Page 14 - Memorial Groves

PLAQUE NO 19: PLAQUE NO 20: PLAQUE NO 21:
Cpl James Oliver Gemmell C.S.M. Laurence A. Renou DCM
(1903-06) (1908-09)
11th/51st Battalion 52nd Battalion
Killed in Action Mouquet Farm, Pozieres Died of Wounds: Hampshire England
3 Sept 1916. Age 26. 6 November 1916. Age 24.
Not long after the outbreak of the Great War Corporal His father was a civil engineer and the family lived at
Gemmell joined the Western Australian 11th Battalion Cannington. Renou Joined the predominantly Tasmanian
(January 1915) and served with them on Gallipoli. 12th Battalion and then transferred to the more recently
He transferred to the 51st Battalion and travelled with formed 52nd Battalion for the Pozieres offensive, as a
them to France and went into action with them later in the Company Sergeant-Major, having earlier been decorated
year during the great Somme offensive. with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his services on
Gallipoli. He was badly wounded at Pozieres and died of
Dedicated by his family. those wounds in England.
Dedicated by Hale School.
Placed by Mr George Kailis (1961-69), then Chairman of
the Buildings and Grounds sub-committee of the Hale
School Board of Governors.
PLAQUE NO 22:
Cpl Francis H. Christie (1894) Lt-Col Leslie Tilney DSO VD
11th Battalion 16th /13th Battalions
Died Of Wounds: Dieppe France Died of Wounds: Australia. Aged 47.
22 November 1916. Age 34.
Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie Tilney DSO became a regular
Corporal Frank Christie's father was a Perth bank manager. army officer and when war was declared he was appointed
The family lived in West Perth and Frank was enrolled at second-in-charge of the Western Australian 16th Battalion.
Hale School in 1894. On the outbreak of war, Frank joined He served with distinction on Gallipoli and was awarded the
the 6th Reinforcements of the 11th Battalion in time to Distinguished Service Order for his efforts.
serve on Gallipoli. He then went with the battalion to
France and was also wounded at Pozieres. He died some He was subsequently appointed the commanding officer of
weeks later at Dieppe. the 13th Battalion when they were transferred to France. He
was wounded at Pozieres when they were engaged there.
Dedicated by Hale School. He was repatriated to Australia but died of his wounds the
Placed by Mr Ray Hepworth, a member of the Highgate following year.
RSL sub-committee responsible for the manufacture and
maintenance of the hundreds of commemorative plaques Dedicated by Hale School.
in Kings Park. Mr Hepworth's particular help in the Placed by Mr Tom Hoar, former Deputy Headmaster of Hale
commemorative project at Hale has been invaluable and School, whose father and uncle both served in the Western
very much appreciated. Front trenches during the Great War.
"Most of the Australian forces were
then moved northward during the
1916/17 winter lull in the fighting.
Their next involvement was to be in the
region of Bullecourt in March, 1917."