A Family At War

Robert McGregor was 22 years and 5 months old in 1902 when he left the family farm at Lindenow to sign up for the 6th Battalion of the Australian Commonwealth Horse for Service in South Africa. Australia had become a Federation a year earlier and the Prime Minister, Edmund Barton had committed to providing troops to the continuing conflict in South Africa following a request by the British Government. East Gippsland was in the middle of a drought at the time and the Government encouraged young men who were experienced in riding and shooting and who worked with their hands. At a time where unemployment was high, the war provided an opportunity for many young men to apply for active service. But for many, the Boer War was nothing like they expected. Robert officially joined on April 26, 1902. The 6th Battalion was part of the third and final contingent to depart Australia and, by the time the ships carrying the 2,000 soldiers arrived in South Africa, the war had ended with the sol

Ernest was almost 31 years of age when he made the decision to fight in the Great War.   The fourth child and third son of Jane and George Appleyard, Ernie was the sixth of their much loved sons to sign up when he was declared fit for active service on the 1 st of March, 1916. His brothers, Gordon, Charles, Allan and Darcy were all in various positions across the Western Front whilst Leopold was in the Middle East.   Ernie and his brother Walter tended to the family farms with his parents ageing and most of the local men of working age having already enlisted.    As well as his brothers, Ernie also had ten cousins fighting in the war.  There was much pressure for young men to ‘do their bit’ and still much naivety around the perceived romanticism of being a soldier.  Many families with young men still at home would receive white feathers, a sign of cowardice and design to pressure them into joining the war effort.  There was also pressure from the British Government for Australia

At the time World War One began, 20 year old Darcy was working on the family farm in Binginwarri, South Gippsland, with his parents. The sixth son of George and Jane Appleyard, by August, 1915, four of his brothers had already joined the army with Gordon in Turkey, Charles and Allan in the Western Front and Richard in the Middle East.   Now aged 21, and legally old enough to join the war efforts, Darcy would make the decision to follow his brothers into the theatre of war. The local paper, the Gippsland Standard proudly reported the enlistments, feeding the hope and pride of the families writing, “our boys have responded well to the call of ‘King and Country’.  In fact, we have very few of eligible age remaining in the district.” Enlisting on August 12, 1915, it would be almost 6 months later when Darcy would embark on the HMAT Warilda on February 8, 1916, disembarking in Marseilles, France, in March before joining the 9 th Reinforcement of the 23 rd Battalion in May.

Leopold Arthur Appleyard was the 12 th of 14 children of George and Jane Appleyard and the second son to enlist for the Great War.  At 19 years old, Leo was too young to enlist without his parents’ consent so his mother Jane went with him, and, with her husband, signed her consent for her youngest son to become a soldier and follow his brother Gordon into war. “I hereby give my consent to our son Leopold Arthur Appleyard to volunteer for active service with the Australian Imperial Force.” Barely two months after Gallipoli, the number of young men enlisting was at its peak and Leo would have felt great pride in volunteering on July 8 1915 and following in the steps of his older brother. Like his cousin Edgar before him, Leo was assigned to the 8 th Light Horse Regiment and, by February 1916, while in Heliopolis, Egypt, was appointed as a Driver to the regiment. During WW1, drivers were used by the British Army with the rank the equivalent of a Private.  In the Light Horse,