Edgar John Appleyard

The seventh of ten children, Edgar John Appleyard grew up in Alberton, a small town in South Gippsland.  His Grandfather Peter had come to Australia as a convict and settled in Alberton 4 years after it was surveyed.  A pioneering family in the district, Edgar’s father, Arthur Horatio was the Shire Engineer with his uncles all playing a role in the opening up of the region to European settlers.

At the time World War One began, Edgar was a labourer, 23 years old, single and presumably good on horseback. Exactly what the Government was looking for as they sought Australian men to fight for England.  Just passing the strict medical test, Edgar signed onto the 8^th Light horse Regiment in October 1914, three months after the war began.

Considered the ‘national arm of Australia’s defence’, the Lighthorse Regiments were made up mainly of young men from regional areas with many bringing their own horses.  As part of their enlistment for the regiments, the recruits would take part in a riding test which included riding horses bareback over a variety of jumps.

On February 25, 1915, Edgar left Melbourne on the Runic, arriving in Egypt on March 14. 

Writing to his mother, MaryAnn in April, Edgar said “Just sending you a few lines to let you know I am still in the land of the living, right amongst the sand.  It seems strange looking around.  There are no signs of vegetation near the camp.  We are camped right close to the pyramids.  They are a wonderful piece of work. One can hardly believe they were built 2000 years ago.”

In late May, Edgar, with the rest of the Lighthorse regiment departed for Gallipoli. Leaving their horses in Egypt, the regiment joined the Australian and New Zealand Division who had suffered heavy casualties and formed the 3^rd Brigade.

In August, the 3^rd Brigade would be almost decimated in the failed attack on Nek.

With nine tiers of Turkish trenches full of riflemen and machine gunners waiting for the Australians, the soldiers barely stood a chance as they made a dawn charge across the narrow ridge.

Trained to fight in the open with bayonets, the light horsemen charged towards the trenches in a hail of bullets.  Most men only ran a few yards before they were killed.  Three groups from the regiment charged towards the Turkish soldiers and in 45 minutes, 234 light horsemen would be killed and 138 wounded.

Surviving the battle, Edgar was sent to the site hospital twice during November, first with influenza and then for exhaustion before being sent to Heliopolis to rest, re-joining his unit in December as they returned to Egypt.  It was at this time that Edgar was reported for being unshaven whilst on parade, receiving 2 extra stable piquets.

Avoiding the early battles of the Sinai, the regiment was used to patrol the area for almost 12 months before the British advanced into Palestine. 

Edgar took part in the Battle of Maghdaba in December 1916 and, after surviving the first Battle of Gaza in March 1917, was injured on April 19 during the second battle, having been shot in the back as he rode through the battlefield. 

It took five days for Edgar to arrive at the Military Hospital in Cairo and, by that time he was reported as dangerously ill.  Finally able to receive proper medical care, x-rays would show that 3 of the vertebrae in the thoracic region had been destroyed by the gunshot with the bullet exiting his chest.  

Due to his injuries, Edgar remained on the dangerously ill list.  A letter to Edgar’s mother after he died reported that Edgar was never considered likely to survive and it was only a matter of time but Edgar still kept hope that he would return to the rolling green hills of South Gippsland. 

Local papers reported regularly on the war, particularly on soldiers from the region, and, through his family, Gippslanders were kept up to date with reports of his condition included in the Gippsland Times and Gippsland Standard newspapers.

In July 1917, 2 months after he arrived at the hospital, Edgar wrote to his sister Harriet, beginning with what had become his standard greeting. 

“Just a few lines to let you know I’m still in the land of the living, although a bit of a wreck. Old Jacko fluked one into me at last and in rather a bad place in the back.  I have lost the use of my legs and hips for the time being and it makes things fairly awkward.”

“I am very comfortable here now and get the very best attention.  Nothing seems a trouble to the sisters or orderlies day or night.  My next move from here will be to Australia with any luck.”

Sadly, within a month of writing to his sister, Edgar would die as a result of his injuries with reports showing he passed at midnight, August 2, 1917.

Buried on August 3, Trooper Edgar John Appleyard’s final resting place would be Row F, Grave 283 in the Cairo War Memorial Cemetery with the final words on his headstone to read, 

“The Lord gave, and he hath taken away.”

Edgar John Appleyard

Born 10 Dec, 1888  Alberton, Victoria, Australia

Died 02 August,1917 Cairo, Egypt

Relationship to Peter Appleyard: Grandson

Image: Yarram and District Historical Society