WITH VALOUR
Thomas Kerr- 60th Battalion
Born in Rosedale Victoria in 1888, farmer Thomas Kerr enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in May 1915 after having spent time as a Sergeant in the 13 th Light Horse regiment in Geelong . Soon after enlisting he was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
After spending time in camp at Broadmeadows he embarked for the Middle East as part of the 23 rd battalion on the transport ship Commonwealth in November 1915. According to Kerr's diaries the trip was a tricky one, marred by bouts of sea sickness. However once he recovered he did get to do a spot of whale watching!
Once he disembarked at Suez in January he went to the Aerodrome Camp and began to acclimatise to life in Egypt . In his diary he notes visiting the Pyramids, exploring Cairo and going to the races at Geziah. Eventually the battalion was moved to Heliopolis and in late February Kerr transferred to the newly formed 60 th battalion.
The battalion then marched to the Ferry Post where Kerr and the rest of the men enjoyed a much deserved “spell-o” after the gruelling journey where it was “120 degrees in the waterbag.” Once recuperated the men seemed to enjoy their time there and Kerr notes some of the activities;
“25 April. Anzac Sports in the desert. Major Short won 100 yards. Very hot. Dicky got beaten. Col Field would not let boys run in shorts! ”
However, June was soon upon then and as much as the men had become used to life in the desert it was time to leave for France and the front. Kerr (who had just been promoted to Captain) and the rest of the 60th battalion set sail on the transport ship Kinfauns Castle , disembarking at Marseilles and taking a train to northern France . Kerr eventually settled into billets near Sailly where he soon found himself “busy making preparations for attack.”
When those attacks eventuated on July 19, Kerr proved himself amidst the most difficult of circumstances, being wounded in the shoulder and ribs. However, despite his injuries he continued to lead his men and was ultimately awarded a Military Cross for his actions. His Military Cross citation reads;
“At Setillow on 19 th July 1916 , Lt Kerr displayed conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty under very heavy artillery and machine gun fire. He was wounded immediately after going over the parapet in the charge but pushed on. After crossing the River Layes he organised a party and led them forward. Having got as close as possible to the German trenches, he found no one in front of him. His small party were the only survivors near him. He ordered them to dig in and sent back a message that he and his party were waiting and could go no further without reinforcements. These did not arrive and after waiting some considerable time he succeeded in making his way back to our parapet. After having his wounds dressed he refused to go into hospital and remained on duty rendering valuable assistance in collecting the shattered remnants of the 60 th battalion.”
Following the battle Kerr, who was now the CO for the battalion, remained on duty (according to his diary he didn't have his wounds dressed until several days later), finally leaving in early August to recuperate. Kerr seemed to enjoy his time off looking around France and relates a couple on interesting incidences in his diary;
“17-20 August. At Wisques. Learning a little. The King (George) called to inspect us along with the Prince and a lot of other Hobos! Was glad to see me and a few others. 21-23 August. At Wisques. Our Brig came up with Lt Col Denehy and Norman Marshall (Major). ‘Pompey' wasn't too well dressed and we were all a bit ashamed of his clothes. Must advice him to call a tailor. 24 August. Nearing end of our extremely pleasant month. Syndicate dinner. 25 August. Prepared for the big stunt on Monday viz: Blowing up and consolidating of crater. 26 August. Big sports day. No 1 Wing won cup. GHD won open 100 yards. 27 August. Wiring competition. No 1 Syndicate won same. G and D and self went to St Omer. 28 August. Big demonstration at Wisques. Blew up crater. 600 officers witnessed proceedings. 8 tons of ammo. Hell of a waste of time and money.”
After returning to action Kerr took part in operations at Bapaume, Beaumetz and Morchies before taking leave in mid 1917 to travel to Paris and the UK . Whilst in the UK he went to the 15 th Infantry Training Battalion at Hurdcott, retuning to France in May 1918, just in time to play the 29th battalion in football!
Kerr then travelled with his unit as it moved seeing action at Villers-Bretenneux, Heilly, Dernancourt, Ville Sur Ancre and Morlancourt before being promoted to Major and becoming the Liason Officer for the 5 th Division. In September 1918 Kerr was wounded in action near Peronne but again remained on duty. After this he transferred to the 57 th battalion and returned to the UK for Officer Training before returning to Australia and being discharged on the 9 th of July 1919 .
In 1919 he married Margaret Allardyce and the couple had two children, Faye and Margaret. During the Second World War he enlisted in the Australian Military Forces and was sent to the 1 st Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps on part time duty.
Kerr passed away in August 1967 and is memorialised at Springvale Cemetery , Melbourne .
Research Notes:
1) The excerpts of Kerr's diary quoted in this research were taken from Robin Corfield's book Hold Hard Cobbers.
2) The 60th battalion lost the football game to the 29th by 9 points.
3) Kerr's diary mentions many names including Captain Akeroyd.
Photos:
1) Thomas Kerr, photo taken from Hold Hard Cobbers by Robin Corfield.
2) Group photo featuring officers of the 60th battalion, Kerr is in the front row, second from right. AWM C01871
3) Grave at Springvale Cemetery , photo by staff.