Vivien Ralph Worthington Lees

Vivien Ralph Worthington Lees was born on 30 August 1888. Depending on the resources he was either born in Mungindi or Moree, both are in New South Wales within 100 kilometres of each other. His father, Frederick James was 56 at the time of the birth of his son, and his mother, Elizabeth (née Small), was 43 at the time she gave birth. Vivien was the youngest of 10 surviving children; Frederick I, Infant , Mary Ann Rebecca, Matilda Jane , Mary Alice, Percival, Harcourt , Charlotte, Harold, Frederick James, Elizabeth and  Bertram.  Vivien, or Ralph as he preferred to be called, and his family were brought up in a Presbyterian household.

Ralph enlisted on the 3rd of December 1914. He was allocated the service number 834 with the initial rank of Private or Trooper. He was in the 4th Reinforcements for the 8th Light Horse Regiment. 

Being short (1.53 m) did not diminish his courage. His chest measurement was 94 cm at its biggest point which meant he could take a big breath before the battle of Gallipoli. His complexion was fair, his eyes were hazel and his hair was oak brown. He had one distinctive mark of a mole on the back of his neck.

Ralph embarked on 13 April 1915, on the transport HMAT A18 Wiltshire at the Port of Melbourne. This trip took him away from his job as a horse dealer and it also took him away from his home and family. 

Ralph had not long arrived on the Peninsula when he was wounded on his forehead by a bomb blast while the 8th was manning Walkers Ridge.  He was transported to a minesweeper on 27 June 1915 and was initially admitted to the 24th Casualty Clearing Station, before being transferred to the 57th Lowland Casualty Clearing Station on the island of Mudros. 

He was returned to duty on 13 July 1915. On 29 July, the 8th Light Horse relieved the 9th Light Horse and occupied No. 1 and No. 3 Post along Walker’s Ridge.

Early August saw Ralph and the 8th on Russell’s Top, occupying the trenches at the Nek. As part of the August Offensive, the 8th and 10th Light Horse were to attack the Turkish trenches at the Nek, hoping that the Turks' attention would be drawn away from the British landings in the north at Suvla. On 7 August, the now infamous attack took place. After the attack what was left of the 8th were withdrawn and went into bivouac at HQ Terraces. When the roll was called, Ralph did not answer and he was declared missing and eventually killed in action. The actual events and the reason for his death were unknown but assumed killed by wounds sustained during the attack on the Nek.  His body was eventually recovered and he was buried in Gelibolu, Canakkale, Turkey.

Even though Ralph was killed in August 1915, Charlotte Edols, his sister, would endure seven years of correspondence with the Army, trying to track down his belongings and medals. One letter, dated December 1915, although possibly not written by Charlotte due to the nature of the handwriting, outlines the anguish of a sibling for the loss of a loved one.

“Dear Sir, I am taking the liberty of writing asking you if there is any chance of me getting any of my brothers belongings who was killed at the Dardanelles on the 7th of August last he was in the A.L.H and his name was Vivien Ralph Lees age 27 year’s If you should be able to do any thing [sic] towards getting me what little or much for me I should be more than thankful to you, I would dearly love to have some thing [sic] in memory of him for he was a dear good brother to me poor boy he was killed in action and I am so  broken hearted and then again proud to think he died for his Country Trusting Sir you will do what you can in the matter for me.

Yours Faithfully

Name illegible” [sic]

Ralph is remembered at the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, the Moree ANZAC Centenary Memorial, and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service during the war he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal. These medals were sent to his next of kin, Charlotte.