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Case Study
Alfred Galbraith, Sapper
Alfred George Finlay Galbraith was twenty years of age when he enlisted at Broadmeadows near Melbourne in June 1915. Australian soldiers had been fighting at Gallipoli for four months and news of the assault had filtered back with heroic tales of 'The Baptism of Fire' of the new Australian Nation. Galbraith was rejected by the Army at first, however selection requirements became less rigorous after the Gallipoli landing and his second attempt to enlist was successful.
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Alfred Galbraith
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Galbraith had been an electrician prior to joining up. The army utilised his existing skills and, after signals training at Broadmeadows, he was made a Sapper in the 2nd Division Signal Engineers. Sappers were responsible for running out cable in shallow trenches for wire and radio communications.
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Galbraith sailed from Port Melbourne in November 1915 on the SS Ceramic. He arrived in Egypt in time for Christmas and wrote home to his family about the delicacies purchased for a celebratory dinner and life at Ismailia training camp. Galbraith had a strong connection with his family and sent letters and messages home regularly. |
Letter home
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In March 1916 a new division of the Australian Army was created from available troops in Egypt. The 5th Division took on Galbraith in its Signal Company. The new Division was trained at Tel-el-Kibir and held a section of the Suez Canal defences. In June 1916, the 5th Division sailed to Marseilles and entrained north to Hazebrouck, France. The men were billeted and trained 40 kilometres from the front line in French Flanders. They lived in barns and outbuildings that ranged from clean, dry and warm to very uncomfortable. Training included musketry, bayonet fighting, fitness drills and the use of gas masks, in preparation for the trench warfare of the Western Front.
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Group of Sappers and Privates.
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On the 15th of July 1916 the 5th Division took over a section of the front
known as the 'nursery', favoured as a place to introduce and initiate troops
to the trenches. At 8pm on his first day at the front Galbraith was killed
by an exploding shell whilst moving from one dugout to another. He and a fellow
soldier, Thomas Johnston were killed. It had been less than a month since
Galbraith had arrived in France and a year to the day since he had enlisted.
Galbraith and Johnston were probably the first men of the 5th Division to be
killed on the Western Front.
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Letter to Galbraith's mother.
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If Galbraith had not died on the 15th, he probably would not have survived much longer. On 19 - 20 July his Division was involved in the Battle at Fromelles with appalling losses. The inexperienced 5th Division was crippled by this battle; it suffered 5,533 casualties in 24 hours and many men were taken prisoner.
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