Simon Sydney Whitehead

Simon Sydney (Sid) Whitehead was born on 24 April 1870, at Tooma, to Thomas Whitehead and Jane Gasmar, nee Dunn. Simon was the 4th of eleven children.

Prior to enlisting, Simon owned the Oak Hill Dairy herd in Warbrook. An article in the 21 September 1905 edition of the Corryong Courier described the property;

Oak Hill Dairy herd - This is the property of Mr Sydney Whitehead, which he is milking on shares with Mr Michael Webster for consignment to the Corryong butter Factory. The herd in question is the pick of the fattening paddocks of Warbrook, and this is in the pink of condition. A neat, clean little dairy is on the spot, wherein is a steam separator which does excellent work. The shed and yards are being renovated and enlarged for the current season’s operations, and the tout ensemble is being brought up to the regulation standard.  

On 18 June 1915, Simon enlisted in the AIF at Melbourne, Victoria. Upon enlistment, Simon was given the service number 1896, enlisting in the Light Horse. Simon, weighing in at 17 to 18 stone, went to line up with the other men enlisting in the Light Horse after showing the officers what he could do. One volunteer was heard to have said to Simon, “We don’t have elephants in here mate.” The officer in charge remarked, “There is only one person here who can really ride and that is a Whitehead”.

Simon was 45 on enlistment, 5 feet 11 inches tall (180 cm) and weighed between 17 and 18 stone (108 kg). He had a fresh complexion and a 41-inch chest measurement. Like most Whiteheads, Simon had brown hair and blue eyes, but no distinctive marks. Simon specified his religious denomination as Presbyterian. With both parents having passed away, Simon listed his brother Richard as his next of kin.

Simon embarked on the HMAT A44 Vestalia on 18 January, 1916, sailing from Sydney. New South Wales. On 25 February 1916, he reported for duty at Heliopolis. Two months later, he was transferred to the 12th Division Ammunition Column based at Serapeum, Egypt. 

Another transfer, this time to the 4th Division Ammunition Column, resulted in him boarding the HMT Oriana at Alexandria on 6 June 1916 for the seven-day trip to Marseilles in the south of France.

The next few months saw him promoted to Bombardier and, finally, to Corporal. A stint of leave in England from 17 March 1918 through to 3 April 1918 would have allowed Simon to enjoy the sights and sounds of London, well away from the front line. Other than a short time spent with the 13th Australian Field Hospital suffering from influenza, Simon spent most of 1918 with the 4th Division Ammunition, 12th Infantry Brigade in France. 

The Ammunition Columns were responsible for keeping ammunition up to the guns, both light and heavy, by moving it from third-line storage areas to the front line. It involved using a number of transport methods, including motor- and horse-drawn, heavy- and light-rail, and tramways.

Although the war ended in November of 1918, it wasn't until April 1919 that Simon, now 49, embarked on HMAT Armagh for return to Australia, finally being discharged on 1 September 1919.  For his service during World War 1, Simon was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Upon returning to Australia, Simon married Ellen Harriet Davis (born on 6 June 1868 at Rochester, Victoria), daughter of Thomas and Harriet Davis, in 1919 in Melbourne, Victoria. Simon managed a property at Barambola during 1919 and 1920, until he purchased a Soldier Settlers property “Hillside” at Tarcutta, New South Wales. He sold this in 1938 and retired to a small property, “Dunloch” at Bowna, 27 km outside of Albury. Relatives of Simon remember him always owning racehorses, particularly steeplechasers, some of which were quite good. He raced at places including Albury, Wodonga, Chiltern and Wangaratta. Simon and Nell also provided land for the construction of the Tarcutta Presbyterian Church, for which Nell laid the foundation stone.

Simon passed away on 16 June 1940 and was buried in Albury, New South Wales, along with Nell, who had died the previous May. They had no children during their marriage.