August Offensive at Gallipoli

The August Offensive or also known as the Battle of Sari Bair was the last major attempt made by the allied forces at Gallipoli to break the stalemate that had persisted since the landings in April. The Offensive started on 6 August 1915 and ended on 27 August 1915.  The plan involved a series of attacks being made out of the ANZAC position to secure high points along the Sari Bari Range which was a feature of the Gallipoli Peninsula.  These operations would be supported by several diversionary attacks along the existing ANZAC front line.

Some of the areas where the battles took place include Lone Pine , The Nek, Chunuk Bair, Hill 971.  As well British forces landed at Suvla Bay to establish a base area to sustain the ANZAC position through the coming winter.  The idea was when this base area was secure they would join the main attack. Of course this did not happen as the offensive failed miserably.

 The end result of the offensive was an enlarged prison for which the Allies  paid a high price in men and materials. The appalling nature of the terrain, the complex plan and the overly ambitious objectives set for the already fatigued troops made the ‘fog of war’ a crucial factor. Indeed, the August Offensive clearly demonstrates what happens when an overriding strategic objective does not take into account the tactical difficulties on the ground. 

Map  showing the August Offensive. (www.nzhistory.net.nz)

at the Hotel de Continental

From the Ballarat Courier, July 22, 1915

This article we noticed in the 100 year old Courier this week expresses the humour and joie de vivre of the men at Gallipoli, even in the extreme circumstances in which they find themselves.  There were other letters in the Courier written by soldiers this week, and not all so funny.

Employers Do Their Part

The 100 year old Courier indicates that patriotism was rife in Ballarat in July 1915.  There has been a flurry of letters to the Editor concerning men working as drapers, why were they not serving? The unfortunate men have replied strongly, as having wives and children to support, and married men not having been called in any case. Remember you can use Trove to browse the Ballarat Courier and the Ballarat Star in the Great War years.

Meanwhile we noticed this article - employers promising men joining up that their positions would be held for them.  We decided to include it in this week's blog, because it provides an interesting list of Ballarat employers - names well known to us in the Australiana Room.

From the Ballarat Courier, Wednesday July 14, 1915

A descendant of Chinese goldminers joins up

One of the final trees to be planted in the Avenue of Honour - number 3351 belongs to a soldier named Clarence Rupert Lepp. It was planted by Miss M Streeter on June 9, 1919.

Clarence was born in Ballarat East in 1895, one of nine children born to James Henry and Emma Dinah Lepp (nee Foon). He gave his occupation on his enlistment papers as 'ham and bacon curer'. Clarence’s grandfather, James Wong Lepp, was a Chinese miner who emigrated to Victoria from Canton in 1853. James later became the manager and owner of the Golden Point Hotel.

Clarence enlisted in the AIF on 15 July 1915, some eight weeks after the disastrous landing at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli. That July saw a huge upswing in the numbers of AIF volunteers, with over 37 000 men joining up.

Clarence's family were well represented in the AIF, with his two older brothers and three cousins also enlisted.

At the time of joining, Clarence was just over 20 years old. Recruitment criteria had previously been quite strict in the AIF, with soldiers having to be at least 5 feet 6 inches but in July these restrictions were lowered so that Clarence, at 5 feet 2 inches was now eligible to join up. Clarence's father had died in 1908, so his papers give his mother as his next of kin.

Private Clarence Rupert Lepp was assigned to the 4^th Reinforcements of the 24^th Battalion and, after rudimentary training in Broadmeadows, sailed for Egypt at the end of September aboard HMAT Honorato. 

 

Clarence Lepp is sitting front and center in this photograph, taken sometime before his embarkation in September 1915. His brother James is standing behind him, second from the right. This picture includes other diggers of Chinese descent and is a very historically important photograph.  It was very kindly lent to us for use in this blog by Susan J. Dick, who received the photograph from her mother-in-law, Patricia J. (Egan) Autry, a niece of Albert Mong, the soldier sitting at lower left.

The soldiers' names, from left to right, are:

Top: Albert Hon, John Fenotti (d.1916),

Center: Leslie Richard Robertson, Albert George Crees, James Edwin Clarence Lepp, Harold Furlong,

Seated: Albert Mong, Clarence Rupert Lepp, Stanley Welsh (d. 1917).

 

The Sheppard family of Ballarat East

A few months ago we wrote about the Sheppard brothers of Ballarat East, and we were really thrilled to hear from a member of the family, Grace, who remembers both Albert and Charles – Albert was her grandfather.

Grace sent us some photographs of the family to add to this blog and here they are.

The Sheppard family in the garden at Rowe St - George and Mary with their children, Harrie (b.1882), Adeline (1885), Alfred (1887), Charles (1889), Anne (1892), Albert (1894) and Mary (1898). There are 2 more older brothers not in this photograph, Hugh and William. (Worked out from birth records)

 

Two photgraphs of Albert Sheppard, the one above in AIF uniform, the one below I think the uniform of the Royal Australian Engineers, where Albert was serving when war was declared. Will check this with some of our military experts

This one is simply labelled "War postcard"

Grace writes  "My grandfather Albert Sheppard first went to Gallipoli with his brother where he was given a distinguished conduct medal.  He then went to France being wounded in action then returned to Australia in October 1918. He ended up making the army his career.

"His family consisted of William, Hugh, Harry, Adeline, Albert, Charles, Anne and Mary - the parents' names were George and Mary.

"Members of our family have visited the trees planted for the brothers including myself.  I am not sure whether my grandfather visited them though as I was only one when he died in July 1958." 

Thankyou Grace for supplying this extra information about your family.

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If you have anything to add to any of our blog posts please do get in touch with us at the library, we aim to discover and share information about Ballarat and the Great War, and the people involved.