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From the book Falllen Saints  -  Neville Cropley Swift was born in Adelaide in 1895 and with his brother Brian attended the School until leaving in 1912. Shortly after war was declared, he sailed for England where he enlisted in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment and was commissioned in June 1915.

N.C. Swift and E.B. Lowe, who have received commissions in the East Lancashires, are undergoing training at Camberly. [i]

The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was formed on 4 August 1914 at Preston and moved to Plymouth England on 8 August that year. On 1 June 1916 the battalion to moved to Saltburn and remained there until the end of the war. As the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion was not going abroad, Lieutenant Neville Cropley Swift requested and was granted an attachment to the 2nd Battalion.

The 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment was formed on 4 August 1914, the same day as its sister battalions the 1st and 3rd but at Wynberg in South Africa. The battalion embarked at Cape Town on 1 October 1914 and after disembarking at Southampton on 20 October moved to Hursley Park to join the remainder of the 24th Brigade, 8th Division. On 6 November 1914, it landed at Havre, France and on 18 October 1915, with the remainder of the 24th Brigade, was transferred across to the 23rd Division where it remained until being transferred back to the 8th Division on 15 July 1916. On 3 February 1918, the 2nd Battalion was transferred to the 25th Brigade, 8th Division. [ii]

In a letter to the St Peters School Magazine, Neville shared his thoughts about working at night in no-man’s-land. 

Somewhere in Flanders: - December 19 -.

The night before last I had my first experience of going out in front with a wiring party. We started off at 10 p.m. with a Sergeant and 10 men, with wire, &c., to repair the barbed wire entanglements about 50 yards from ‘Fritz’s’ front line. We got over the parapet and started work. First of all only a few bullets came anywhere near, but towards the end they got to know we were there, and sent up a flare (a strong light fired from a rifle), and turned a machine gun on us, and we were all down flat. Then we went on with our work, and came back all right. You get fairly nervy or as the men call it, ‘get wind up,’ when you are out there. [iii]

In this brief excerpt from another of his letters, Neville describes life in the front line trenches during winter.

January 12, 1916. – We had a pretty rotten time in the line this time. We were in a salient, which was over our knees in water, and only 50 yards form ‘Fritz’ in the centre, which was rather uncomfortable. The first night the division on our right was to make an attack, and we had to send over smoke bombs to draw their fire. We started, and sent over about 100. Their guns gave us ‘What Oh!’ but we had no casualties. The next morning we found out that the right division didn’t leave their trenches. What! Can you imagine what we said after being ‘Strafed’ as we had been? The dug out we occupied was 4 ft x8 x 5, and as four of us had in it at once you can imagine how we cursed one another. The salient is such a rotten place, full of water, and they can’t keep troops there longer than 24 hours.[iv]

In August 1916, he was wounded by a rifle grenade in the right hand and forearm during the fighting at Pozières and the editor of the School Magazine published the following short note from an anonymous Old Boy. 

 N.C. Swift, who was wounded, has been convalescing at Lady Dudley’s Hospital at Bournemouth. News still arrives from Houghton Swift, who is interned at Ruhleben. [v]

After two months, convalescence in England he returned to the Western Front and in January 1917 after being wounded again was invalided to England. He rejoined his unit in October as an acting captain and for his gallant actions during the fighting in December was awarded the Military Cross.

Military Cross - Lt. (A. /Capt.) Neville Cropley Swift, E. Lanc. R., Spec. Res. [vi]

During intense shelling which continually obliterated the parts of the line held by his men, burying the garrison, he helped, under heavy fire, to dig out and rescue the buried men. He reorganised the line and established new posts, constantly exposing himself to heavy fire. [vii]

In January 1918 he led his company in a relief operation, carried out under a heavy enemy artillery  barrage and for his actions was awarded a bar to his Military Cross and appointed to the rank of acting major.

Bar to Military Cross - Lt. (A. /Capt.) Neville Cropley Swift, MC., E. Lanc. R., Spec. Res [viii]

He showed the greatest initiative and determination in leading his company during a relief through a heavy enemy barrage, and carried out the relief successfully. [ix]

During the period 3 Feb 1918 - 11 November 1918 the 2nd Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment was part of the 25th Brigade, 8th Division.

On 27 March Lieutenant, acting major, Neville Cropley Swift while commanding the battalion during a counter-attack was severely wounded and died the following day; he was 22 years of age. He was mentioned in dispatches and posthumously awarded the DSO.

Distinguished Service Order - Lt. (A. /Capt.) Neville Cropley Swift, MC. E. Lanc. R.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in leading his battalion in a counter attack, which was completely successful. He continued to set a splendid example until severely wounded. [x]

In the September 1919 issue of the St. Peter’s School Magazine, Missioner Charles Sowden Hornabrook in his regular article Our Mission mentioned Neville Swift, Henry Marten and his own dear lost son.

On May 21 the Bishop dedicated brass Alter Rails and Choir Stalls given in memory of Leonard Charles Hornabrook, 2nd Lieut. Leicestershire Regiment. A brass and silver Cross and brass Vases given to the Old Scholars Honour Board in memory of Neville Cropley Swift, D.S.O., M.C., with bar D.S.O., Major East Lancashire Regiment, and also speaking of these Old Scholars also spoke of Henry Humphrey Marten, Captain King’s Royal Rifles, to whose memory a prize has been founded at this his Old School’s Mission. [xi]

Neville’s older brother Brian (OS) was commissioned in the British Army and served in Medical Corps both in England and on the Western Front. In 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross and that same year transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. After the war, he returned to South Australia and established a worldwide reputation for his outstanding knowledge and skills in obstetrics and gynaecology. He served in the Australian Army Medical Corps during World War II and was knighted in 1954. [xii]

[i] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide,  August 1915, p. 73
[ii] James, E A ,Historical Records Of British Infantry Regiments In The Great War 1914-1918, Rank Xerox Copy Bureau, Birmingham Revised Edition, 1976, p. 86
[iii] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide,  May 1916, p. 92
[iv] ibid, August 1917, p. 36
[v] ibid
[vi] London Gazette, Swift, Neville Cropley - Issue 30507 published on the 1 February 1918, p. 8 of 24
[vii] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, December 1918, p. 52
[viii] London Gazette - Swift, Neville Cropley MC - Issue 30530 published on the 15 February 1918, p. 4 of 22
[ix] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, December 1918, p. 52
[x] London Gazette - Swift, Neville Cropley MC - Issue 30813 published on the 23 July 1918, p. 18 of 138
[xi] St Peter’s School Magazine - W K Thomas & Co, Adelaide, September 1919, p. 6
[xii] Hicks N & Harford J, 'Swift, Neville Cropley (1895 - 1918)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16, Melbourne University Press, 2002, p. 352-354