Walter Peeler
Walter Peeler | |
---|---|
Born | Barker's Creek, Victoria | 9 August 1887
Died | 23 May 1968 Caulfield South, Victoria | (aged 80)
Buried | |
Allegiance | Australia |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Years of service |
|
Rank | Warrant Officer Class II |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Other work | Custodian of the Shrine of Remembrance (1934–1964) |
Walter Peeler, VC, BEM (9 August 1887 – 23 May 1968) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. He was decorated following his actions during the Battle of Broodseinde in October 1917. Then a lance corporal in the Australian Imperial Force, he repeatedly took the lead in the 37th Battalion's advance on well-defended German positions, destroying four machine gun posts and killing more than 30 German soldiers during the battle.
Born near
Peeler re-settled with his family in Victoria, and was appointed the inaugural custodian of Melbourne's
Early life
Walter "Wally" Peeler was born at Barker's Creek, near Castlemaine, Victoria, on 9 August 1887. He was the eighth child of William Peeler, a farmer and miner, and his English-born wife Mary Ellen (née Scott). As a youth Peeler worked in his parents' orchard, before gaining employment with Thompson's Foundry in Castlemaine.[2][3][4] On 10 July 1907, he wed Emma Hewitt;[2] the couple were to have five children.[3] An active sportsman, Peeler was a member of the Castlemaine Cricket Club and, briefly, secretary of the Wesley Hill Football Club.[4]
First World War
By 1916, Peeler was living in the
Two weeks later, the 3rd Pioneer Battalion was posted to the
On 7 June 1917, Peeler participated in the initial assault on Messines Ridge. Manning a Lewis gun during the action,[8] he was injured twice, suffering shrapnel wounds to his face and eye from an artillery shell, and a gunshot wound to his right cheek.[7][8] He spent three days in hospital before returning to his battalion. On 22 June, he was once again promoted to lance corporal.[7] The 3rd Pioneer Battalion spent the next four months in a quieter section of the front.[8]
Victoria Cross
As part of the third stage of General Sir Herbert Plumer's Passchendaele offensive, an attack against Broodseinde was scheduled for 4 October 1917.[9][10] The 3rd Australian Division's 10th Australian Infantry Brigade was one of the assault formations charged with delivering the main blow, and ultimately with seizing the heavily defended Broodseinde Ridge.[10] To provide defence against low-flying German aircraft during the attack, a group of 24 men, including Peeler, from the 3rd Pioneer Battalion's machine gun section were attached to the 10th Brigade's 37th Battalion.[3][10][11]
The attack on Broodseinde began at 06:00 under the cover of an artillery barrage.[10] Armed with a Lewis Gun, Peeler advanced with the initial wave. The Australians rapidly crossed the first 100 metres (110 yd) before becoming pinned down by a party of nine German soldiers, who were situated in a shellhole and sniping at the advancing troops.[2][12] Firing his machine gun from the hip, Peeler dashed forward across the exposed ground and shot the group of Germans, "clearing the way for the advance".[2][12][13] He performed similar feats on two subsequent occasions, killing several German soldiers and emerging unscathed.[2][13]
The Australian force continued to press their assault, encountering pillboxes and machine gun positions as they pushed forward. One such machine gun position, situated in the open, held up the advance. Firing a single burst from his Lewis Gun,[13] Peeler killed the gunner and caused the remainder of the gun's defenders to seek cover in a nearby dugout.[12][14] One of the Australians then lobbed a "well aimed" grenade into the dugout, driving out ten soldiers whom Peeler then shot.[13][14] Described as being "particularly prominent in the advance" by historian Charles Bean,[11] Peeler "almost single-handedly" destroyed four German posts in an hour,[13] accounting for more than 30 soldiers.[2][3]
By 07:15 the following morning, the 37th Battalion had captured its objective, having seized eight pillboxes, several concrete dugouts, 20 machine guns and 420 prisoners. Two hours later, the Australians were in possession of Broodseinde Ridge.[15] For his actions during the battle, Peeler was awarded the Victoria Cross; one of two Australians to be so decorated that day.[2] On 12 October, eight days after Peeler's actions, the men of the 10th Brigade returned to the front line in an effort to exploit the success of the previous week. The ground in front of their position was dominated by a series of German pillboxes and had been turned into a quagmire by heavy rain.[16] The brigade's attack was soon subject to a "torrent of machine gun fire",[16] and Peeler was severely wounded in his right arm. Initially evacuated to the 11th Australian Field Ambulance casualty station, it was decided that his wound necessitated treatment in England so he embarked for the Northampton War Hospital on 15 October, arriving the following day.[7][8]
While recuperating in England, the announcement and accompanying citation for Peeler's Victoria Cross was promulgated in a supplement to the London Gazette on 26 November 1917, reading:[14]
War Office, 26th November, 1917.
His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officer, Non-commissioned Officers and Men: —
No. 114 L./Cpl. Walter Peeler, Aus. Imp. Force.
For most conspicuous bravery when with a Lewis gun accompanying the first wave of the assault he encountered an enemy party sniping the advancing troops from a shell-hole.
L./Cpl. Peeler immediately rushed the position and accounted for nine of the enemy, and cleared the way for the advance. On two subsequent occasions he performed similar acts of valour, and each time accounted for a number of the enemy.
During operations he was directed to a position from which an enemy machine gun was being fired on our troops. He located and killed the gunner, and the remainder of the enemy party ran into a dugout close by. From this shelter they were dislodged by a bomb, and ten of the enemy ran out. These he disposed of.
This non-commissioned officer actually accounted for over thirty of the enemy.
He displayed an absolute fearlessness in making his way ahead of the first wave of the assault, and the fine example which he set ensured the success of the attack against most determined opposition.
Recuperation and repatriation
As news of Peeler's decoration spread, it prompted a "wave of celebrations" in his hometown of Castlemaine; flags flew in his honour, and one of his daughters was cheered by fellow pupils at her school.
On 22 June 1918, Peeler was posted to the Corps Gas School for eight days.
Inter-war years
Following his discharge, Peeler gained employment with the soldier-settler branch of the Victorian Department of Lands. He remained with the department for six years, before acquiring an orchard in the Castlemaine district. However, this venture proved short-lived and he soon returned with his family to Melbourne, joining the
Second World War
Enlistment and Syrian Campaign
On 27 May 1940, Peeler enlisted in the
On 7 April 1941, the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion embarked aboard
The 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion was initially divided up, with each company attached to a different brigade of the 7th Division. Peeler's D Company—assigned to the 25th Brigade—was originally tasked with the maintenance and general repair of the road network in its locality. However, when the Vichy French launched a counter-attack on 15 June, the battalion was concentrated in the Merdjayoun area in an effort to prevent any further French gains.[20] On the night of 27 June, after a costly assault against the Vichy French at Merdjayoun earlier that day, Peeler led out a patrol to recover the wounded. Four soldiers were discovered and brought back to the Australian lines.[18][21] Despite suffering heavy casualties in Syria, the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion served throughout the campaign, including participation in the decisive Battle of Damour in July.[20]
After the Vichy French defeat in Syria, the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion was relocated to Tripoli, Lebanon where it headquartered itself in an olive grove while carrying out training and garrison duties over the next four months. During November, the battalion was moved to Qatana in Syria, but with the entry of Japan into the war in late 1941, the 1st Australian Corps including the 6th and 7th Divisions were directed to move to the Netherlands East Indies for service in the Pacific theatre.[20] In January 1942, Peeler was among the men of the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion who embarked aboard HMT Orcades for Sumatra but later diverted to Java.[22] He was promoted to Warrant Officer Class II during this time.[7]
Defence of Java and prisoner of war
The 1st Australian Corps with the 6th and 7th Division were moving from the Middle East to
On 28 February 1942, elements of the
Peeler was among a contingent of Australian captives transported to work on the
Later life and legacy
Peeler resumed his duties as custodian of the Shrine of Remembrance on his discharge, guiding visitors around the memorial.
My wartime experiences are nothing to make a splash about ... I'm just an ex-soldier who did his job. I never saw the faces of those I killed. They were just men in an enemy uniform. It was simply them or me. I don't think I was brave—not any more than the other Aussies who were with me. I simply had a job to do and I did it ... Only afterwards did I realise how lucky I'd been not to get killed myself.
— Walter Peeler
Peeler died at his home in
Notes
- ^ Wigmore 1957, p. 503
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Staunton 2005, p. 110
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
- ^ a b c Snelling 2000, p. 172
- ^ a b "Peeler, Walter" (PDF). First World War Embarkation Roll. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "Walter Peeler". The AIF Project. Australian Defence Force Academy. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Peeler, Walter VX8345". Records Search. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Snelling 2000, p. 173
- ^ "Battle of Broodseinde Ridge". Australian Military Units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d Snelling 2000, p. 167
- ^ a b Bean 1941, p. 850
- ^ a b c "Recommendation for Walter Peeler to be awarded a Victoria Cross" (PDF). Recommendations: First World War. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Snelling 2000, p. 168
- ^ a b c "No. 30400". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 November 1917. p. 12329.
- ^ Snelling 2000, p. 169
- ^ a b Snelling 2000, p. 170
- ^ Macklin 2006, p. 214
- ^ a b c d e f Staunton 2005, p. 112
- ^ a b "Peeler, Walter". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2/2nd Pioneer Battalion". Australian military units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
- ^ Long 1953, pp. 450–451
- ^ a b Wigmore 1957, p. 446
- ^ Wigmore 1957, pp. 457, 495–496
- ^ Wigmore 1957, p. 496
- ^ a b Wigmore 1957, pp. 499–501
- ^ Wigmore 1957, pp. 502–503
- ^ Wigmore 1957, pp. 536–537
- ^ "Peeler, Donald". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ "Peeler, Donald". Casualty Details. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ "Recommendation for Donald Peeler to be Mentioned in Despatches" (PDF). Index to Recommendations: Second World War. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d Snelling 2000, p. 174
- ^ "No. 42370". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1961. p. 4174.
- ^ Snelling 2000, pp. 171, 174
- ^ "Victoria Crosses at the Memorial". Hall of Valour. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
References
- OCLC 17648490.
- OCLC 3134080.
- ISBN 1-74114-830-8.
- Snelling, Stephen (2000). Passchendaele 1917. ISBN 0-905778-60-X.
- Staunton, Anthony (2005). Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles They Fought. Prahan, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 1-74066-288-1.
- Wigmore, Lionel (1957). The Japanese Thrust. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army. Vol. 4. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3134219.
External links
- "Walter "Wally" Peeler". 150 Years: 150 Lives. Brighton Cemetery. Retrieved 11 October 2009.