ANZAC Day - 25 April

[Brett]

Today in New Zealand (and Australia) it is ANZAC Day, when we commemorate all those who fell for their country during wartime, and honour those who fought for their country. Ceremonies are held all over the country, and typically start with a dawn service, followed by a parade to the local war memorial by veterans and other members of the armed services. For those who are interested, a brief history of the development of Anzac Day in the psyche of New Zealanders can be found on the NZHistory.net web site.

Although Gallipoli features strongly in the minds of many Australians & New Zealanders, I would like to honour the memory of an Australian soldier whou fought and died on the Western Front - my great-uncle i.e. my grandmother's younger brother, Hendrik Jan Schipper - by sharing his story with the forum.

"Harry", as he called himself, was born in 1883 at The Hague in Holland, but became a merchant seaman and travelled widely before ending up in Sydney, Australia. In April 1916 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) at Victoria Barracks, and spent the next 5 months training at Rutherford Camp in New South Wales. After an 8-week sea voyage to England, he had another 6 months' training in England with the 5th Training Battalion.

Exactly 87 years ago today, on 25 April 1917, Harry embarked for France from Folkestone, and after a few days (waiting, waiting, and more waiting) at Etaples he was marched out to the 36th Battalion in the field, where he was taken on strength in 1 May. The unit, along with all of the others in the II Anzac Corps, was being built up to strength with reinforcements in preparation for the Battle of Messines Ridge. Over the next five weeks they trained for the attack, going over scale models of the battlefield again and again. In the words of Ian Passingham, "Pillars of Fire - The Battle of Messines Ridge June 1917, Sutton Publ. 1998": "The training throughour May was hard, relentless and exhausting."

It was difficult to prepare the men for the huge explosions of the mines detonated by the Allied forces beneath the Messines Ridge early on the morning of June 7th. The intense fighting during that and the following days cost a great many lives, including that of Harry Schipper, who was killed on 9 June.

Ironically his by then widowed mother, who still lived not too far to the north of Messines, in The Hague, Netherlands, after believing initially that he had become a POW, only found out that he had died through the Dutch Red Cross in September 1917. She finally received his personal effects - just his dog tags and a bracelet, which I now have - in November that year.

My own grandmother - Harry's sister - visited his grave at Toronto Avenue Cemetery on a cycling trip with my grandfather in May-June 1925, when they took photos of the cemetery and the wooden cross marking his grave. Three years ago, Geoff Moran of Australia very kindly visited the cemtery on my behalf and very kindly took some more photos of the permanent cross and cemetery, which I will post in a follow up message.

Harry Schipper (1883-1917) #1906 is shown in this picture (from row, at left) during training with fellow soldiers of 'A' Company, 2nd Reinforcements, 36th Depot Battalion, at Rutherford Camp, New South Wales.

Lest we forget.

Brett

[Brett]

This is the photograph taken of Toronto Avenue Cemetery, near Warneton, by my grandparents Dirk Smit (1895-1985) and Hendrika Louisa Smit-Schipper (1894-1981) during their cycling trip in May-June 1925.

[Brett]

And this is a photo of the wooden cross for their respective brother and brother-in-law, Harry Schipper (1883-1917).

[Brett]

A photo of Toronto Avenue Cemetery taken in 2001, with a sign on the fence indicating "Renovations in Progress."

[Brett]

And a photo of the permanent marker for Harry Schipper, as in 2001. Many thanks to Geoff Moran for these two pictures. They will have to suffice until I can make the pilgrimage and pay my own respects.

[Brett]

These are what remain of Harry Schipper's personal effects. The dog tags must have been recovered from his body prior to his burial. Of course he would never have seen the medals ...

[BottsGreys]

Brett:

Thanks for sharing your family's story with us. It illustrates what the word "remembrance' is really all about.

Blessed be the memory of Harry and all the ANZACS honored today.

Chris