Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Birth: Sep. 8, 1893
Maryborough
Queensland, Australia
Death: Aug. 8, 1915, Turkey

Herbert Stanley Back was born in Maryborough (Queensland) on 8 September 1893 to parents Frederick Back (b Southampton, England, 1853) and Teresa (Tereisa) Ann Back (nee Linton, b Wigan, Lancashire, England, 1865)

When the Great War started in 1914, Bert was working as a bottler in Maryborough and immediately decided to join the army. His brother Frederick Ernest, a 24-year-old boilermaker working at Walker's Ltd Maryborough, had already enlisted on 19 August - and now it was Bert's turn to go. Their father, Frederick, said "I did my damndest to stop Bert but he was too strong-headed". However, their father did persuade his other son Arthur from joining up. Bert enlisted in the army six weeks later. On 17 September 1914, at the age of 21, Bert joined the newly raised 15th (Infantry) Battalion AIF. Three-quarters of the battalion were recruited as volunteers from Queensland, and the rest from Tasmania. With the 13th, 14th and 16th Battalions it formed the 4th Brigade, commanded by Colonel John Monash. His brother Frederick had already left for overseas on HMAT Omrah by this stage.

After some initial training in Brisbane, Bert travelled by train to Victoria where the four battalions began training. The Brigade embarked aboard HMAT A40 Ceramic for overseas just before Christmas. After a brief stop in Albany, Western Australia, they proceeded to Egypt, arriving in early February 1915. Australia already had an AIF division there, the 1st. When the 4th Brigade arrived in Egypt, it became part of the New Zealand and Australian Division. For the next two months they trained in preparation for what they thought was the war on the western front in France.

The 15th Battalion left Alexandria on 12 April and headed for Turkey instead. They arrived at Mudros Harbour on the Greek island of Lemnos two days later. Here they practiced disembarking for the next 10 days.

The 15th Battalion boarded the Seang Bee on the 25th April and headed for the Gallipoli Peninsula. They anchored off Anzac Cove at 4 pm that day. This was the first day of the Anzac arrivals at Gallipoli. The 15th were taken ashore by landing craft at 10.30 pm under heavy shrapnel bombardment from the Turkish soldiers. Four men were hit. The next day they took up cover positions and remained like this until the 30th when they moved to Monash Valley. Bert's unit - 'C' Coy under Captain Quinn - occupied Pope's Hill in the afternoon and were under immediate attack from Turkish machine gun fire. They then retired for bivouac in Monash Valley and then were back to Quinn's Hill for an attack on the 9th in which they sustained heavy casualties (160 killed or wounded) causing them to retire to bivouac on the 10th and then back again to Quinn's Post on the 12th where many more casualties were sustained that day (the morning of the 13th). Bert Back was wounded in the left shoulder and as he couldn't be accounted for was reported missing. Â He was soon found injured and reported 'wounded in action'. Bert was taken by ship back to the convalescent hospital in Mustapha in Egypt. His mother received a telegram on the 24th May to this effect. The following month he was discharged for duty and returned to Gallipoli on 26 June 1915.

For the rest of June the 15th Battalion were in bivouac at Walker's Gully but were shelled nevertheless. Most of July was spent in bivouac but in August the 15th Battalion moved back into action. During this time Bert was promoted to Lance Corporal (20 July). His brother Fred was also at Gallipoli. He was with the 5th Light Horse (dismounted) when, on 1 August 1915, an enemy shell struck his dugout. It dislodged several sandbags that landed on his legs and crushed both knees. Fred was taken to the hospital at Mudros and then to the Helouan Convalescent Hospital in Egypt. Here he was unable to flex his right leg and had grating on movement of his left. He was classed as medically unfit for service and recommended for returned to Australia and discharge.

On 6 August 1915 at Gallipoli, Bert's battalion - the 15th - left bivouac for Reserve Gully at 10.20 am and marched at 'double' along Beach Road where they sustained attack from an enemy trench position. A bayonet charge was made at the Turks and the enemy killed. At daylight on the 7th the enemy was in retreat. The 15th continued making progress on the 8th when an advance line of scouts from their battalion came into contact with a Turkish patrol. Gunfire was exchanged and then there was a heavy outburst from the Turks on the high slopes. The enemy was held at bay mostly by the forward troops of B Coy. C Company (including Bert) was sent to support them and headed for the NE spur but came under strong opposition and heavy casualties from the eight Turkish machine guns resulted. Bert was hit and killed during this time - possibly by gunfire, possibly by a shell. The rest of the battalion had to fall back as the attack was so severe. In fact, a general retreat of the whole Brigade was ordered.

During that skirmish the battalion lost 100 men killed, 188 wounded, and 103 wounded and missing. The following day - 9th August 1915 - a telegram was sent to Mrs Back at Granville notifying her of Bert's death. Bert Back was memorialized at the Lone Pine Memorial at Anzac Cove. His brother Frederick returned to Australia on 15 November that year with "synovitis" to both knees and discharged on 15 March 1916 with a pension of £3 per fortnight. Fred married in 1920 and died unexpectedly on 27 August 1924. It has long been claimed that Fred died as a result of war wounds. Father Frederick died on 24 February 1935, and his wife Teresa in 1956. Many descendants are alive today.
Frederick died of Tetanus.

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BACK, HERBERT STANLEY
Rank: Private
Service No: 406
Date of Death: 08/08/1915
Age: 21
Regiment/Service: Australian Infantry, A.I.F.
15th Bn.
Panel Reference 45.
Memorial LONE PINE MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Son of Frederick and Teresa Ann Back, of Granville, Maryborough, Queensland.