‘A pretty place’ – Kingston’s Lance Corporal Vin Dalton comes to Lemnos

1 week ago 8

Sitting successful Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall precocious sipping my frappe and watching the passing parade, I wondered however galore of my chap customers realised the hidden connections to Greece that surround them. I was ruminating connected the tens of thousands of non-Hellenic Australians who person relatives and household friends who erstwhile came to Greece arsenic Anzacs crossed some world wars. Along with the galore different nationalities who served successful these campaigns who present telephone Australia home, we virtually person tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of Australians of non-Hellenic practice who person these idiosyncratic household oregon relationship connections to Greece.

I person met galore of these radical with their household stories of Greece, sometimes half-remembered and with small records, others with ample and important archives that I person assisted successful their preservation, such arsenic those of Private Syd Grant and Sergeant Alfred Huggins who some served successful the Greek run of 1941. It was my bully person Dr Peter Ewer’s faithful video signaling of galore veterans of this aforesaid run that ensured that our caller documentary – Anzac The Greek Chapter – had such resonance crossed some the Australian Hellenic and the wider assemblage arsenic evidenced by the affirmative responses we received from its screenings.

I person besides sought to recount the idiosyncratic experiences of such Anzacs successful my ain publications – Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed, From Imbros Over The Sea and Grecian Adventure – emphasising however the Hellenic nexus to Australia’s Anzac story connects peoples and communities successful a very idiosyncratic way. These tin beryllium traumatic stories of terrible nonaccomplishment and wounded but besides experiences of escapade and exhilaration arsenic well arsenic communal solidarity arsenic these young Australians met with the support of section Greek civilians. They are besides wartime experiences that were combined with subject defeat, often over-shadowed by erstwhile oregon subsequent campaigns, starring to the fading of their bequest for galore not straight connected to them. I judge that this is why galore respond so positively to the re-telling of their stories.

So I thought it was perfectly due to suggest 1 of Eaton Mall’s Greek cafes arsenic the spot for maine to conscionable up with different 1 of this often under-appreciated Australian Greek Diaspora. I had received a connection from Roger Dalton, enquiring astir purchasing a transcript of my publication connected Lemnos and proffering some details of his gramps Vincent oregon Vin Dalton who came to Lemnos successful 1915. Like each of these encounters this was an exchange, a coming together, arsenic I sought to larn astir this young Australian’s clip connected Lemnos and Roger sought much accusation arsenic to however his household story fitted into the wider acquisition of Australians connected Lemnos and Greece successful WW1. It was an enjoyable and fruitful treatment sitting connected 1 sunny day successful Oakleigh’s Greek quarter.

The pursuing relationship of Vin’s war and his clip connected Lemnos are drawn from this discussion, Vin’s idiosyncratic subject records, his battalion war diaries and from a single missive that helium wrote location to his aunt dated 24th July 1915 which was printed successful his section paper the Ballarat Star. The work by newspapers of such backstage communications from the beforehand was a communal occurrence astatine the time.

Born successful Kingston, northbound of Ballarat, 24 year aged Vin was surviving astatine Ararat and working arsenic a miner successful a golden excavation when helium enlisted astatine Broadmeadows successful August 1914, the period the war broke out. He was assigned to the 8th Battalion’s E Company. They departed Melbourne aboard the troopship HMAT Benalla successful October 1914, hardly two months since they were formed.

After weeks of subject training successful the sands of Egypt, the Battalion departed Alexandria connected 8th April heading northbound connected a voyage that would take them to Lemnos and ultimately Gallipoli. As Vin wrote location the soldiers “had nary thought arsenic to where we were going, but there was some wild guessing.” He writes of however they sailed past respective islands earlier arriving astatine a “small Greek Island called Lemnos”, the Battalion War Diary confirming their accomplishment successful Mudros Bay connected 11th April. As they sailed successful Vin and his comrades would person seen the increasing assembly of Allied vessels astatine anchor successful the large bay.

The War Diary records that the Battalion were “exercised” betwixt 15th and 17th April with signifier astatine disembarkation successful mentation for the coming landings. Vin’s missive location talks of the Battalion having gone ashore and marched done the town, presumably Mudros connected the Bay’s eastbound shore. He writes of it being “a beauteous place” and noted the windmills and spinning wheels to beryllium seen onshore. These were the windmills that crushed the islanders nutrient and the wheels from which the section women made their woollen garments and different products. These scenes tin beryllium seen successful some of the photographs taken by different Australian soldiers who came to the Island. He doesn’t notation it but Vin whitethorn besides person interacted with the locals arsenic different Australians did, purchasing some caller nutrient from the sellers connected their caiques successful the harbour oregon successful the village streets. Like galore others Vin commented connected Lemnos being “an old-fashioned place, and very overmuch down the times.”

As a soldier of the 8th Battalion, Vin was amongst some of the archetypal Australian troops to depart Mudros Bay, sailing astir Lemnos connected the evening of 24th April earlier uncovering temporary anchorage successful its bluish Pournia Bay, famed successful Homer’s Iliad. Aboard this flotilla was the Australian authoritative analogous Charles Bean. We cognize from his missive location that helium was excited astatine the imaginable of the coming landing. I wonder what helium thought of the large Island of Imbros, arsenic they sailed past this Island to the north-east of Lemnos earlier anchoring disconnected its seashore to hole for the last travel to Anzac Cove.

Vin would take portion successful the landings astatine Anzac Cove connected the greeting of 25th April, his missive location describing the ferocity and disorder of the fighting, “a time I will ne'er hide arsenic agelong arsenic I live.” Ten days aboriginal the Battalion would take portion successful the disastrous 2nd conflict of Krithia. A photograph depicts the Battalion resting earlier the frontline a time oregon so earlier their onslaught arsenic portion of the Australian 2nd Brigade. The brigade sustained implicit 1000 casualties (killed, missing oregon wounded) during this battle. Vin’s relationship of his taking portion successful this “exciting charge” which “will ne'er beryllium beaten” is tempered by his statement of his having been wounded and struggling backmost to the information of his entrenchment. Vin and the Battalion would instrumentality to the beforehand astatine Anzac Cove and take portion successful the conflict of Lone Pine successful aboriginal August.

The troops warring connected the Gallipoli Peninsula were beset with intestinal illnesses owed to the mediocre sanitation conditions. Vin had his archetypal bout of such illnesses successful July, treated connected the Peninsula and aft 6 days returned to duty. After being promoted successful the tract to Lance Corporal connected 27th July, Vin was again struck by unwellness connected 25th August but this clip helium was sufficiently sick to beryllium sent from the Peninsula for treatment. It is not wide if helium came ashore for treatment astatine either Imbros oregon Lemnos but helium was σύντομα connected his way for aesculapian treatment astatine the Allied subject hospitals connected Malta. He would not instrumentality to Gallipoli oregon Lemnos.

Vin went connected to service connected the Western Front, conscionable his aboriginal wife Edith, an English VAD nurse, while convalescing astatine Northampton War Hospital successful 1918. Vin returned to Australia aft the war successful 1919 with Edith, her sister and her parent and father. He was awarded the 1914/18 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal arsenic well arsenic the Gallipoli Medallion and lapel badge awarded to veterans of the run successful the 1960’s. Together with Edith, Vin would rise a household of 5 children and unrecorded well into his 80s. One of his daughters, Joan, is present 98 years aged and lives with Roger and his wife, Dianne, successful Melbourne. Joan’s younger sister, Glenyce, present 93, lives successful Perth.

Vin’s transportation to Greece whitethorn person been constricted but nary little important to his descendents. On his way to Gallipoli, helium had sailed crossed the Aegean, passing galore of the Greek Islands arsenic helium headed to Lemnos. He witnessed the assembly of the large Allied armada successful Lemnos’ Mudros Bay. He practiced disembarkation connected the waters of the bay. He came ashore and saw its villages and people, commenting connected some of their notable features. His experiences and comments are those of galore of the young Australians who came to Lemnos during the Gallipoli campaign.

Roger and Dianne person expressed the tendency to 1 time travel successful the footsteps of Vin Dalton, walking connected Lemnos arsenic helium did. I explained however the Australian Government’s caller Lemnos Remembrance Trail will σύντομα beryllium inaugurated and beryllium a large assistance to commemorative visitors similar themselves. It was a existent pleasance to conscionable them and to stock their household story with its Hellenic connection. I anticipation they are capable to realise their imagination – and I anticipation they bask Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed.

Jim Claven OAM is simply a trained historian, freelance writer and published author. Secretary of the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, helium has researched the Hellenic nexus to Australia’s Anzac story crossed some world wars for galore years. He is the writer of Lemnos & Gallipoli Revealed and Associate Producer of Anzac The Greek Chapter documentary. He thanks Roger Dalton for sharing his grandfather’s story. He tin beryllium contacted astatine – [email protected]

Read Entire Article