CRESWELL, Randolph William
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 April 1915, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | 3 Battalion Imperial Camel Corps |
| Born: | Largs Bay, South Australia, 13 March 1890 |
| Home Town: | Toorak, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | St Peter's College, Adelaide, Brisbane Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar School, and Melbourne University |
| Occupation: | Mining Engineer |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Tel el Khuweilfe, Palestine, 6 November 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Beersheba War Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Melbourne Grammar School WW1 Fallen Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 6 Nov 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 3 Battalion Imperial Camel Corps | |
| 6 Nov 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Officer, 3 Battalion Imperial Camel Corps, Battle of Beersheba |
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From the book Fallen Saints
Randolph William Creswell was born at Largs Bay, South Australia in March 1890. He was the son of Rear Admiral Sir William Rooke Creswell, KCMG, KBE. (Father of the Royal Australian Navy) He attended the Collegiate School of St Peter, Brisbane Grammar School, Melbourne Grammar School, and subsequently entered Melbourne University. While there he served 18 months as a Private in the Melbourne University Rifles, and graduated as a Bachelor of Mine Engineering.
On 25 January 1915 he sailed from Sydney aboard HMAT Eastern to serve as a second lieutenant on the HQ Staff and later as a Lieutenant in the 1st Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) in Rabual. He was posted to the position of Director of Lands, Surveys and Roads on 23 February 1915 and held that posting until he returned to Australia in early April 1915 to join the AIF. He was appointed second lieutenant on 27 April 1915 and sailed from Melbourne with B Company, 29th Battalion aboard HMAT Ascanius on 10 November and arrived in Egypt during the first week of December. In January 1916 he was seconded to the Imperial Camel Corps (ICC) and promoted to Lieutenant on 20 February.
On 1 July, General Murray mentioned Lieutenant Creswell in his despatch to the Secretary of State for War and that day he was promoted to and posted to command 11 Company, 3rd (ANZAC) Battalion, and 1st Camel Brigade.
On 6 November during the attack on Tel-el-Khuweilfer; The 3rd Battalion (Australian) Camel Brigade under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Forth was to to protect the right flank of the British 53rd Division and with the British 158th Brigade, the 1/1st Herefords, the 1/6th Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the 1/7th Royal Welsh Fusiliers attacked the entrenched Turks.
Casualties were heavy, especially in the infantry of the 53rd Division. Amongst the Australians of the 3rd Camel Battalion, Captain R. W. Creswell and Lieutenant C.H. Lyon and twenty other ranks were killed, and two officers and fifty two other ranks wounded.[i]
During his service with the Camel Corps 27 year old Randolph Creswell was twice mentioned in despatches and the King of Serbia conferred upon him the Serbian Order of the White Eagle 5th Class with swords. [ii]
That year Randolph’s twin brother Second Lieutenant Edmund Creswell (OS) of the 2nd Pioneer Battalion, AIF was severely wounded at Bullecourt and their brother Lieutenant Colin Creswell was aboard HM Submarine E47 when it was lost in the North Sea.
[i] Gullett, H S, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Volume VII, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1923, p 425-426
[ii] National Archives of Australia: B 2455, Creswell Randolph William / 3463289 - Viewed 27 July 2006
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