DCM for courage away from fire

Pte Harold Riddell, awarded a DCM for preventing an ammunition store explosion. Photo provided by WO1 Darryl Kelly

Harry Riddell’s eyes were darting around the crowd, ever conscious of the slightest movement. He indicated every gesture, wink, sway of the hand and nod to the older man standing beside him.

To miss something would cost him dearly; it was his livelihood and reputation at stake. All of a sudden it was down to two, for the keenest. Going once… twice… sold!

“Good spotting on that last bloke Harry, I nearly missed him,” the auctioneer said, turning to his young clerk. “I’ll shout you a beer for that.”

Harry Riddell was born in the central Victorian hamlet of Violet Town on July 23, 1890. At an early age his family moved to the tiny seaside community of Port Fairy.

He attended the Port Fairy State School, where his father was the local schoolmaster. Harry suffered from a mild case of stuttering, especially when he got excited.

He was taunted by some of the other kids but the lad could handle himself pretty well. He finished his schooling at Warrnambool Academy where he had also undertaken compulsory military training with the school’s cadet unit.

On leaving, he knocked about a few jobs until he was able to secure a position as an auctioneer clerk. He relished the excitement of the sale yard. The bidding, the rivalry and the cutthroat manoeuvring of the clients.

In the latter half of 1914 he read of the growing concerns in Europe.

The flurry of war fever spread across Australia like wildfire. The outposts of the empire rallied to the cause of freedom. Harry enlisted in the AIF on July 13, 1915.

“Do you think my stutter will matter sergeant?” Harry asked. “Not unless you plan to talk the enemy to death, son,” the sergeant replied.

After being sworn in, Harry entered AIF training at Broadmeadows. He was first allocated to the 53rd Trg Coy, where he was instructed in the basic arts of soldiering. Later he was allocated as a re-inforcement to 2 Div – 21 Bn.

The battalion had embarked some months earlier and was already in action on Gallipoli but only after having their troopship, the Southland, torpedoed on their way to Anzac Cove.

Guns away on Saint’s day

By Deanna Nott A group of soldiers and Defence civilians have helped restore a historic WW2 gun and mount belonging to South Australia’s Tununda RSL Sub-Branch as part of St Barbara Day celebrations. Keswick Barracks operations personnel Sgt Garry Harding, Bdr Duane Rogers, Scott Boyd and Lisa Buss travelled to the Barossa Valley to return the 25 Pound WW2 gun and mount to its former glory. Sgt Harding said it was understood the gun was used by artillerymen during campaigns in either Papua New Guinea or in the islands around Borneo. “While it is not possible to find out where a gun served by its serial number, it’s better than even money that the gun was used from 1942 to 1943,” he said. “We have managed to determine that the gun was made at the GMH factory at Pagewood in Sydney, probably in 1942. As this is our understanding, we have decided to repaint the gun in bronze olive green.” Sgt Harding said his team was pleased to be assisting the RSL, especially as they were restoring the gun on St Barbara’s Day. “St Barbara is extremely important to artillery soldiers as she is our patron saint. St Barbara lived and died in the year 300AD. Legend has it that a lightning bolt struck down her persecutor and caused her to be regarded as the patron saint in time of danger from thunderstorms, fires and sudden death.”

Harry sailed for Egypt on the Osterley on October 7, 1915. He was keen to round out his training and join his battalion against the Turk.

On his arrival in Egypt, he found that his plans, and the Army’s, did not see eye to eye. He was kept busy at the range, standing guard duty and odd jobbing around Mena Camp.

While on leave in Cairo, he spoke to his mate over a beer. “What do you reckon about this mate? I thought that we’d be in action for sure by now.

They must need every bloke that holds a rifle on Gallipoli and we’re sitting on our arses here,” Harry said.

“Look Harry, the brass know what they’re doin. If they need us they know where to find us,” his mate replied. “Now make yourself useful and get us another of these gypo beers.”

Unbeknown to the pair, the brass had been planning the withdrawal of the Anzac forces from Gallipoli. Their view was, no more of this back door to Germany nonsense; they planned to go through the front door.

Harry and his mates were hard at work, preparing the new AIF camp close to the Suez Canal at Tel el Kebir. The furphy was that the AIF divisions were to occupy the camp in the next few weeks.

On Valentines Day 1916, Harry Riddell was finally taken on strength with 21 Bn. Following its withdrawal from Anzac, the AIF went through a radical re-organisation.

Plans were made for the formation of two new divisions, the 4th and 5th, while 3 Div was being formed and trained in Australia.

Calls went out throughout the units for volunteers, to form a nucleus of new units to fight in France.

Artilleryman, medics, pioneers and mortarmen, were all needed and eager Diggers stepped forward to fill the ranks. Harry was transferred on temporary duty to 6 Light Trench Mortar Bty.
The embarkation orders came down in mid-March and the unit moved to board the waiting troopships at Alexandria. As the ship pulled away for the wharf, Harry knew that his next stop was France and finally the front.

The battery took its turn in the nursery sector and fired a few missions from their Stokes mortar, just to get them used to the real thing. Harry’s permanent transfer to the unit was finalised on April 15, 1916.

The 6th’s first major action was scheduled for July 1916 at Pozieres.

It wasn’t the walkover they expected. The 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions took their turn in the meat mincer, known as the front line.

It was now the evening of August 4 and a major assault was planned for the next morning against the Pozieres Heights.

As the infantry units manoeuvred to their jumping off points, the men of the supporting artillery and mortar units were firing, firstly to register targets for the main assault and secondly to keep the Hun guns busy to allow the infantry to move up.

Harry’s blokes had worked hard to get the ammo ready for the morning. After this, they turned in for the night, leaving Harry on picket.

“Stand to – stand to,” he yelled later, as he charged into the ammo shelter. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but he knew the consequences if the round detonated. The whole lot would go up, destroying everything in a 300m radius.

His mates milled around the front of the bay, all wanting to see the reason for being woken. Harry started to throw rounds to the side, in a vain attempt to find the round responsible and then he had it, the tell-tailed hint of white smoke coming from the fuse giving it away.

“As he ran out from the bay, Harry yelled to his mates – “get out of the way – its going to blow!”

The men in the pit scurried in all directions as they realised the serious of the situation.

Harry ran straight at the parapet with the bomb and as he reached the wall, he threw the bomb over the side. Diving to the ground, Harry felt the earth shudder and an ear splitting explosion rang in his ears as the round exploded in mid air.

Rushing into pit, the Diggers searched for their mate. They feared the worst as they looked through the smoke.

Then they saw him, emerging from the far edge of the pit holding his ears.

As they crowded around their reluctant hero, they slapped his back, hugged him and shook his hand all at once.

The OC rushed into the pit and stood in front of Harry, just as he was handed a steaming mug of tea – “deserves more than that mate, we would have been stuffed if this lot went up,” he said.

Due to Harry’s heroic action, he not only saved the lives of 13 of his mates and saved the battery from destruction but he’d saved the remaining rounds for use in the coming attack.

Pte Harry Riddell was recommended for the coveted Victoria Cross. He did, however, only receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his efforts.

Harry went onto other battles after Pozieres. Passchendaele, Ypres, Flers and Broodseinde Ridge, names that were paid for in blood and Australian lives.

On the morning of July 22, 1918, the battery was deployed outside Villers Bretonneux. Harry sat against the wall of his mortar pit.

He and his mates had just finished cleaning the tube and were starting their morning routine.

Harry heard the scream of an incoming shell, as he went to dive for cover, the round burst on the parapet, directly above him.

The red-hot splinters slammed into nearly every part of his body.

His mates did all they could to try and stem the bleeding but it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

He held on for about 24 hours, lingering between life and death but it was all in vain. Harry Riddell, the young auctioneer clerk with the impatient stutter, died of wounds without regaining consciousness and is today buried in the British War Cemetery outside Crouy.

Note: In the original Warrant for the Victoria Cross dated on January 29 1856, states that “the Cross shall only be awarded to those officers and men who have served Us in the presence of the enemy, and have them perform some signal act of valour or devotion to their country”.

My only reasoning as to why Harry Riddell did not receive the VC is that he was not in the presence of the enemy at the time of his heroic action or merely that the brass simply felt that the DCM was the more appropriate award. I’m afraid, we’ll just never know.

Strangely, six VC’s have been awarded to soldiers during peacetime, the first in 1866 and five on May 7, 1867.

Various amendments have occurred since the inception of the VC and make for interesting reading. Copies of the Warrant can be found in the outstanding book “They Dared Mightily.”