Leonard Clarence Scammell
Stephen Learmonth“We have been shifted from Salisbury Plain and are stationed dow at Fort Wallington, a fortress down at the south coast of England, 5 miles from Portsmouth. We had an air raid here last night; we were all startled out of our beds about one o’clock this morning. A German zeppelin came over and dropped bombs all around, but as luck would have it, no harm was done. We could see it plainly in the sky when the search light got on to it. It looked like a great golden cigar up about 12,000 feet in the sky. Our guns were firing at it from Gosport, about five miles away, and we could see out shrapnel shells exploding, but they were dropping too short of it, so it got clean away. The noise of the British guns were shaking the Fort, and the windows were rattling as if someone was shaking them, and some of the lamp glasses were shaken off the lamps. I suppose you heard of the great zepp raids in London and the zeppelins they brought down there. The Fort we are in is 50 years old. There are subterranean passages all over the place; one leads to another Fort two miles away. The gunners are supposed to take shelter in these in case of zeppelins, but we drivers have to stand to our horses. The air raid was the first they have had down here. We don’t want another one, although it was a great sight to look at. I think we will be here about six weeks, and then we are going to France. We had a bonzer time up in London; we were there four days. It is a lovely city; Melbourne is only a suburb compared with it. Some of the buildings are marvellous. I would to see it again before we go to France. There is some talk of us getting six days leave before we go, and if I have money enough, London for me every time. I think you could be there all your life, and then there would be something fresh to see. I often go into Portsmouth from here, it is not a bad place, much like Melbourne. It only cost 7d return on the electric tram. I suppose you will be having spring over there now. It is getting towards winter here but we are some very nice weather. The fields, as they call them here, are lovely and green, but I suppose they will soon have some snow. I hope we get away to France before the cold weather sets in, but you never know for certain when they will send you.”
Such was the letter that Leo Scammell wrote to his sister Marie Scammell, which she had published in the 7th of December 1917 edition of the Corryong Courier. Within five days of the letter being published, Leo succumbed to shrapnel wounds he had received. He was buried by the Rev. T. T. Webb at Westhoff Farm, just near the 2nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station.
The War Diary of the 13th Field Artillery Brigade describes what happened;
“Seven Gothas [German multi-engined bombers] accompanied by some Albatross aeroplanes flew over BAILLEUL and on return, one dropped four bombs in vicinity of 51st Battery Wagon Lines. One bomb dropped on the road outside the lines, killing 6 men and wounding 30 and killing 3 horses and wounding 23. One Gotha seen to be brought down by one of our planes, 2 others reported down. These planes also dropped bombs in vicinity of 51st Battery.”
Leo Clarence Scammell was born in Corryong, Victoria in 1889, one of nine children to Frederick John and Mary Ann Catherine (née Byatt) Scammell. At the age of seven, Leo’s mother passed away after developing complications of lung troubles while suffering from influenza. She was only 45. It left his father to care for a family of eight children aged between six months and 13 years.
On the 2nd of October 1915, Leo enlisted in the Army at Melbourne. He was taken on strength with the 15th Field Artillery Brigade, spending the next nine months at various training establishments such as Ballarat, Broadmeadows and Marybynong. Initially having the rank of Gunner he was changed to a driver in the 13th Field Artillery Brigade (FAB).
In late 1916 he proceeded overseas, arriving at the main British base camp at Etaples, France on the 19th of December 1916. He was transferred to the 5th Division Artillery, 13th FAB and taken on strength to the 51st Battery. He would remain with this unit until his death nearly one year later in 1917.
Leo is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service during the First World War, he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
