Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Richard Alfred Flemming was born on the 1st July 1889 at Waverley NSW, the eldest son and 2nd eldest of 7 children born to his parents Edward and Julia Flemming.  His older sister was Dorothy and the younger siblings were Elsie, Doris, Valentine (Val), Kathleen and Geoffrey.  His father died in 1905 and when his mother remarried he gained 4 half siblings…Edward, William, Arthur and Monica.  Richard’s occupation was a commercial traveller and he served 7 years with the NSW Scottish Rifles. 

In 1914 Richard married Pearl Thyra Grierson at Paddington NSW and they settled at Newcastle NSW. 

When WW1 broke out Richard, aged 25, was one of the first to enlist on 18th August at Randwick Racecourse Camp NSW.  Richard is described as being 5ft 11ins tall with a dark complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.  His service number was 617, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Battalion F Company. 

His brother Val, aged 19, had enlisted 2 days prior to Richard with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) and he served in German New Guinea from September 1914 till January 1915.  After being discharged from the ANMEF in March 1915 he enlisted in the AIF on the 15th May 1915 and was allotted to the 2nd Infantry Battalion.  The youngest brother Geoff enlisted with the AIF on the 9th February 1915 aged just 16, but gave his age as 18.  He was initially assigned to the 18th Infantry Battalion but requested a transfer to the 2nd Infantry Battalion so he could serve with Richard.  That was granted.  Of the 3 brothers who went to serve King and Country in war…only one would survive. 

Richard proceeded to Kensington Racecourse Camp for training and was promoted to Colour Sergeant on the 25th September 1914 and then to Sergeant on the 18th October 1914.  After completing his training Richard embarked from Sydney on HMAT Suffolk then sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany WA on the 1st November 1914.  He arrived at Alexandria, Egypt, on the 2nd December and disembarked on the 7th then proceeded to Mena Camp at the pyramids.  He was admitted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital (2nd AGH) at Mena Camp the day after Christmas for haemorrhoid surgery and returned to duty on the 11th January 1915.

In January 1915 the 2nd Battalion was re-organised and the eight companies (A-H) were merged into four (A-D) each consisting of 6 Officers and 221 Other Ranks.  On the 4th April 1915 Richard and the 2nd Battalion embarked from Alexandria on HMT Derfflinger and 4 days later anchored in Mudros Bay offshore of Lemnos Island.  Here they undertook training in preparation for the landings at Gallipoli. 

In the early hours of the 25th April 1915 offshore of Gallipoli, the Battalion transhipped from HMT Derfflinger to the Destroyer HMS Usk which took them to within 500 yards of the shore.  They transferred from the Usk to small wooden boats which were towed ashore and they landed at Gallipoli in the 2nd and 3rd waves about 9.30am with 31 Officers and 937 Other Ranks.  The battalion made the farthest advance of any Australian unit that day, reaching the slopes of Baby 700, but was driven back by a Turkish counter-attack in the afternoon.  It beat off further counter-attacks over the nextthree days.

Richard was promoted to Second Lieutenant on the 28th April 1915 and that same day he suffered gunshot wounds to his right arm and his throat.  He had his wounds dressed then returned to duty the next day. 

On the 4th May 1915 the Battalion’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Braund, was killed which brought about a re-organisation of the battalion.  Richard was in C Company under the command of Captain Leslie Morshead.  On the 10th May Richard suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen in the lumbar region and was evacuated to the hospital ship HMHS Gascon anchored offshore. 

In mid-May, while Richard was recovering from his wound on HMHS Gascon, the Turks launched an attack on Anzac.  This began late on the 18th  May with the heaviest artillery bombardment of the campaign to that point.  The assault began the following day, during which the 2nd Battalion, established a position known as the "Pimple" at the head of Victoria Gully and directly opposite Lone Pine.  Richard returned to duty on the 24th May and 2 days later his younger brother Geoff arrived to join the unit.  The day of Geoff’s arrival happened to be the same day that Sergeant W C Beech, of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, created the periscope rifle which allowed a soldier standing in a trench to take accurate aim and fire without exposing himself to the enemy. 

After serving together for just 12 days the brothers were separated once again on the 7th June when Richard suffered a spinal concussion as a complication from his wounding a month earlier.  Richard was evacuated to Malta on HMHS Canada and admitted to St Andrew’s Hospital upon arrival there. 

After Richard was evacuated Geoff served with his unit at Gallipoli for 12 days until he was killed in action on the 16th June 1915 aged 16.  As fate would have it, this very same day back in Australia, his brother Val was embarking for Egypt from Sydney and did not know of his brother’s death.  Geoff was originally buried in Brown’s Dip Cemetery 500 yards south of Anzac Cove but was later reinterred at Lone Pine Cemetery.  Val arrived at Gallipoli on the 4th August but was killed in action 2 days later during the Battle of Lone Pine.  He was aged 20.  Val’s name is on panel 22 of the Lone Pine Memorial which commemorates the 3,268 Australians and 456 New Zealanders who died in the campaign and have no known grave.  So they both lie at rest at Gallipoli and both are remembered at the Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial. 

Richard remained at Malta till the 7th August 1915 when he was evacuated to England on HMAT Ceramic and admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth.  On the 25th September 1915 a medical board classed him as being unfit for general service and for 3 months service at home.  He was invalided to Australia on the 8th October 1915 on HMAT Suevic from Southampton.  He returned to light duties in early March 1916 and in early May 1916 a medical board classed him still unfit for general service and he was discharged from the service on the 10th September 1916. 

On the 30th January 1917, after convalescing, Richard was granted a Commission as a Lieutenant to serve with the AIF Sea Transport Service.  He embarked from Sydney on HMT Karmala on the 3rd February and was appointed as the ship’s Adjutant for the voyage.  He disembarked at Suez on the 11th March and proceeded to Moascar Camp for 4 days then re-embarked at Suez for the return trip to Australia.  He disembarked at Sydney on the 2nd May 1917 and this was his last voyage as his appointment was terminated on the 26th April 1917.   

Having never had any children, Richard passed away on the 11th November 1951 at Royal Newcastle Hospital, Newcastle NSW aged 62.  He was survived by his wife Pearl.

Richard is commemorated on the Waverley Soldiers’ War Memorial along with his 2 brothers Geoff and Val.             

Richard Alfred Flemming was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.  

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 19th October 2023.

Sources

“The Lost Boys” written by Paul Byrnes (Book)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Morshead  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Battalion_(Australia)