The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai PeninsulaCollett, Herbert Brayley
History
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I: Egypt, Gallipoli, Lemnos Island, Sinai Peninsula
Collett, Herbert Brayley
Australia. Australian Army. Battalion, 28th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Australia
No chaplains were appointed to the Battalion, but four were gazetted to
the Brigade. One of these, the Very Rev. Dean D. A. Brennan, of the
Roman Catholic Denomination, and lately stationed at Narrogin, reported
at Blackboy Camp. For many months he was attached to the 28th and shared
its life in Egypt, Gallipoli, France, and Belgium.
The process of selection for the various appointments and duties took
time. In the meanwhile the work of organising the platoons and companies
continued, and much care was devoted to the training and equipping. For
the first fortnight or so equipment came along very slowly. The Ordnance
Stores were practically empty. Fresh supplies had to be obtained from
the Eastern States, or collected from the Citizen Force units. It was
not until within a few days of embarkation that all demands were met.
This condition of affairs was bound to have an adverse effect on
training, but, on the whole, much progress was made, and the unit soon
began to take form and become easier to administer and handle. The
number of officers available gradually increased, and two warrant or
non-commissioned officers of the Instructional Staff were attached to
each company in order to assist. The latter did exceedingly valuable
work. A special class was formed for the purpose of instructing in their
duties those men who aspired to wear stripes. In the training of
sections and platoons, emphasis was laid on the necessity for obtaining
a condition of physical fitness, and acquiring a thorough knowledge of
the use of the rifle, the bayonet, and the spade. Physical exercises
were followed by short marches of one or two hours' duration. After
passing the elementary tests, companies, in turn, proceeded to Osborne
Rifle Range and fired the recruits' course of musketry. A satisfactory
figure of merit was obtained. For the more advanced training it was
intended to move the Battalion to a camp at Rockingham. During the
second week in May two companies proceeded there and the camp was
established under the command of Major Davies. However, on account of
the rumoured early embarkation, these companies had to be recalled, and
the whole unit was once more concentrated at Blackboy Hill. Training
proceeded energetically, with the result that officers, and other ranks
within the companies, quickly settled down--daily becoming more and more
accustomed to their tasks.
[Illustration: THE REGIMENTAL SIGNALLERS.]
[Illustration: MACHINE GUN SECTION.
_Photos. lent by Captain G. D. Shaw._]
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