Bertie Clarence Charles Sheather

Bertie Clarence Charles Sheather was born on August 5 1887, the firstborn child of Reuben Silas and Harriet Eleanor (nee Waters) Sheather. He would be the eldest of ten children born between 1887 and 1907.

In early February 1915, Bertie travelled to Melbourne where he underwent his medical examination to enlist in the A.I.F. He was allocated Service Number 57 and assigned to the 21st Battalion of the 6th Infantry Brigade. Bertie embarked on HMAT A38 Ulysses on May 8 at Melbourne. Following the neutralisation of German surface raiders in early 1915, the convoy system previously used to transport Australian and New Zealand troops to Egypt had been dispensed with, and the Ulysses sailed alone.

Bertie arrived in Egypt in June 1915. Its move across to Gallipoli did not go smoothly, as its transport was torpedoed near the island of Lemnos and abandoned. The battalion eventually arrived at ANZAC Cove on September 7. It was used in defensive operations and trench maintenance until the evacuation in December.

Back in Egypt, Bertie and the 21st were involved in defensive duties along the Canal Zone, as well as further training and reorganisation. In late March 1916, they moved to France. The battalion was the Australian battalion to commence active operations on the Western Front. During the Battle of Poziers it was used on carrying duties. In early August it fought at Mouquet Farm, suffering its heaviest casualties in the war.

Bertie celebrated Christmas 1916 and the New Year in hospital in Rouen, suffering from influenza. He rejoined his battalion in January 1917. He was granted a two-week furlough in mid-September and spent it back in England. In 1917, the battalion fought in major engagements at Bullecourt in May and Broodseinde Ridge in October. Away from the Western Front at last, Bertie spent Christmas 1917 and the New Year in Paris, a more enjoyable experience than the previous year's.

1918 was also a busy time for the battalion. It helped to stop the advance of the Germans during the enemy’s Spring Offensive and participated in the battles of Hamel and Amiens. The Battle of Amiens took place in early August of 1918. According to the 21st Battalion’s War Diary, on August 11, the battalion was in the Reserve trenches near Harbonnieres. By midday, they had moved forward and reached a new position near Moulin de Vauvillers. The move did not happen without casualties. One OR (Other rank - Private) accidentally drowned in the Somme River through upsetting of a boat. Two other OR’s were wounded, while one light draught horse and one heavy draught horse were wounded and evacuated. One of the OR’s wounded was Bertie with a gunshot wound to the buttocks.

The wound did not warrant evacuation to England, and he was back with the battalion by August 28. During his hospital stay, he was transferred to the 24th Battalion. In late January 1919, he was transferred to England, where he awaited repatriation to Australia.

Bertie embarked on the HT Trasos Montes in April 1919 and sailed for home. For his service during the First World War, he was awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Bertie had been in the thick of the fighting for most of the war, from Gallipoli at the start to the second last action of the 21st at Amiens. His was a long and tiring war!

He returned to the Upper Murray after the war and continued working as a labourer in and around Cudgewa. In 1922 he moved to the Tallangatta Valley and took up farming. Bertie would answer his country’s call a second time when he enlisted (Army Number V91954) at Albury, NSW, in the Reserve Garrison Battalion on March 17 1941. He was based at Portsea, along the Mornington Peninsula. On January 8 of the following year, he was discharged as he was considered to be in a reserved occupation as a farmer.

From around 1958 to his death in 1982, he lived in Chiltern. He passed away at Chiltern on September 3 1982, at the age of 95, and was buried in the Glenmorus Memorial Gardens in Albury, NSW.