Gunner W E C Haseman 1737
Gallipoli WW1 1915
Charles Rosenthal
Sir Charles Rosenthal Architect, amateur musician, politician, administrator and, not least, soldier, Sir Charles Rosenthal was a man of many parts; larger than life, he was said to be a part-model for Benjamin Cooley, the ex-soldiers’ leader in D.H. Lawrence’s novel, Kangaroo; “amongst the most remarkable leaders of his time” according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, he was “Rosie” to the Diggers who “took to him because he was a man and a fighter”. General Sir John Monash described him as: A massive man, whose build belies his extraordinary physical energy, he was always an egregious optimist, incapable of recognising the possibility of failure. That is why he invariably succeeded in all that he undertook, and often embarked upon the apparently impossible. The son of Scandinavian parents, Rosenthal was born in Berrima in 1875 but moved to Victoria to pursue a career in architecture. He joined the Geelong Battery of the Victoria Militia Garrison Artillery as a gunner in 1892. By 1900 Rosenthal was residing in Sydney, making a name for himself as an architect and in musical circles. His interest in church music led to commissions for the design of churches and, in 1906, he was made architect for the Anglican dioceses of Grafton and Armidale.
His military life continued to flourish, becoming in 1914 commanding officer of the 5th Field Artillery Brigade. “He had always been an ardent soldier”, noted historian Charles Bean, “and in the old Australian militia had commanded the first battery to be armed with howitzers”. Rosenthal was thirty-nine when he joined the AIF in August 1914. He sailed with the first convoy as LieutenantColonel commanding the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. It was at the ANZAC Landing that he established his reputation in the AIF as a thoughtful and vigorous commander. Using all the resources of his “thrusting personality”, he persuaded Major General Bridges to land his guns and found for them a position within yards of the front-line infantry on Bolton’s Ridge where Rosenthal’s artillery was decisive in repelling the Turkish counterattack of 26 April 1915; “The day was very exciting” he recorded in his diary. Wounded twice at Gallipoli, on the second occasion Rosenthal was evacuated to England. Rosenthal was promoted Brigadier General in February 1916 and given command of the artillery of the new 4th Division in France where he and his guns were soon in action at Pozières. Rosenthal subsequently saw action on the Somme, at Mouquet Farm and Ypres. Appointed commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade in July 1917, he fought in the Battles of 3rd Ypres, Passchendaele and the German offensive of March 1918. He was badly gassed at Passchendaele and, never averse to risk, when inspecting his own wiring parties near Villers-Bretonneux bumped into a German wiring party from which he took three prisoners. “He loved not only to be at the front but to be seen there”, Bean wrote: To his brigade this type of leadership came like a fresh draught to a man thirsty for natural stimulant. A new life infused the force. The troops leapt at the breezy courage that was keen to test any danger before they entered it. In May 1918, Rosenthal was given command of the 2nd Division and with the rank of Major General took part in actions at Hamel, Peronne, Mont St Quentin and Montbrehain. On 19 July 1918 he was wounded a fourth time when he was targeted by a German sniper. Recovering in time, he played a significant part in the last battles on the Western Front, winning particular distinction at Mont St Quentin where, without tanks or creeping barrages, the Australians dealt a severe blow to five German divisions. Of that audacious operation, Monash said that “none will begrudge the rain of congratulations which fell upon the head of Major-General Rosenthal”. High praise indeed was Monash’s assessment that Rosenthal’s leadership of the 2nd Division “contributed in no small measure to the fame which it has won”. Rosenthal was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (1919) and was mentioned in despatches seven times. In 1919 he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of Bath, in addition to which he was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre, the French Croix de Guerre and the Legion d’honneur.
For Rosenthal, life after war was as varied as it had been before it. Alongside his career as an architect, he found room for the army and for politics in its many guises. He served as an alderman of Sydney Municipal Council in 1921-24 and was chairman of its works committee. From 1922 to 1925 he served as a Nationalist member for Bathurst in the Legislative Assembly and from 1936 to 1937 as a member of the Legislative Council. In 1937 Rosenthal was appointed Administrator of Norfolk Island, a post he held throughout World War II. Following his death in May 1954, he was cremated with full military honours. In the Parliament, Premier JJ Cahill said: By the death of Sir Charles Rosenthal, to which I refer with the deepest sense of sorrow, the Mother State and Australia, as well as the British Commonwealth of Nations, have lost one of those great men who have helped to write history on the fields of battle in defence of those things we all hold dear. And they have also lost a very fine citizen. Of his character, the Premier went on to say: In peace time Sir Charles Rosenthal was a friendly man, who loved his fellows and the pleasant associations of democratic society. But, in war, he was a leader who liked to lead his men and set them an example of fearlessness and soldierly conduct. He had a fiery and restless spirit, allied to swift comprehension of a tactical or strategic situation, and a logical brain. He was not reckless; he tried to save the lives of men, but he believed in audacity – always audacity
Major Francis Augustus Hughes
Francis Augustus Hughes (1874-1951), soldier and company executive, was born on 9 March 1874 in Brisbane, son of Alfred Hughes, grocer, and his wife Margaret, née Rock, both Sydney-born. He was educated at St Joseph's College, Brisbane, and was dux in his final year. Gus Hughes then joined the Castlemaine Brewery and Quinlan Gray & Co. Brisbane Ltd, eventually becoming an accountant. As a young man he was active in sculling and lacrosse.
By 1907 Hughes was convinced of the need for citizens to take an active part in defence. He joined the Australian Field Artillery, Australian Military Forces, was commissioned second lieutenant on 1 October 1907, and advanced to major in six years. In 1911-12 he was militia adjutant for eighteen months and commanded the 2nd Battery, 1st A.F.A., from February to August 1914. On 20 August he joined the Australian Imperial Force and, as major commanding the 7th Battery, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade, sailed for Egypt on 25 September. After intensive training there the battery embarked for Gallipoli.
Going ashore on the day after the landing, the 7th Battery was the first artillery moved forward to support the infantry who had been hard pressed for nearly thirty-six hours. The terrain was steeply broken and suitable positions for firing over the ridges could not be found. Under Hughes's direction three guns were dragged up the slopes to Bolton's Hill and were roughly dug in immediately behind the infantry forward positions. When the enemy attacked after dark the shrapnel from one gun was timed to burst just clear of the gun muzzle, the field-piece thus acting as a gigantic shotgun. Charles Bean recorded that 'it was a weapon which the Turks could not face, and the attack collapsed'. The fourth gun was brought into action next day and that night all guns repeated the point-blank defensive fire. On 5 May enemy artillery shelled Bolton's Hill and two of Hughes's guns, though entirely exposed, were turned against the hidden gun-line and continued firing until the shelling ceased. Similar enemy attacks were launched at intervals against sites now better prepared. All were repulsed. Apart from brief rest periods, the battery remained in action until the evacuation in December and except for a month in hospital Hughes continued in command.
When the 4th Division was formed in Egypt in March 1916 Hughes was appointed to command the 11th A.F.A. Brigade in the rank of lieutenant-colonel. From June 1916 he was in action with his brigade in France and Belgium near Merris, Ypres, Armentières, Fleurbaix, and the Somme. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for especially good leadership at Fleurbaix and in the Ypres salient and was mentioned in dispatches in January 1917. In February he was transferred to command the 5th Divisional Ammunition Column, had a period in command of the Artillery Training Depot in England and returned to the ammunition column in June. He had taken part in the first advance to the Hindenburg line which involved great difficulties in getting the ammunition forward. He relinquished command of the 5th D.A.C. on 15 February 1918.
In March Hughes left for Australia to attend to his father's estate. Released from active duty on 1 July, he married Winifred Ada Teasdale three days later at St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane. He resumed work at the brewery and in April 1920 was appointed company secretary, a post which included management of the company hotels. His interest in military service continued: in December 1919 he was appointed to command the 2nd Field Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery, and in 1927 the 5th Divisional Artillery, A.M.F., as colonel. He was transferred to the retired list in 1933.
In the brewery company, now known as Castlemaine Perkins Ltd, Hughes became a director in September 1939; in 1942 he retired as secretary. He died of cancer on 16 September 1951 in the Mater Misericordiae Private Hospital, Brisbane, and was buried in Toowong cemetery with Catholic rites. His wife and daughter survived him. For twenty-five years his military career had run parallel with his business life and he tended to think of himself as a professional army officer rather than a company executive. In dress uniform, even in his fifties, he had a lean, straight-shouldered, strong appearance. As a company executive he was forceful and decisive, working conscientiously and vigorously. He was generally regarded as fair-minded and popular, if authoritarian. His estate was sworn for probate at £22,541.
