Summary

Overview

Using the information contained in this study on the volunteers from the Shire of Lillydale we are able to gain further information of interest.

Totals

The total number of volunteers to enlist – 672

The total number of those who died while on active service – 129

The total number of times they were hospitalised – 618

The total number of locals who left Australia for service overseas – 562

Enlistments

The total number of enlistments – 672

Enlistments by township

Pre-war 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 Totals
Coldstream  3  5 8  2 2 20
Gruyere 1  3 8 6 5 2 25
Kilsyth  4 8 10 1 1 24
Lilydale  37 111 70 32 17 267
Montrose 1 5 15 5 3 29
Mooroolbark 3 7 5 2 3 20
Mt Evelyn 1 8 10 5 1 2 27
Mt Dandenong 5 7 6 5 23
Olinda 1 5 14 18 7 1 46
Seville 10 24 24 3 1 62
Silvan 1 7 6 4 2 20
Wandin 1 15 30 29 10 2 87
Yering 1  2 12 6 1 22
Total 6 101 258 198 75 34 672

Number of local women who served with nursing services
Seven

First local nurse to go on active service –
Sr Alice Card (Olinda) – was serving with the American Hospital in Paris when it went into military service on August 3rd, 1914

First local to enlist in Royal Australian Navy –
Samuel Rouget (Wandin) – on December 11th, 1911

At the start of the war on August 4th, 1914 – there were 5 local sailors on active service

Number of locals who served with allied forces

  Totals
United Kingdom 3
New Zealand 4
Canada 1
USA 1
Total 9

First locals to enlist in the Army –
Alfred Niblett (Lilydale), on the Imperial Army Reservist List, reports for service in Melbourne on August 10th, 1914.

Harold Hughes (Montrose), in England, he enlists in the British Army on August 11th, 1914.

First locals to enlist in AIF (by township) –

Shire of Lillydale – Ralph Goode (16/8/1914)

Coldstream – Hugh Wilson (17/8/1914)

Gruyere – Albert Street (17/8/1914)

Kilsyth – Frederick Davies (17/8/1914)

Lilydale – Ralph Goode (16/8/1914)

Montrose – Henry Holbrook (17/8/1914)

Mooroolbark – Herbert & Edwin Meade (17/8/1914)

Mt Evelyn – William Aicher (17/8/1914)

Mt Dandenong – Horace Twiner (17/8/1914)

Olinda – Howard Guttman (21/8/1914)

Seville – Harry Matthews (20/8/1914)

Silvan – Albert Lockwood (12/9/1914)

Wandin – Harry McCormack (17/8/1914)

Yering –Arthur Newman (17/8/1914)

Ironically, two of these first volunteers (William Aicher & Howard Guttman) had parents who were German.

Last to enlist in AIF –
Frederick Stewart (Lilydale) – on November 7th, 1918

Last to enlist in Royal Australian Navy –
George Paton (Montrose) – on January 13th, 1919

Youngest enlistee –
Frank Larkins (Mt Evelyn) was 14 years old when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy on December 31st, 1912.

He was 15 years old when he went into active service on August 4th, 1914.

Youngest enlistee in AIF –
Francis Goodall (Lilydale) – enlisted aged 15 years old, but was only in the AIF for two months before he is discovered and then discharged.

Youngest enlistee in AIF to see active service –
George Cassidy (Seville) – was aged 16 years when he joined the Australian Light Horse. He served overseas with the 4th Light Horse Regiment in the Middle East throughout late 1917 and 1918.

Number of volunteers who were 18 (or younger) when they enlisted –
Pre-war – 3

1914 – 0

1915 – 24

1916 – 19

1917 – 20

1918 –8

1919 – 1

Total –75

Oldest volunteer –
Gnr William Lucas (Silvan), 4th Light Horse Regiment – was 54 years old when he enlisted, although one local story says he was actually in his 60’s.

Volunteer with the largest number of children –
Albert Atkinson (Lilydale) – he was 38 years old and had ten children – two served in the AIF, with one, Claude, being killed in action.

Largest number of local siblings to enlist –
The Davies brothers of Kilsyth–Frederick, Isaac, George, Robert and William – another brother, Thomas, tried to enlist but was rejected.

Both Frederick and Isaac were killed in action.

Month & year of the largest number of locals to volunteer –
July 1915 – 113

Month & year of the smallest number of locals to volunteer –
The following had just the one recruit –

1917 – February, August

1918 – March, October, November

Enlistments by Year

Pre-war 1911 1912 1913 1914 Total
Coldstream
Gruyere 1 1
Kilsyth
Lilydale
Montrose 1 1
Mooroolbark
Mt Evelyn 1 1
Mt Dandenong
Olinda 1 1
Seville
Silvan
Wandin 1 1
Yering 1 1
Totals 1 1 2 2 6
 
1914 Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 1 1 1 3
Gruyere 2 1 3
Kilsyth 2 2 4
Lilydale 16 7 5 4 5 37
Montrose 3 2 5
Mooroolbark 3 3
Mt Evelyn 5 2 1 8
Mt Dandenong 5 5
Olinda 2 2 1 5
Seville 1 2 3 2 2 10
Silvan 1 1
Wandin 9 2 1 1 2 15
Yering 2 2
Totals 51 19 12 9 10 101

 

1915 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 1 2 1 1 5
Gruyere 1 2 3 1 1 8
Kilsyth 1 3 2 2 8
Lilydale 7 5 7 2 8 58 3 11 6 2 2 111
Montrose 2 1 1 2 5 2 1 1 15
Mooroolbark 1 3 2 1 7
Mt Evelyn 1 1 6 1 1 10
Mt Dandenong 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7
Olinda 1 1 2 1 1 4 2 1 1 14
Seville 2 3 2 1 1 3 7 2 3 24
Silvan 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7
Wandin 4 1 3 4 13 1 2 1 1 30
Yering 1 2 1 7 1 12
Totals 18 12 19 8 9 17 113 19 21 11 5 6 258

 

1916 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 3 2 1 1 1 8
Gruyere 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Kilsyth 2 5 2 1 10
Lilydale 8 11 12 4 8 2 3 1 9 10 1 1 70
Montrose 3 1 1 5
Mooroolbark 1 1 2 1 5
Mt Evelyn 1 1 1 1 1 5
Mt Dandenong 1 1 1 3 6
Olinda 1 4 4 2 2 2 3 18
Seville 4 2 5 1 1 4 4 2 1 24
Silvan 1 1 1 1 1 1 6
Wandin 2 8 2 1 4 3 1 2 5 1 29
Yering 3 1 2 6
Totals 22 39 27 12 20 11 9 4 14 29 8 3 198

 

1917 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 1 1 2
Gruyere 1 2 2 5
Kilsyth 1 1
Lilydale 3 1 6 7 3 2 4 3 3 32
Montrose 1 1 1 3
Mooroolbark 1 1 2
Mt Evelyn 1 1
Mt Dandenong 1 3 1 5
Olinda 1 1 1 2 2 7
Seville 1 1 1 3
Silvan 1 1 1 1 4
Wandin 3 3 1 1 1 1 10
Yering
Totals 8 1 14 10 11 8 5 1 2 2 5 8 75

 

1918 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Totals
Coldstream 1 1 2
Gruyere 1 1 2
Kilsyth 1 1
Lilydale 2 3 1 1 2 2 1 3 1 1 17
Montrose
Mooroolbark 1 1 1 3
Mt Evelyn 1 1 2
Mt Dandenong
Olinda 1 1
Seville 1 1
Silvan 1 1 2
Wandin 1 1 2
Yering 1 1
Totals 4 5 1 2 3 6 4 3 4 1 1 34

Local Soldiers Discharged from AIF

There were many reasons why soldiers were discharged from the AIF including: not being physically fit enough, medically unfit (from wounds, disease, injuries, pre-existing conditions, mental health), misconduct (desertion, civil crimes, venereal disease), being found to be underage or overage, refusing to be vaccinated or operated on or upon the disbanding of their unit or demobilisation of the AIF after the armistice. It does not include those who tried to volunteer but were rejected straight away.

Total number discharged throughout the war–518

Discharged Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
1915 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 4 3 17
1916 4 1 4 9 2 2 5 1 3 2 2 7 42
1917 3 6 4 6 5 10 6 7 9 5 61
1918 7 9 8 5 7 4 6 6 6 1 2 22 83
1919 15 23 18 22 40 32 45 38 27 20 17 4 301
1920 6 5 2 1 14

First local soldier to be discharged from service with the AIF –
Pte John Mounsey (Seville), 9th Light Horse Regiment: Is discharged from the military on January 27th, 1915 for refusing to be inoculated.

Last local soldier to return from service overseas and to be discharged from the AIF –
Pte Henry Lalor (Montrose), 7th Battalion – on June 19th, 1920

Hospitalised –

1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Totals
wounded in action 39 72 96 62 269
gassed 12 23 35
accident / injured 11 9 15 6 2 43
mental health 1  1 1 3
disease / illness 44 45 60 52 3 204
influenza 10 14 8 26 6 64
Totals 105 140 191 170 11 618

First local soldier to be hospitalised –
Pte Horace Allen (Mt Evelyn), 6th Battalion – January 3rd, 1915 – is admitted to hospital in Egypt suffering from synovitis of the right knee.

First local soldiers to arrive back in Australia as a result of medical conditions –
March 11th, 1915 –

Dvr Alfred Parish (Lilydale), 2nd Field Artillery Brigade – Arrives back on the HT Kyarra to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of mental health issues.

Pte Horace Allen (Mt Evelyn), 6th Battalion: Arrives back on the HT Kyarra to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of developing synovitis of the right knee.

First local soldier to arrive back in Australia as a result of being wounded in action –
Pte Duncan Campbell (Wandin), 5th Battalion – on November 19th, 1915 – after being wounded on Gallipoli on May 2nd, 1915.

First local soldiers to be wounded in action –
Those who were wounded at the landing at Gallipoli – April 25th, 1915.

Wounded and hospitalised the most times –
Pte Lindsay Yeaman (Montrose), 20th Battalion – was wounded and hospitalised on four separate occasions.

Total number of local soldiers who contracted a venereal disease during their service –
Sixty-nine

Total number of local soldiers who married overseas and returned with war brides –
Nineteen 

Leaving Australia –

The total number of locals who left Australia for service overseas – 562

The first local to leave Australia to serve with the AIF overseas –
Dvr Leo Maxwell (Wandin), 1st Field Artillery Brigade – October 18th, 1914

The last local to leave Australia to serve with the AIF overseas –
Pte Adolphus Black (Lilydale), Australian Railways Corps – October 22nd, 1918

Month & Year of the largest number of locals to leave Australia –
November 1915 – 57 

Numbers of locals who left Australia to serve overseas –

1914 Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
49 3 15 67
1915 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec totals
17 2 6 12 10 6 9 24 34 57 10 187
1916 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec totals
17 4 24 17 21 10 22 6 22 26 20 15 204
1917 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec totals
5 4 15 4 3 14 3 5 12 5 70
1918 Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec totals
1 8 5 3 4 3 6 2 2 34

Died While on Active Service –

Total number of locals who died while on active service – 129

Type of deaths recorded –

  1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Totals
Killed in action 11 22 35 19 87
Died of wounds 3 2 8 7 20
Died of disease 3 1 1 10 2 17
accident 1 2 1 1 5
Totals 18 25 46 37 3 129

Places where deaths occurred –

  1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Totals
Europe 1 23 44 32 1 101
Gallipoli 11 11
Middle East 1 2 3 6
Australia 3 1 1 5
South Africa 1 1 2
Malta 2 2
Pacific 1 1 2
Totals 18 25 46 37 3 129

First locals to die while on active service –
The three men killed at the landing on Gallipoli – April 25th, 1915
Pte James Metcalf (Mooroolbark), 5th Battalion

Pte Leonard Lawlor (Coldstream), 6th Battalion

Pte Fremont Tabbut (Lilydale), 7th Battalion

Last local to die while on active service –
Sub Lieutenant Frank Larkins (Mt Evelyn), Submarine J2 – Lost at Sea – June 20th, 1919

First to die while on active service –
Coldstream –Pte Leonard Lawlor (Coldstream), 6th Battalion – April 25th, 1915 – Killed in action – Gallipoli

Gruyere –Sgt Frank Olle (Gruyere), 5th Battalion – May 31st, 1915 – Died of Wounds – Egypt

Kilsyth –Pte Isaac Davies (Kilsyth), 28th Battalion – July 29th, 1916 – Killed in action – France

Lilydale – Pte Fremont Tabbut (Lilydale), 7th Battalion – April 25th, 1915– Killed in action – Gallipoli

Montrose –Capt Harold Hughes (Montrose), Royal Warwickshire Regiment – May 16th, 1915 – France

Mooroolbark – Pte James Metcalf (Mooroolbark), 5th Battalion – April 25th, 1915– Killed in action – Gallipoli

Mt Evelyn – Cpl William Aicher (Mt Evelyn), 6th Battalion – May 8th, 1915 – Killed in action – Cape Helles

Mt Dandenong – Lt Wilfred Tucker DCM (Mt Dandenong), 7th Battalion – July 25th, 1918 – Died of wounds – France

Olinda – Pte Percy Johnston (Olinda), 58th Battalion – July 15th, 1916 – Killed in action – France

Seville – Pte James Mackie (Seville), 6th Battalion – May 3rd, 1915 – Killed in action – Gallipoli

Silvan – Pte William Long (Silvan), 8th Battalion – August 28th, 1915 – Died of disease – Malta

Wandin – Pte Frank Nicholls (Wandin), 5th Battalion – April 26th, 1915 – Killed in action – Gallipoli

Yering – Pte James Fraser (Yering), 23rd Battalion – November 6th, 1915 – accident – Australia

The worst year for local fatal casualties –
1917 – 46 died (more than 1915, 1916 & 1919 put together)

The worst month/year for local fatal casualties –
October 1917 – 15 locals died

The worst day for local fatal casualties –
On three occasions five locals died on the same day –

July 19th, 1916 (Fromelles)

May 3rd, 1917 (Bullecourt)

October 4th, 1917 (Broodseinde Ridge)

List of local deaths by township –

  1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Total
Coldstream 1 1 2
Gruyere 2 1 2 7 12
Kilsyth 3 1 1 2 7
Lilydale 5 11 18 10 44
Montrose 2 1 6 9
Mooroolbark 1 1 1 1 4
Mt Evelyn 1 1 2 1 5
Mt Dandenong 2 2
Olinda 3 4 3 10
Seville 3 2 8 3 16
Silvan 1 2 1 4
Wandin 1 3 7 1 12
Yering 1 1 2
Total 18 25 46 37 3 129

Lists of locals deaths by Year –

1915 April May Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 1 1
Gruyere 1 1 2
Kilsyth
Lilydale 1 1 1 1 1 5
Montrose 1 1 2
Mooroolbark 1 1
Mt Evelyn 1 1
Mt Dandenong
Olinda
Seville 1 1 1 3
Silvan 1 1
Wandin 1 1
Yering 1 1
Totals 4 5 4 1 1 2 1 18

 

1916 Feb July Aug Sept Oct Totals
Coldstream
Gruyere 1 1
Kilsyth 1 1 1 3
Lilydale 1 5 5 11
Montrose
Mooroolbark 1 1
Mt Evelyn
Mt Dandenong
Olinda 2 1 3
Seville 1 1 2
Silvan
Wandin 3 3
Yering 1 1
Totals 1 14 8 1 1 25

 

1917 Jan Feb March April May June Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream 1 1
Gruyere 1 1 2
Kilsyth 1 1
Lilydale 2 3 2 2 4 5 18
Montrose 1 1
Mooroolbark 1 1
Mt Evelyn 1 1
Mt Dandenong
Olinda 3 1 4
Seville 2 6 8
Silvan 1 1 2
Wandin 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7
Yering
Totals 3 3 5 2 6 1 2 7 15 1 1 46

 

1918 Feb April May July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Totals
Coldstream
Gruyere 1 3 1 1 1 7
Kilsyth 1 1
Lilydale 2 4 1 1 1 1 10
Montrose 1 2 2 1 6
Mooroolbark 1 1
Mt Evelyn 2 2
Mt Dandenong 2 2
Olinda 1 2 3
Seville 2 1 3
Silvan 1 1
Wandin 1 1
Yering
Totals 1 5 5 2 9 3 6 2 4 37

 

1919 Feb June Totals
Coldstream
Gruyere
Kilsyth 2 2
Lilydale
Montrose
Mooroolbark
Mt Evelyn 1 1
Mt Dandenong
Olinda
Seville
Silvan
Wandin
Yering
Totals 2 1 3