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Australia

Martin was the son of Patrick CLOHESY & Bridget BRENNAN and was born on the 3rd of March 1879 in Kapunda, SA.

His father was the son of Patrick CLOHESY and was born in Ireland. He arrived in Australia in 1875 aboard the “Lady Jocelyn”.

His mother was the daughter of Martin BRENNAN & Elizabeth PHELAN and was born on the 21st of October 1858 in Salisbury, SA.

Martin was the last child born into the family of 2 children. (this marriage)

His sister Mary had been born on the 1st of March 1877 in Kapunda.

Martin was only 18 months old when his mother died on the 15th of October 1880 in Kapunda and they buried her in the Kapunda Cemetery with her parents.

On the 31st of February 1881 in North Adelaide, his father remarried.

Martins step mother was now Johanna RYAN and they were now living in Alberton.

Martin had 9 half siblings born after his father remarried (1881 - 1891).

Martin and his older sister; Mary were placed into the State Children’s Department in October 1886.

Martin was sentenced until he was 16 years of age.

Martin was 7 year old when he was boarded out to Mrs Hannah Overett, of 4 Cardwell Street, Adelaide on the 1st of November 1886. His sister was transferred with him.

He attended the Flinders Street Primary School.

William was transferred on the 19th of November 1886 to his grandfather, Mr Martin Brennan, a railway laborer, of Kapunda. His sister was transferred with him and they attended the Sisters of St Joseph Convent School.

He was returned due to insufficient sleeping accommodation, 6 months later.

He was transferred to Mrs Anabella Murphy, of New Glenelg on the 10th of June 1887 and attended the Glenelg Primary School.

He was returned on the 29th of March 1888 as Mrs Murphy was relocating to Melbourne, VIC.

He was transferred to Mr John O’Malley, a laborer, of Macclesfield on the 14th of April 1888 and his sister was transferred with him and they attended the Sisters of St Joseph Convent School

Martin and his sister were released to their father; Patrick, of Alberton, on the 18th of June 1890.

His father then returned him due to misconduct, but his sister stayed.

Martin was then transferred to Mr John Blunsden, of Petersburg on the 27th of August 1891.

He was returned on the 16th of December 1891, due to misconduct.

On the 8th of April 1892 he was transferred to Mr William Murphy, a farrier, of Hammond and Martin completed his sentence with Mr Murphy and became a laborer.

His sister Mary died on the 28th of March 1893.

At the age of 32, Martin enlisted into the AIF on the 6th of July 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 1283 and posted to D Squadron, Base Depot at Mitcham Camp. He was then transferred to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 6th Reinforcements.

Martin embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT SS Hawkes Bay on the 26th of October 1915, disembarked in Egypt.

Whilst he was serving, his half brother; Henry William (4750) was KIA on the 4th of January 1916 in France.

Martin was invalided back to Australia, embarking on the 12th of November 1917 on board HT Wiltshire and disembarking in Melbourne on the 17th of December.

He was then entrained back to Adelaide the following day and admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick.

Martin was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 23rd of January 1918.

After his discharge he was living at 42 Lambert Street, Rosewater and in May he attended a welcome home function for him in Kapunda.

In June 1918 he placed an advertisement in The Register looking for work as a horse driver or a wharf labourer.

Martin was unable to gain employment so he started his own wood, coal and chaff business from his home.

In January 1919 he advertised his business for sale; including – 60 customers, 2 horses, 1 dray and all harnesses. He only asked for the values of his stock.

On the 24th of July 1919 Martin was admitted into the Adelaide Exhibition Isolation Hospital, suffering from Pneumonic Influenza (Spanish Flu).

Unfortunately he did not rally and died 6 days later, on Wednesday the 30th of July 1919 from Pneumonic Influenza in the Isolation Hospital.

**Servicemen and other patients who contracted Spanish Flu were quarantined at the former Jubilee Oval adjacent the Torrens River in the CBD. Some 100 military tents equipped with bedding, lighting, water, shower baths, a telephone, and a post office, were set up while full-time catering staff, guards, nurses, and doctors were deployed.

More accommodation was set up in the adjacent Machinery Hall and all up, about 640 people who had been visiting Victoria and elsewhere were quarantined at the site.  Just north of the quarantine camp, Adelaide's isolation hospital was set up at the Jubilee Exhibition Building.

Although no one at Jubilee Oval ended up having Spanish flu, many other South Australians did and 540 died — a figure some historians believe would translate relatively to about 15,000 people in today's population**.

Martin’s funeral left 144 Pulteney Street, the following day at 3.30 p.m., for the Catholic Cemetery, West Terrace and the undertakers were R.T. Wallman & Son, Undertakers.

He was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery; Roman Catholic Old.

His grave location is unknown and he has no headstone.

His name appears on the Rosewater Memorial Drinking Fountain that was unveiled by the SA Governor Sir Archibald WEIGALLK on 15.04.1922 as a tribute by the women of Rosewater to those men who had died since their return owing to their part in the Great War. Martin’s name is also on the honour board at the Rosewater Junction Community Centre.

Military

At the age of 32, Martin enlisted into the AIF on the 6th of July 1915 in Keswick, SA and was allotted the service number 1283 and posted to D Squadron, Base Depot at Mitcham Camp.

He listed his father; Patrick, of Harris Street, Glanville as next of kin.

On the 16th of August he was transferred to the 11th Light Horse Regiment, 6th Reinforcements.

Martin embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT SS Hawkes Bay on the 26th of October 1915, disembarked in Egypt and marched to Racecourse Camp, Heliopolis, where the 11th LHR and the 9th LHR were based and were carrying out dismounted training.

On the 20th of January 1916 he was transferred to the 9th Light Horse Regiment and then on the 22nd of February he rejoined the 11th Light Horse Regiment.

Whilst here Martin suffered from Lumbago and was transferred and admitted in the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbassia on the 24th of April.

Two weeks later, on the 11th of May, Martin was transferred to the Montazah Palace Convalescent Hospital in Alexandria, with Lumbago and Sciatica.

On the 31st of May he was discharged from hospital and posted to the 3rd Light Horse Training Regiment in Tel-el-Kebir. He was then posted to the newly formed 3rd Light Horse Double Squadron on the 23rd of June in Serapeum.

This Double Squadron was attached to the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, as its commander, Brigadier General J.M. Antill was rated highly by the EEF staff.

Martin and his squadron moved into the Sinai area for the defence of the Seuz Canal.

On the 3rd of August, Martin suffered from acute Diarrhoea and was admitted into the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital in Ismali for five days before rejoining his squadron.

*Back in December 1915 the British Commander in Egypt, Lieutenant General Sir J.G. Maxwell, decided to form a force mounted on camels for the defence of Egypt against the Senussi, and obtained permission from the Australian Government for a call for volunteers from the Australian units in Egypt.

Four companies were originally formed in January 1916 from the eight infantry brigades then in Egypt. Although many of the men thus obtained had never even seen a camel before, a surprisingly large number of men with camel experience came forward, the Western Australian 28th Infantry Battalion providing two dozen men with camel experience, two of whom could even speak Arabic.

On the 21st of June 1916 the EEF requested more Australians for the Camel Corps and five more companies were supplied from light horse reinforcements and the Anzac Mounted Division. Due to a shortage of saddlery and trained camels, only one company per month could be equipped.

A camel company consisted of four sections with an officer and 40 other ranks, plus a machine gun section equipped with three Lewis Guns, one being a spare.

Supply was fairly simple as each camel could carry five days supply of food and water for itself and its rider.

Initially camel companies were deployed in the Western Desert against the Senussi but they were sent to the Sinai in August 1916*.

Experience in the Sinai soon showed that the camels were best organised in large units and the camel companies were formed into battalions, each of four companies, in October 1916.

The battalions were formed into the 1st Imperial Camel Brigade, which also included a British machine gun squadron of eight Vickers machine guns and, by remounting the British 1st Mountain Battery (Hong Kong and Singapore Battery) on camels, a camel battery of six 2.75 inch mountain guns.

The AIF also supplied the brigade with medical support in the form of the Camel Field Ambulance that arrived from Australia on 20th of June 1916.

Lieutenant General Birdwood had never been enthusiastic about the camels, and the formation of the ICC had been undertaken before he became GOC of the AIF.

When he found out about the new units, his reaction was immediate:-

“11th and 12th Light Horse Regiments all dismounted double squadrons light horse all members AIF with Camel Corps Companies and all excess reinforcements... should be sent to England as soon as possible to meet requirements for infantry reinforcements for four divisions in France”.

But the British would not hear if this stating:- “Troops referred to are fully employed in defence of Egypt and... Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops are the keystone of that defence”.

With the Anzac Mounted Division and the other advanced troops of the Eastern Force, the camels became part of the Desert Column.

Martins Squadron was broken up and the men transferred to the newly formed Imperial Camel Corps Battalion.

On the 2nd of November Martin was transferred to the 4th Australian Camel Regiment in Abbassia.

Martin suffered badly with Eczema and was admitted into the 14th Australian General Hospital in Cairo on the 2nd of December, where he spent Christmas Day 1916.

Whilst in hospital Martin was reposted to the Reserve Company Imperial Camel Corps.

He was then discharged from hospital and transferred to the Convalescent Depot in Abbassia on the 22nd of February 1917.

On the 23rd of March he was transferred to the 23.3.17 to Base Details Camp Moascar and a week later er was taken on strength with the Reserve Depot Company Imperial Camel Corps.

On the 23rd of April Martin was transferred to the newly formed 4th ANZAC Battalion 1st Imperial Camel Corps Brigade and was then involved in the second Battle of Gaza on the 19th of April, where they suffered heavily.

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*The first phase of the British attack on Gaza began on the 17th of April 1917. Infantry cleared the area south of Ali Muntar of Ottoman outposts and secured their start lines for the main assault. Meanwhile, the Desert Mounted Column, including Martin, successfully carried out its masking operation to the south. 

At 5.30 a.m. on the 19th of April the naval flotilla and heavy artillery renewed their bombardment on Gaza, this time concentrating on the defences of Ali Muntar and other key Ottoman strongpoints. This was the signal to begin the main assault.

At 7.30 a.m., the 18-pounder field gun and 4.5-inch howitzer batteries joined in the barrage and the leading waves of infantry advanced. But though the spectacle was impressive, the Allied firepower was inadequate. The guns were spread too thinly to adequately cover the frontage being attacked. Gaza’s trenches, bunkers and machine-gun nests remained largely intact. The same was true of the gas. There were not enough gas shells available to deliver a lethal concentration of phosgene over the area covered.

The Ottoman defenders barely noticed it. The tanks too failed to have the desired impact, again because there were simply too few of them.

The result was carnage. The attacking British infantry were decimated by Ottoman artillery, machine-gun and rifle fire. In spite of these losses, by midday some battalions had managed to gain footholds in the Ottoman defences and vicious hand-to-hand fighting ensued. The Imperial Mounted Division and Imperial Camel Corps Brigade were drawn in to support the infantry in the late afternoon but suffered similar punishment for similarly meagre gains.

By nightfall the cost of these brave but futile efforts had become apparent and the  British cancelled orders to renew the attack the following day. The defeat cost the British 6444 casualties, of which 5291 were suffered by the three infantry divisions. Ottoman casualties amounted to just over 2000. The defeat also cost Lieutenant-General Murray his post as commander of the EEF*.

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By now the rigours of war and terrible desert conditions took its toll on Martin's aging body.

On the 6th of August Martin suffered from Lumbago whilst they were at Weli Sheikh Nuran and was transported by Ambulance Train and admitted into the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital in El Arish two day later.

He was then transferred to the 24th Stationary Hospital in Kantara on the 9th of August and was also diagnosed with Mylagia, Rheumatism and Sciatica.

The following day he was transferred to the Citadel General Hospital in Cairo and then on the 27th he was transferred to the 14th Australian General Hospital in Abbassia.

Martin remained in hospital for 2 months before he was well enough to be transferred to the Port Said Rest Camp on the 29th of October.

Martin was invalided back to Australia, embarking on the 12th of November 1917 on board HT Wiltshire and disembarking in Melbourne on the 17th of December.

He was then entrained back to Adelaide the following day and admitted into the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick.

Martin was discharged from the AIF, medically unfit, on the 23rd of January 1918.