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Married: 1919. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Marriage Cert:386/1919.
Wife: Florence Ethel Halls. nee: Wymark. (18..-1937)
Died: 21st October 1950. Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia. Death Cert:28589/1950.
Joseph Edwin Halls enlisted on the 15th of January 1916 with the 13th Reinforcements, 17th battalion AIF at Parkes, N.S.W. He embarked from
sydney onboard HMAT A55 "KYRLLA" on the 5th June 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth, England on the 3rd August 1916. the next day he was marched to
the 5th Training Battalion. Joseph was Taken on in Strenght with the 33rd Battalion from the 17th Battalion and proceeded overseas for France from
Southampton on the 21st of November 1916. After arriving at Harve in France he was admitted to Hospital on the 13th of December suffering from a
Septic Foot where he remained for a number of days before being transfered to the 1st Australian Casualty clearing
Station on the 18th of December. After spending Christmas in hospital Joseph rejoined his unit on the 4th of January 1917.
Joseph was granted leave and proceed to England on the 28th of January 1918 and returned to France where he rejoined his unit on the 11th of February.
After a couple of months in the front line the 33rd Battalion was preparing to defend Villers Bretonneux.
’On the 16th April, the rumours of a new German Offensive against Amiens seemed to be definitely confirmed. A German prisoner, taken by the French,
volunteered the that Villers Bretonneux was to be attacked the next day. The 5th Australian Division, which had come line on the night of the 6th/7th
April, and held the sector from Villers Bretonneux (inclusive) to the Somme canal was warned to be ready to retake the town, if captured by attack
from the north ; and other preparations and counter-preparations were made. About 4 A.M. on the 17th, Villers Bretonneux, Bois d'Aquenne, to the west
of it and the village of Cachy, to the south, were heavily drenched for three hours with phosgene, mustard and irritant gasses. But no assault followed.
As soon as possible the local garrison, consisting of the 6/London(58 Dvn) and the 33rd Australian Battalion, was got out of the shelters in the town
into the trenches around it. The gas shelling was repeated in the evening from 4 to 7 P.M., next morning and on the following days, being increased so
as to include Bois I'Abbe, but with greatly reduced results. Nevertheless it was impossible for anyone to move that area without feeling some ill-effects
from the mustard gas, and there were, in April, 1,074 gas casualties.’
Note: 33rd Battalion Colour Patch on Corporal in foreground. (Eggs-a-Cook)
(Photos: Never a Backward Step. History of the 33rd Battalion AIF.)
Joseph survived this action but the next day on the 18th of April 1918 Joseph was Wounded in Action; 1st occassion receiving
Shrapnel wounds to the forehead and was treated by the 2/3rd Field Ambulance before being transfered to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Rouen.
On the 21st of April Joseph was again transfered to the 2nd Convalescent Depot. Joseph was Discharged to Base Depot and marched to Rouelles before heading back to the
Front on the 9th of May. After rejoining his unit on the 16th of May Joseph returned to front line action.
30-31st August 1918
On the northern flank the 3rd Division's attack had been arranged at short notice after a day exhausting
to both infantry and artillery, and in the face of other particular difficulties. The timming of the
attack was to be taken from the left where the 58th Division, somewhat further back than the 9th Brigade,
started at 5:10am behind a very slow barrage to attack Marrieres Wood. The 9th Brigade using the 33rd
Battalion, started at the time arranged, 5:40am, but the artillery had not yet received its orders and
though it fired, the barrage was thin and machine-guns in the south-west corner of Road Wood stopped the
33rd.
One Company was late, but Captain: Walter John Clare DUNCAN. M.C.
had swung his Company into its place. Major: Cedric Errol Meter BRODZIAK.
D.S.O. was now killed while referring to his map.But within twenty minutes the artillery greatly increased its
fire. The 33rd were able to raise their heads. A private Private: 726 George CARTWRIGHT.
V.C. stood up and from the shoulder fired at the troublesome German gunner and then walking
forward shot him and the two men who took his place.
Next, covering his run by exploding a bomb shot of the trench, he rushed the gun and captured 9 Germans.
The 33rd stood up and cheered him, and then advancing by two's and three's entered the wood.
Private: 792 William Allan IRWIN. D.C.M an Australian half-caste, after
attacking like Cartwright, was mortally wounded and died of wounds on the 1st of september 1918.
The 33rd was now considerably behind the 6th London (58th Division), having chased the Germans from
Marrieres Wood, was held up by fire from Wary Alley which curved up the gully between the woods. Comming
through the south Company Sergeant Major: 967 Louis John MATHIAS.
D.C.M & Bar. cleared the Germans by fire from a Lewis Gun.
The 33rd now set to bombing up the old trenches leading up to the upper end of the 1916 Spur where the
Peronne-Bapaume Road also ran through. On the nearer side of the road a German battery commander with
his gun crews and some infantry was blazing with six field-guns into the Australian groups everywere
they left shelter.
From the southward side Lieutenant: 559 Edward Allen TURNBULL. and
Lieutenant: William Alexander McLEAN. M.C. of the 33rd-the
latter greartly helped by the leaders of the 10th Brigade Sergeant 1007 E E Walters. D.C.M, 39th Battalion and
Corporal 5024 A V Grinton. D.C.M, 38th Battalion, worked up and presently rushed the guns, the German Battery
Commander fighting to the last with his revolver. He was shot by Lieutenant: 559
Edward Allen TURNBULL.
It was during this action that Joseph was Wounded in Action; 2nd occassion where he
Suffered from Severe Gassing and was admitted to the 9th Field ambulance for treatment before transfer
to the 37th Casualty Clearing Station. The next day he was transfered to the 12th General Hospital for evacuation to England
on the 3rd of September where he was admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital on the 4th. He was discharged from hospital
on the 21st of October and granted furlo on the 5th of November. Joseph embarked from England on the 20th of December 1918 onboard
the "Orontes" and disembarked at Sydney Australia on the 1st of February 1919. He was discharged Medically Unfit
owing to the effects of Gas and Deaf in his left Ear (Perminant) on the 20th of september 1919.
Joseph's British War Medal:48433 and Victory Medal:47260 to PTE 5026 J.E. HALLS 33 BN AIF were
acquired from Dix Noon & Webb England, in December 2003 and are now in the collection.
Joseph was a single 31 year old Labourer from Parkes, N.S.W.upon enlistment. His sister Beatrice was his next of kin who lived at 325 St John street,
clerkenwell, England. He married Florence Ethel Wymark in 1919 but had no children. Florence died in 1937 at North Sydney, N.S.W. Death Cert:
15349/1937.
Hello,
I have found my grand uncle's (Joseph Edwin Halls) medals, two out of three in your collection. I was wondering if you would consider selling them to me
it would be wonderful to be able to have something from my fathers family? Of course I would understand if you would not! If not would it be too much
trouble to ask if you would try and photograph the inscriptions on them and email them to me? that would be a lovely memento. I can give a little history
about him if you are interested. Joseph was born in Clerkenwell, London/Middlesex, the son of Charles Edward Halls a jeweller. Charles had a workshop at
325 St John Street where the family also lived. Joseph was the brother of my grandfather, another Charles Edward Halls who also went to war and was killed
in Arras 1917 (love to find his medals, but have his plaque). Joseph helped his father in the jewellery business as most of the others in the family did.
One of Josephs jobs was as a pearl setter. In 1911 Joseph left England to live in Australia, an educated guess would be it was for work and a new life and
Joseph went over as a carpenter.
Joseph did marry out in Australia after WW1 ended but he was widowed in 1937, there were no children. I am not sure how his medals came over to England,
but I know he kept in contact with his sister Beatrice and I believe she was his next of kin after his father died. My guess is that the medals went to
Beatrice and what happened to them after Beatrice, is anyones guess. Do you know if the person that auctioned them was a dealer or was it a private person;
if it were a private person would you have any contact details? Josephs date of birth is wrong on the records from the army, as he was actually born in
the April-June quarter 1884. I believe he told the authorities the wrong date to make him younger as he wanted to re-enlist. I found his service records to
be captivating reading, the hell that Joseph and his comrades went through was so terrible. He was injured twice and still went back for more before he was
gassed. Joseph could not do strenuous work as his breathing was not very good and the authorities had a scheme whereby men such as Joseph could make a
small living by basket weaving. This scheme was stopped after a few years and Joseph had to try and make a living at something else. He and his wife got a
loan and took over a little general store, unfortunately this was not successful and Joseph once again found himself with no work. It might have been this
that prompted Joseph to sign up again in the army, he must have been desparate as his breathing would not have been a lot better after the gas injury.
Kind regards
Susan Horton (formerly Halls) December 2010.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION 06/04/2008-04/12/2010.
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