Roy Inwood
Roy Inwood | |
---|---|
Birth name | Reginald Roy Inwood |
Born | North Adelaide, South Australia | 14 July 1890
Died | 23 October 1971 St Peters, South Australia | (aged 81)
Allegiance | Australia |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1914–1918 1939–1944 |
Rank | Warrant Officer Class One |
Unit | 10th Battalion (1914–1918) Australian Provost Corps (1939–1943) Military Prison and Detention Barracks Service (1943–1944) |
Battles/wars | World War I
|
Awards | Victoria Cross |
Reginald Roy Inwood,
In 1917, Inwood was with his battalion when it fought in the
Early life
Born Reginald Roy Inwood on 14 July 1890 at North Adelaide, South Australia, he was the eldest son of Edward Inwood and his wife Mary Anne née Minney.[1][2] He had an older sister and three younger brothers.[3] Roy was educated first at the North Adelaide Public School, and after the family moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales, he attended the Broken Hill Model School. After completing his schooling, he found work in the local mining industry, where he was employed at the outbreak of World War I.[1][4][5]
World War I
Gallipoli campaign
On 24 August 1914, Inwood enlisted as a
The 3rd Brigade had been chosen as the covering force for the landing at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, on 25 April.[10] The brigade embarked on the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the destroyer HMS Foxhound, and after transferring to strings of rowing-boats initially towed by steam pinnaces, the battalion began rowing ashore about 4:30 a.m.[10][11] Inwood participated in the heavy fighting at the landing,[12] and other than a short period in hospital in May, was involved in the subsequent trench warfare defending the beachhead, being promoted to lance corporal in August.[13][14] In early May, Robert had joined the battalion on Gallipoli.[15] In September Roy was evacuated sick to Egypt, initially with gastritis and then with rheumatism, and remained there recuperating while the 10th Battalion was withdrawn to Lemnos in November, and subsequently back to Egypt.[2][13][14]
Western Front
1916
The battalion underwent reorganisation and training in Egypt then sailed for France in March 1916 where it was committed to fighting on the
-
Mouquet Farm and its defences, June 1916
-
Mouquet Farm and its defences, September 1916
The battalion was then sent to rest and recuperate for a few weeks at a camp near
1917
Once Inwood returned to the battalion, it was involved in fatigue duties, then training, before moving back into the front line at Le Barque near Bazentin in mid-February 1917. On 25 February, the battalion was involved in an attack in the same sector, incurring about 20 per cent casualties. It was relieved on the same day, initially moving back into support trenches, before marching to the rear a few days later.[25]
Inwood and the rest of the battalion spent March 1917 in reserve and rest areas while Allied forces advanced towards the
The battalion went into action at
The 10th Battalion suffered 207 casualties during the Battle of Menin Road.[37] Inwood was again promoted to lance corporal on 28 September,[38] after which he went on leave to the United Kingdom. On his return, he was promoted to corporal, and then spent several weeks at the 3rd Brigade training school.[39] The 10th Battalion rotated through support, reserve and rest areas throughout November 1917.[40] Inwood's VC citation was published on 26 November 1917, and read:[41][42]
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the advance to the second objective. He moved forward through our barrage alone to an enemy strong post and captured it, together with nine prisoners, killing several of the enemy. During the evening he volunteered for a special all night patrol, which went out 600 yards in front of our line, and there – by his coolness and sound judgment – obtained and sent back very valuable information as to the enemy's movements. In the early morning of the 21 September, Private Inwood located a machine gun which was causing several casualties. He went out alone and bombed the gun and team, killing all but one, whom he brought in as a prisoner with the gun.
— The London Gazette, 23 November 1917
Inwood had another two weeks' leave in the United Kingdom immediately prior to Christmas 1917,[43] during which he was invested with his VC by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 12 December.[44]
1918
The 10th Battalion continued to rotate through front line, support, reserve and rest areas until mid-April 1918 when it travelled north by train, and was involved in an attack at Méteren on 24–25 April, during which it suffered 79 casualties.[45] This was the last fighting that Inwood experienced, as he was sent to the United Kingdom on 29 April, where he was involved in training for several months. He was repatriated to Australia along with nine other VC recipients in August 1918, to take part in a recruiting campaign on the invitation of Prime Minister Billy Hughes.[46][47] He disembarked from the troopship HMAT A7 Medic in Adelaide on 11 October, and was discharged on 12 December,[32][48] the war having ended on 11 November.[8]
Inwood rose to the rank of sergeant by the end of his service.[4][49] As well as the Victoria Cross, he received the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service in World War I.[50] As well as Robert, his other younger brother also served; Private Harold Ray Inwood served with the 43rd Battalion and returned to Australia in 1917 after being wounded.[4][51][52]
Interwar period
Inwood returned to a hero's welcome in Broken Hill in October 1918 but at an event organised in his honour gave a controversial public speech. He claimed he had "been stoned by
No longer welcome in Broken Hill due to his comments, Inwood moved to Adelaide where he married a 23-year-old widow, Mabel Alice Collins, née Weber, on 31 December 1918.[4] In 1919, he was charged with assault and fined.[53] Inwood had difficulty in finding work, and he and Mabel divorced in 1921. He then moved to Queenstown, Tasmania, to work in the mines, and then back to Kangaroo Island in South Australia, where he worked in a eucalyptus distillery. Inwood married Evelyn Owens in 1927. Returning to Adelaide, he was employed by the Adelaide City Council as a labourer from 1928 onwards.[4] By 1937, Evelyn had died.[8]
World War II
Less than a month after the outbreak of World War II, Inwood volunteered for service in the Citizens Military Forces and again enlisted as a private, although he was promoted to sergeant within a week. In March 1940 he was transferred to the 4th Military District (4 MD) Australian Provost Corps (military police) section, and was promoted to staff sergeant. He was then transferred to the 4 MD detention barracks staff in November. He went on leave for three weeks in January–February 1941, and was transferred back to the provost section, later provost company, in November, and two weeks later was promoted to warrant officer class two.[4][54] In April 1942, he was temporarily promoted to warrant officer class one, before being transferred back to a detention barracks in August. Inwood married Louise Elizabeth Gates in 1942, and this was a happy marriage. In June 1943, Inwood was transferred from the Australian Provost Corps to the Military Prison and Detention Barracks Service, and was then posted around various detention barracks, being substantively promoted to warrant officer class one in November 1943. Aged 54, he was medically discharged on 30 November 1944 due to a deterioration in his overall health.[4][55] For his service in World War II, Inwood received the War Medal 1939–1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939–1945.[56] He was also later awarded the King George VI Coronation Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[50]
Post-war
Inwood returned to the Adelaide City Council where he continued working until 1955. He attended the VC centenary celebrations in London the following year. For many years he lived at Norwood, and he died on 23 October 1971 at St Peters.[1][51] He was given a military funeral and buried at the West Terrace AIF Cemetery, Adelaide. Despite his three marriages, he had no children. Inwood maintained strong links with his 10th Battalion comrades over the years, and always marched alongside them in the Adelaide Anzac Day Commemorative March.[4][51] According to his Australian Dictionary of Biography entry, Inwood was "rugged, independent and well-built",[4] but gave the impression that his VC "had not done him much good".[4]
Memorial controversies
In his will, Inwood bequeathed all his war medals to the 10th Battalion Club, who indicated they would donate the VC to the Australian War Memorial. Inwood objected and stated he wanted the medal to remain in Adelaide. In June 1971, with Inwood's consent, the 10th Battalion Club decided to present the VC to the city upon his death. On 25 September 1972, his medals were handed over. They were displayed in the Adelaide Town Hall from 1972 until 1989, when it was decided to place them in a high security vault while a replica medal set was put on display.[57]
In 2005 Inwood's VC became the centre of considerable media and community debate with calls for it to be displayed in the Australian War Memorial's Hall of Valour. After consulting with the Inwood family and other interested parties, it was decided to honour Inwood's dying wishes. In December 2005, funds were allocated to provide security so the original VC could be displayed in the Adelaide Town Hall.[57] In 2007 the debate regarding the sensitive subject briefly reignited.[58]
The 10th Battalion
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Wigmore & Harding 1986, p. 71.
- ^ a b c Staunton 2005, p. 100.
- ^ Genealogy SA 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Gibberd 1983.
- ^ a b Lock 1936, p. 191.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 25–37.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, pp. 1, 6, 8.
- ^ a b c d Blanch & Pegram 2018, p. 162.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 37–42.
- ^ a b Australian War Memorial 2018a.
- ^ Bean 1942, pp. 246–252.
- ^ Lock 1936, p. 192.
- ^ a b National Archives 2018c, pp. 23–24.
- ^ a b Lock 1936, pp. 53–54.
- ^ National Archives 2018b, p. 4.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 54–56.
- ^ a b National Archives 2018c, p. 24.
- ^ Lock 1936, p. 59.
- ^ Bean 1941, p. 593.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Bean 1941, p. 802.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 61–62.
- ^ Lock 1936, p. 62.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 28.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 63–64.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Bean 1937, p. 393.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 65–67.
- ^ Bean 1937, p. 544.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 67–68.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 68–70.
- ^ a b Staunton 2005, pp. 100–102.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 31.
- ^ Brazier 2010, p. 247.
- ^ Madden 2018, p. 177.
- ^ Wigmore & Harding 1986, p. 9.
- ^ Bean 1937, p. 789.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 15.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, pp. 15, 18, 28.
- ^ Lock 1936, p. 73.
- ^ The London Gazette 26 November 1917.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 35.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 16.
- ^ The Journal 13 December 1917.
- ^ Lock 1936, pp. 75–76.
- ^ Australian War Memorial 2018b.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 20.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, pp. 34, 62.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 34.
- ^ a b National Archives 2018c, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Staunton 2005, p. 102.
- ^ National Archives 2018a.
- ^ Madden 2018, p. 178.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, pp. 7–9.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 10.
- ^ National Archives 2018c, p. 53.
- ^ a b Adelaide Town Hall 2018.
- ^ Faulkner 24 September 2007.
- ^ Morgan 15 April 2008.
- ^ Kelton 15 March 2009.
References
Books
- OCLC 216975124.
- Bean, C. E. W. (1941). The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1916. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. III (12th ed.). Sydney, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 220898466.
- Bean, C. E. W. (1937). The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1917. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. IV (5th ed.). Sydney, New South Wales: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 216975066.
- Blanch, Craig; Pegram, Aaron (2018). For Valour: Australians Awarded the Victoria Cross. Sydney, New South Wales: NewSouth. ISBN 978-1-74223-542-4.
- Brazier, Kevin (2010). The Complete Victoria Cross. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84884-150-5.
- Lock, Cecil (1936). The Fighting 10th: A South Australian Centenary Souvenir of the 10th Battalion, A.I.F. 1914–19. Adelaide: Webb & Son. OCLC 220051389.
- Madden, Michael (2018). The Victoria Cross, Australia Remembers. Melbourne, Victoria: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-1-925520-98-9.
- Staunton, Anthony (2005). Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought. Prahran, Victoria: Hardie Grant. ISBN 978-1-74273-486-6.
- ISBN 978-0-642-99471-4.
News and gazettes
- Faulkner, Andrew (24 September 2007). "Cities in tug of war over Digger's hard-won VC". The Australian online. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- "Fighting Heroes. Pte. R. R. Inwood Decorated". The Journal. Vol. LII, no. 14498. South Australia. 13 December 1917. p. 1. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- Kelton, Greg (15 March 2009). "Underpass named after Gallipoli". The Advertiser. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- Morgan, Kym (15 April 2008). "Anzac tunnel feud". Southern Times Messenger online. Archived from the original on 15 August 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- "No. 30400". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 November 1917. p. 12330.
Websites
- "10th Australian Infantry Battalion". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- "Caption of a photograph taken aboard the troopship Medic, Melbourne Australia, October 1918 (P00398.001)". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- Gibberd, Joyce (1983). "Inwood, Reginald Roy (1890–1971)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- "Inwood". Genealogy SA. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- "NAA: B2455, Inwood, Harold Ray". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- "NAA: B2455, Inwood, Robert Minney". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- "NAA: B884, S212249". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- "The story of Reginald Roy Inwood and the Victoria Cross". Adelaide Town Hall. Retrieved 23 December 2018.