. The postcard appears to have been sent from Albury on 21 October 1914 - but the photo on the other side is of the Broadmedows camp.

You will note on the top left of the postcard is the name of the photographic studio in Melbourne 'Darge'. These photographs were taken on glass negatives by Algernon Darge and his Darge  Photographic Company which had the concession to take photographs at the Broadmeadows and Seymour army camps during the First World War. The Australian War Memorial purchased the original glass negatives from Algernon Darge, along with the photographers’ notebooks. The notebooks contain brief details, usually a surname or unit name, for each negative. Information can sometimes be found through the Australian War Memorial if the photograph's identification number can be found and information was recorded at the time. Unfortunately this was not the case with this post-card/photo.

This is the front of the post-card by Darge studio. The photograph's identification number is 1491 (bottom right).
Sergeant Athol G. Adams is third from left in the back row with the slouch hat. Perhaps the men have assembled outside their bell tent - there were usually 15-16 men per tent. Were these some of the men in 'F' company?
If you look carefully you can see the mascot. A small wallaby or kangaroo sitting on the lap of the soldier in front of Athol (middle front row). A least one of these kangaroos went with the troops to Egypt - was it this little fellow?

Mother of A.G. Adams - Adah Emily Sherwood

As mentioned earlier in this story, A.G. Adams was the youngest of four sons (Arthur, Clifford, Harold and Athol). Their father was Alexander James Adams.The boys' mother was born Adah Emily Parker.

A. E. Parker was born in Melbourne  in 1866 and was the eldest daughter of Thomas James Parker (one of the founders of the Huddart Parker shipping line). This image shows her on her wedding day.

Adah was raised in Melbourne along with her brother, Ernest, sister Florence and half-sister, Marion (known as May). There were five other children which died in infancy or as small children (Mary, Thomas, Frank, Alfred and John).

A.E. Parker married Alexander James Adams (then working in Sydney), on Saturday 4 February 1888, aged 22, at Christ Church, South Yarra, Melbourne. At the time, the bride was living with her parents at their home known as 'Almeida', 209 Toorak Road, South Yarra.

A plan of the house can be found at the State Library of Victoria. An extract appears below, however, not shown on this image are the orchard, stables and other outbuildings and a horse paddock.

Adah Emilie Adams was widowed in 1894, aged 28. She had 3 young sons with the youngest, A.G. Adams, not quite born. It is understood that she raised these young fellows with the help of her two sisters, Florence and May. Neither of these two aunts went on to have children of their own.

In 1900, Adah Emilie Adams went on to marry an architect based in Melbourne, Mr Guy Sherwood.

A.E. Sherwood died on 7 January 1924, aged 58.

In all the correspondence with the Department of Defence regarding the two sons she lost in the Great War she is referred to as Mrs Guy Sherwood (next of kin).

She was survived by her eldest son, Arthur Parker Adams.



Learning to be a soldier

For the next two months the men at Broadmeadows learnt the routines of army life and were issued with equipment, kit and uniform.

All tasks were conducted in the open air or under canvas. In wet weather, which was not infrequent, there was a lot of mud about. Water ran into the tents from time to time and soaked the straw/hessian mattresses and kit.

Musketry training was carried out near Williamstown, the men being taken down and back in a day by train. Members of the Rifle Club acted as instructors. Some attention was given to entrenching.

By August 1914 there were 199 officers and 5,970 men at the Broadmeadows Camp (3 June 1915, The Bendigonian newspaper).

At this stage we can note that in the 1st AIF, the 5th Battalion (at full strength) would have comprised of 29 officers and 1007 other ranks. Each Battalion was divided into seven Companies - A.G. Adams in 'F' company which was led by a Captain Carter. Each company was divided into platoons which included two officers, two sergeants and other ranks. A.G. Adams was listed as a "sergeant" on 17 August 1914, as he had some experience in the cadet unit at his school.

A sergeant's uniform in the 1st AIF would have had three chevron stripes below the shoulder. Note this Australian War Memorial image:
http://www.awm.gov.au/blog/2014/07/31/australian-imperial-force-aif-badges-1914-1918/

 This will  help us identify A. G. Adams in future photos.

March to Broadmedows

On 19th August 1914, the men who enlisted in Prahran, placed their kit on baggage wagons and made their way down Commercial Road into St Kilda Road and on to Victoria Barracks. The men were dressed in a mixture of various types of military uniform including some in their Victorian Scottish Regiment kilts, but the majority were in mufti.

After arriving at the Barracks, the Commanding Officer of the Second Brigade, Lt. Col., J W McCay, made a stirring patriotic speech.  Later, the entire Brigade was led by the Citizen Force Band out of the Barracks, at about 9:30am, onto St Kilda Road and through the city.

The city streets were lined with cheering folk as the Brigade made their way through the City towards the northern suburbs for a total of 11 miles on foot arriving at about 5pm. This was an arduous march for many of the men. Their destination was a large paddock on the outskirts of Melbourne owned by a Major Wilson. This paddock was to become the Broadmedows Camp. On arrival the troops were required to bathe their feet in a muddy waterhole. They received an address by one of their new officers on 'discipline' after which they were allocated to their tents (16 men per tent). The tents came equipped with large hessian sacks filled with straw as mattresses and two blankets per man. Tea was served, baggage found and then men retired for the evening.

A.G. Adams was assigned to 'F' company on the 17th August. 'F' company was made up almost entirely of volunteers who had attended public schools in Victoria including Scotch College, Wesley College, Geelong Grammar School and Melbourne Grammar School. There were 18 Melbourne Grammar boys in 'F' Company. Athol would have known many of these men from his days at MGS, perhaps some of these were in Athol's tent on that first night at Broadmeadows.

Later A. G. Adams was transferred to 'D' company.

Some good images can be found at: http://anzaccentenary.vic.gov.au/history/victorias-contribution-wwi/

　



 

A.G. Adams' father - Alexander James Adams

The 18th August appears to have been a set aside for the new recruits to have a day at home. Perhaps this was a chance to settle their affairs, spend time with family and prepare for the adventure ahead. The next record of their story appears on 19th August 1914.

Earlier in this Blog I have introduced you to Athol G. Adams' three older brothers, Arthur, Clifford and Harold - so no more about them at this stage. I'll now introduce you to his father. Unfortunately, I only have a little information about A.G. Adams' father, Alexander James Adams. I share with you this brief account.

A.J. Adams was born in 1856 and came to Australia in about 1875. He was the representative in Australia of a firm of Birmingham brass founders, Martineau and Smith. His town of origin was Kings Norton near Birmingham, his father, Arthur Adams being a gunsmith.

A.J. Adams was educated at King Edward's Free Grammar School where he won the prize for mathematics in 1869.

He married Adah Emilie Parker (who lived in Melbourne) and together they had four sons. Tragically, A J Adams died of consumption (tuberculosis, TB) in 1894. He is buried in the Melbourne cemetery.

You will note that A J Adams died in 1894 which was just before his youngest son was born in 1895 - Athol Gladwyn Adams.

One of the consequences of this tragedy is that A.G. Adams' mother is listed as NOK (next of kin) in all military documentation and correspondence. This role was nearly always held by the soldier's father but in this case it was the soldier's mother.

This is the headstone for Alexander James Adams (24 August 1859 - 18 April 1894):

'A loving husband, a devoted father and a true friend'

Also recorded on the same headstone is A.J. Adams' second son, Clifford, who died aged 19:

"His Courage, His Loyalty, The Brilliance Of His Intellectual Powers, His Wonderful Store Of Vivacity And Energy Endeared Him To All Who Knew Him. His Sun Went Down, While It Was Yet Day"



Enlistment document - page 2, signed 17 August 1914

Copyright National Archives of Australia

This is the second page of the Attestation document, signed by A.G. Adams.

The 5th Battalion was formed with a rush of enthusiasm and in less than two weeks recruiting was complete. This new regiment included the pre-Federation militia unit known as the Victorian Scottish Regiment.

Lieutenant Colonel David Stanley Wanliss transferred from the Victorian Scottish Regiment to the new 5th Battalion as its first commanding officer.

Lieutenant Colonel James Whiteside McCay was the commanding officer of the 2nd Brigade which was made up of the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions.

Enlistment - page 1, 17 August 1914

Copyright National Archives of Australia.

This is the first page of what is known as the Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad.
Athol Gladwyn Adams signed this one hundred years ago today, 17 August 1914.

This enlistment document shows he was one of the first to join the Australian Imperial Force - what we now know as the 1st AIF. It is a relatively early enlistment as his number is 619 (top left in purple). He was allocated to the unit called the 5th Battalion (a part of the 2nd Brigade).

A.G. Adams signed up in South Yarra which is a inner suburb of Melbourne, not far from where he attended school at Melbourne Grammar. He was 20 years and 3 months when he enlisted and, at the time, was a Clerk at the offices of Huddart Parker & Company Limited (more on this later).

Other information on this form notes that he was unmarried.
He had also served in the school cadet program in the ranks for five and a half years and in the senior cadets as a Lieutenant for 3 years.

It is worth noting his clear signature as 'Athol G. Adams' as this appears on various reports, letters in later correspondence.

The four boys

The four Adams boys. Clockwise from top left: Arthur Parker Adams, Clifford Burrell Adams, Valentine Harold Adams and Athol Gladwyn Adams (the youngest).
A.G. Adams was born in 1894 and Educated at Melbourne Grammar School from 1906-1912.
At the school he was proficient in sports being in the 1st VIII, the 1st XVIII and in the athletic and lacrosse teams. He was also a school prefect and a Lieutenant in the school cadets. Later he played Lacrosse for the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Arthur Parker Adams did not serve in WW1 as he had injured his knee in a horse riding accident and was not fit for active service.
Clifford Burrell Adams died aged 19 from an illness.
Valentine Harold Adams died on the Western Front, aged 22. His story can be found at: http://www.misc.airwar1.org.uk/adams.htm

Medical examination

http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.aspCopyright: National Archives of Australia

Before enlisting on 17 August 1914, Athol Gladwyn Adams [A.G. Adams] undertook a medical examination. This document sets out a brief description of him:

• 20 years and 3 months of age at this date.
• Five foot and 9 inches tall.
• 10 stone and 8 lbs.
• Dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
• Religious denomination - Church of England.
• First toe off left foot.

This form found him to be fit for service, despite the absence of the toe. The form is dated 14 August 1914 at Prahran (an inner suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).