Julie Reece Tours: The Woodside boys will be remembered: Brothers in Arms (1)

The Eglinton brothers: Brothers in Arms (1)

In the previous blog the story of the Zonnebeke five was shared along with the extraordinary efforts by local Belgian inn proprietor, Johan Vandewalle, in building the ‘Brothers in Arms’ memorial in honour of John Hunter and his brother Jim. Following the discovery and recovery of the remains of the five WW1 Australian soldiers in 2006, Johan worked tirelessly to build this magnificent memorial to mark the loss of a brother and his burial by his sibling during the war only to be found over 90 years later. The life-size bronze casting of John and Jim Hunter arrived in Belgium from Australia last month.

The transportation of this magnificent piece was celebrated in Ypres with re-enactors honouring the memorial piece as the motorcade passed through the Menin Gate en-route to Polygon Wood to its final destination on the site adjacent to Johan’s inn, the De Dreve Inn aka ‘Anzac’s Rest’.

On September 25^th the Brothers in Arms memorial will be officially dedicated and will no doubt become a highly desired location for many stories of lost brothers to be shared. It is to be hoped that one week later the 2022 Connecting Spirits Community Tour group will visit this significant site as part of our commemorative programme. One set of brothers from Woodside will be remembered there and, in the lead up to Anzac Day I will be sharing their stories.

The Eglinton brothers are remembered on the Woodside Honour Roll and the three who died in WW1, will each have their stories recounted in the weeks up to April 25th. Four separate blog posts will be published:

1. Clarence Roy EGLINTON

2. Thomas William EGLINTON

3. Laurence EGLINTON

4. A final post from the relative of the Eglinton brothers, Michael Lucas, will give an overview from the family’s perspective.

(The individual blogs on the three Eglinton bothers, are based on the public service records at the National Archives of Australia. www.naa.gov.au )

CLARENCE ROY EGLINTON (3104)

Clarence Roy, born at Terowie, was the first of the Eglinton brothers to enlist, joining up on 6 August 1915 in the midst of the Gallipoli campaign. He was 5 feet and 7 inches in height, with hazel eyes and dark hair. His nominated religion was Church of England.

Just under 24 years of age, Clarence was part of the 7th reinforcements of the famous South Australian 27^th Battalion. His mother Mrs Elizabeth Eglinton of Forest Range was listed as his next of kin.

At the conclusion of several months training in Adelaide, Clarence left for the war on the HMAT ‘Medic’ on 12 January 1916 heading for the training camps in Egypt. On 21 March 1916 Clarence left for the western front aboard the HT ‘Oriana’ departing from the port of Alexandria. Just one week later on the 27^th of March he disembarked at the French port of Marseilles along with the many thousands of other Australian and Commonwealth troops headed for the war on the western front. Nothing the AIF had experienced in the 9 months in Turkey could ever prepare them for what they faced in the mud and trenches of the Somme and the Ypres Salient.

His service record lists him moving towards the front lines in France on July 6 and it is highly likely that in the following months, he was engaged with the 27^th at Pozieres on the Somme. The AIF during the Battle of the Somme at Pozieres suffered horrendous casualties in the 7 weeks they were fighting incurring 23,000 casualties including over 8,000 deaths in that short space of time.

Clarence’s service record doesn’t specify his exact location during this time and is referred to again on the 7^th of November when he was promoted to Lance Corporal.

In the start of the new year Clarence Eglinton suffered a number of serious illnesses requiring ongoing hospitalisation for extended periods and was evacuated to a number of English hospitals during the first part of 1917. He was transferred from the large hospital centre at Rouen and moved to Southwark, Dartford, Weymouth, Bulford, Hurdcott and finally Perham Downs in the UK before finally returning to the front lines once more after 6 months of ongoing medical issues. Clarence was sent back to the Western Front landing in Havre on 6^th of July 1917. At the end of July, he re-joined his unit once more only to be killed in action two months later on the 20^th of September during the 3^rd Battle of Ypres. He was never found and is remembered on the Menin Gate in Ypres, the memorial to the missing 55,000 British and Commonwealth troops who died in the Ypres Salient but were ’ Known Only Unto God’.

When the 2022 Connecting Spirits Community Tour group attend the Last Post ceremony in Ypres this year, we will ensure the Clarence Roy Eglinton will be commemorated at that famous memorial so that his family will know that he has not been forgotten.

Rest in peace Clarence.

Clarence Roy Eglinton (3104) is listed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, Belgium

(Photo credit: Julie Reece)

March 21, 2021 the bronze statue cast in a foundry in Australia finally made its way to Ypres in Belgium to complete the 'Brothers in Arms' memorial the project close to the heart of the person responsible : Johan Vandewalle.

(Photo credit : Gunther Verhaverbeke)

The 'bronze brothers' make their way through the streets of Ypres and onto their final resting place next to Polygon Wood. Johan's mission is finally complete and here at this magnificent memorial the Eglinton brothers will be remembered together.

(Photo credits: Gregory Verfaillie)