Sgt Herbert Francis Cole, 56th Battalion, AIF
Australian War MemorialBorn in 1891, Bert Cole was the eldest son of William and Catherine Cole of Wellingrove, New South Wales. He was an enthusiastic sportsman, known to be “at the foremost in all local sports” in the district, and a member of the Athletic Club Committee. He was universally respected for his straightforward nature.
Bert enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force within days of his two brothers, twins Harold and Roy, and three cousins, the Ryan brothers of Farley. He was posted to the 20th Battalion, and after a period of training in Australia was sent to Egypt.
He arrived as the AIF was undergoing a period of reorganisation to cope with the influx of new recruits. As a part of this process, Private Bert Cole was transferred to the newly-formed 56th Battalion.
After further training, he was sent to France to fight on the Western Front, where he proved a promising soldier. Shortly after his arrival, he was promoted to lance corporal. He then attended a number of instruction schools which resulted in several more promotions. By April 1917 he was a sergeant, and had been to England a number of times for schools or on leave.
In mid-May, the 56th Battalion was in the front line near the French village of Noreuil. The Germans had recently withdrawn to the Hindenburg Line, a heavily-fortified line of defence that ran nearby.
For several days, the battalion came under near-constant German artillery fire and observed enemy parties moving around. By the early hours of 15 May some companies of the battalion were too shaken by the artillery fire that they had to be relieved. As this was being organised, however, word was received that the neighbouring battalion had been attacked by the Germans, and the relief was cancelled.
After a difficult fight the lost ground was regained and some men were engaged in building a series of bombing posts in case of a further attack. But the battalion had sustained more than 60 casualties, including six men killed.
Among the dead was Sergeant Bert Cole. His body was lost in the confusion of the fighting, and he is now commemorated on the memorial to the missing at Villers-Bretonneux.
He was 26 years old.
Bert’s brothers, Harold and Roy, both survived the war. Private Harold James Cole and Lance Corporal Roy Thomas Cole, of the 45th Battalion, returned to Australia in 1917 and 1919, respectively. Read their story - https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/brothers-glen-innes
Meleah Hampton, Historian, Military History Section
- Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2278448
