BROTHERS TO THE END
Hector & Norman McCoullough - 30th Battalion

Hector Gordon McCoullough, son of Daniel and Mary Jane McCoullough, was born in Cootamundra NSW in 1985. In 1915, on the 19th of July, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Liverpool , aged 20 years and 3 months.

On his forms, Hector listed his father, Daniel McCoullough as next of kin and mentioned that he was no stranger to military service having already served 2 years in the cadets and 2 years in the Militia (44th infantry). He was listed as being 5 foot 10 ¾ inches with dark complexion, brown hair and brown eyes and a body weight of 160 pounds. His religion was listed as Presbyterian and he was currently employed as a wheelwright and bodymaker.

Hector wasn't alone on that day, signing up with him were his friends, 20 year-old labourer Charlie John Mutch and 21 year-old stonemason Samuel Douglas Dickson. Both of these men had also served 2 years in the cadets and 2 years (3 in the case of Dickson) in the Militia.

The three friends became members of the newly established 30th battalion, which was part of the recently created 8th brigade. The government had given the order for the creation of this new brigade (which consisted of the 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd battalions) as they had begun to realise that the war was not going to end soon and that more troops would be needed.

On the 23rd of August 1915 Hector's 18 year-old brother Norman Edgar McCoullough, a hairdresser from Cootamundra, followed his brother's lead and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Liverpool . Instead of joining his brother's battalion Norman was assigned to the 14th re-enforcements of the 1st battalion and was sent to camp. Like his brother, Norman had also served time in the Militia.

At the same time Hector, Charlie and Samuel were encamped at Liverpool , undergoing their training. A dusty, dirty place it was much to the troops delight when the decision was made in September to transfer the men to a camp at Moore Park for further training. Here they stayed until early November when they moved to Woolloomooloo in preparation for embarkation.

While Hector, Charlie and Samuel where preparing to leave, Norman was transferred out of the 1st battalion, joining the 45th battalion, after having been promoted to the rank of Corporal.

On November 9, 1915 Hector, Charlie, Samuel and the rest of the 30th battalion left Sydney onboard the troop transport ship Beltana, bound for the Middle East . The ship arrived at Suez on the 8th of December, but the troops were not allowed to disembark until the 11th due to the backlog of ships and troops in the port. To while away the time whilst waiting the troops conducted miniature regattas using the Beltana's lifeboats.

Once they disembarked at Suez (on December 11) the troops caught a train to Heliopolis , on the outskirts of Cairo , where they set up camp. While here the men were able to explore the local sights and take in the Pyramid, Sphinx and so on. They then marched to the Ferry Post, taking up a position on the eastern bank of the north end of Lake Timsah .

On the 16th of January 1916 Norman left Australia bound for the Middle East as part of the 45th battalion.

In early February the 30th battalion left their station at the Ferry Post and moved to camp at Tel-El-Kebir where Samuel was promoted to Corporal. It was at this stage that the 5th division was formed, consisting of the 8th and 14th brigades and the newly created 15th brigade. By now Norman had arrived in the Middle East and as the creation of the new brigades required more men to be assigned to them from other battalions he was transferred into the 30th battalion with his brother.

After the 5th division was created it returned to defence duties at the canal. During this period Hector got in trouble with the authorities twice, the first time he received 4 days field punishment for disobeying orders and the second time he received 3 days field punishment for going absent without leave (albeit for 15 minutes).

In June, news began to circulate that the 5th division was bound for France and in mid-June preparations were started to facilitate the evacuation of troops from the area. One of the tasks that was required was the culling of all of the equipment and souvenirs the troops had amassed during their time in the desert. One casualty of this cull was the small terrier dog that had become a mascot of the 30th battalion. The dog had been smuggled from Sydney by the 30th battalion's band, hidden inside a tuba. The dog was left with the local kids, who had befriended it in the camp.

On June 16 the 30th battalion  embarked for France , with Hector, Norman, Samuel and Charlie travelling aboard the Hororata. The transport ship arrived in Marseilles on the 23rd of June and the men then took a train to Steenbecque in Northern France . From here they marched to billets at Morbecque.

The next day they marched (carrying 70 pounds each) to further billets in old school houses at Estaires before finally reaching their destination, Jesus Farm in Erquinghem, on the 9th of July.

On the 11th of July the 30th battalion was called upon to relieve British troops in the area of Bois Grenier. For many men this was their first experience of life on the front and although they saw no actual action there was constant machine gun fire and shelling and the battalion lost two men (with 14 wounded) during the four day period they were there.

After being relieved they moved to the village of Fleurbaix , near Fromelles, and were put to work stocking supply dumps behind the main lines in preparation for the attacks to follow.

The 8th brigade were to hold positions on the left hand side of the Australian front during the battle of Fromelles (they were faced with the ‘shortest' no man's land) with the 32nd and 31st battalions the attacking battalions and the 29th and 30th being held in reserve.

On July 19, the days of waiting ended when men went over the top around 6pm . As soon as the 32nd and 31st had moved forward to try and take the German lines the 30th battalion moved into the vacated trenches and set to work trying to build a trench across no man's land and running supplies out to those of the attacking battalions who had already broken through the German lines. Given the amount of time members of the 30th battalion were exposed to the enemy gunners it is little wonder the battalion was decimated.

During the attacks Hector was mortally wounded while his brother received a gunshot wound to the abdomen, being removed to the 13th general hospital in Boulogne . Following the battle a field enquiry was held to determine Hector's fate. During this there were two separate witness statements taken as to what had happened.

The first from a Private McDiarmind. “McCollough stayed out in the open with a wounded companion until stretcher bearers could get out. McCollough was unwounded but fell sick after and was removed to hospital, from which he hasn't returned.”

The second from a Lance Corporal Bishop. “I saw H.G McCollough lying face up on the parapet and remarked to my chum ‘There lies poor long Mack.' The man was dead but as I was wounded could not tell if he was buried by Germans or English.”

Either way his remains were never recovered and on July 28 his status was changed from missing to killed in action.

Norman recovered from his wound after spending time in England and returned to his battalion in December 1916, being wounded again in January 1917. This wound was more serious than his last and it took almost seven months for him to recover. After rejoining his unit is late 1917 he fell ill and was eventually returned to Australia and discharged.

Research Notes:

1) In May 1917, 18 year-old farm hand Daniel John McCollough followed in the footsteps of his brothers, enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force and being assigned to the 35th battalion. He was sent to France and was wounded in April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux.

2) In February 1918 the transport ship Marathon , returned one package of Hector's belongings to his father, Daniel. This package contained Hector's identity disc.

3) In 1923 Hector's mother received and signed for his medals (he was entitled to a trio – 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal) his memorial scroll and death plaque along with a copy of the information booklet Where The Australians Rest (which is a book detailing the graveyards of France where Australian soldiers are buried, given to next of kin as most would never be able to visit)

4) Hector Gordon McCollough is commemorated on wall 2 of the VC Corner Memorial in Fromelles as well as on the Cootamundra war memorial.

5) Was the wounded man Hector is said to have remained with his brother?

Photos:

1) Hector McCoullough.

2) Hector McCoullough, Charlie John Mutch and Samuel Douglas Dickson.

3) Hector's memorial at VC Corner, photo by Robert Pike.

4) Cootamundra town memorial.