535 Sapper Stephen Downes

The following information and chronological table are a summary of the entries from the service record of Stephen Downes. Note that some of the service record pages are duplicated - presumably when the unit and Army records were amalgamated on discharge. While later documents indicate that discharge was due to gun shot wounds (GSW), the actual cause of injury was shrapnel from an artillery shell burst.  A further anomaly exists with the entry indicating a transfer on initial enlistment to the 7th Company Army Service Corps as there is no information to support the fact that the transfer actually occured, and no date of effect for the entry.  The most likely conclusion is that the transfer was intended but overtaken by events.      Clive Mitchell-Taylor - 22 October 1996 - grandson of Stephen Downes.  Download a scan of Stephen Downes' Service Record.

Enlistment Details

Chronological Events

Infantry Battalion

The 1914 infantry battalion was a large unit, composed of eight rifle companies each of 3 officers and 116 other ranks armed with Short Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles, a   small headquarters with 4 officers and 21 other ranks and a machine gun section with two .303 Maxim machine guns, one officer and 17 other ranks, a total of 32 officers and 991 other ranks. In December 1914, battalions were reorganised into four companies each of four platoons, but strength was unchanged. By mid 1918, the number of officers had increased to 38 but the number of other ranks had declined to 900. At the same time, the firepower of the battalion was greatly augmented with hand and rifle grenades and Lewis Guns, of which there was 34 per battalion. 

19th Infantry Battalion (New South Wales) [5th Infantry Brigade]

Formed New South Wales February 1915. Departed Sydney Ceramic 25 June 1915 and Barambah 6 July 1915. 1st Reinforcements departed Sydney Themistocles 12 May 1915, 2nd Reinforcements departed Sydney Kanowna 19 June 1915, 3rd Reinforcements departed Sydney Runic 9 August 1915, 4th Reinforcements departed Sydney Argyllshire 30 September 1915, 5th Reinforcements departed Sydney Themistocles 5 October 1915, 6th Reinforcements departed Sydney Euripides 2 November 1915, 7th Reinforcements departed Sydney Suevic 23 December 1915, 8th Reinforcements departed Sydney Berrima 27 December 1915, 9th Reinforcements departed Sydney  Runic 21 January 1916, 10th Reinforcements departed Sydney Orsova 11 March 1916, 11th Reinforcements departed Sydney Nestor 9 April 1916, 12th Reinforcements departed Sydney Ceramic 14th April 1916, 13th Reinforcements departed Sydney Ajana 5 July 1916, 14th Reinforcements departed Sydney  Wiltshire 22 August 1916, 15th Reinforcements departed Sydney Euripides 9 September 1916, 16th Reinforcements departed Sydney Ceramic 7 October 1916, 17th Reinforcements departed Sydney Ascanius 25 October 1916, 18th Reinforcements departed Sydney Suevic 11 November 1916, 19th Reinforcements departed Sydney  Wiltshire 7 February 1917, 20th Reinforcements departed Sydney Port Melbourne 16 July 1917, 21st Reinforcements departed Melbourne Nestor 28 February 1918. Disbanded 10 October 1918.
Battle Honours: Suvla, Gallipoli 1915,  Egypt 1915-16, Somme 1916-18, Pozieres, Bapaume 1917, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood,  Broodeseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Ancre 1918, Hamel, Amiens, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line, Beaurevoir, France and Flanders 1916-18
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

8th Field Company (Victoria) [Fifth Division]

Formed Egypt August 1915 from 6th Brigade and reinforcements for Second Division as 5th Field Company. Renumbered 8th Field Company 18 January 1916 and reassigned to Fifth Division, February 1916.  Battle Honours are Gallipoli, Egypt,  Western Front  

7th Army Service Corps Company [4th Division Train]
Formed Australia September 1914 and attached to 4th Infantry Brigade. Departed Sydney Port MacQuarie 21 December 1914. Attached to New Zealand and Australian Division Train January 1915. Assigned to 4th Division Train March 1916.
Gallipoli, Egypt, Western Front

[Information from http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/~rmallett]

Wound Stripe

Army Order No.204 Headquarters, 1st A.N.Z.A.C., 9th August, 1916.
DISTINCTIONS FOR OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS WHO HAVE BEEN WOUNDED

The following distinction in dress will be worn on the service dress jacket by all officers and soldiers who have been wounded in any of the campaigns since 4th August 1914 :
Stripes of gold Russia braid No.1, two inches in length sewn perpendicularly on the left forearm sleeve of the jacket to mark each occasion on which wounded.

• In the case of officers, the lower end of the first strip of gold braid will be immediately above the upper point of the flap on the cuff.
• Warrant officers, non-commissioned officers and men will wear the gold braid on the left forearm sleeve, the lower edge of the braid to be three inches from the bottom of the sleeve.
• Subsequent occasions on which wounded, will be placed on either side of the original one at half inch interval. 
• Gold braid and sews will be obtained free on indent from the Army Ordnance Department; the sewing on will be carried out regimentally without expense to the public.

Long Service Badges

A.I.F. ORDER No.470, 24 January 1917

The question of the issue of a badge  to members of the AIF who have completed a certain period of service has received consideration, and approval has been given for the issue of a badge for long service combined with good conduct, subject to the following conditions.

• The badge will consist of an inverted single chevron of service braid to be worn on the left forearm - the point of the chevron to be 3 inches above the edge of the cuff.
•  Warrant and non-commissioned officers and men, will be eligible for the badge, which will not carry an increased pay or allowance.
• One chevron will be worn for each complete year's service in the Australian Imperial Force from the date of embarkation in Australia; but no badge will be issued to any man who, during the 12 months, has incurred a regimental entry (i.e. an entry involving forfeiture of pay) in his sheet. 
• Time absent from the unit in hospital or elsewhere on account of wounds or sickness, not the result of misconduct, will count as service towards earning the badge.
•  A man in possession of a badge will forfeit same on being convicted of any offence involving a forfeiture of pay , but will be eligible to regain the badge after 6 months good conduct, from the date of forfeiture.
• The illegal wearing of this badge will be a crime under A.A. Section 40.

Overseas Service Chevrons

Australian Imperial Force Order No.1053, 4th January 1918 *(Slightly abridged)

His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of chevrons to denote service overseas since the 4th August 1914.

Chevrons of two colours have been approved. The first chevron if earned on or before 31st December 1914, will be red; if earned on or after 1st January 1915, it will be blue; and all additional chevrons after the first will be blue.

The chevrons will be worsted embroidery, 1/4 inch in width, the arms 1/4 inch long. They will be worn inverted on the right forearm: in the case of officers, the apex of the lowest chevron will be 1 inch above the upper point of the flap on the cuff. In the case of warrant-officers, non-commissioned officers and men, the apex of the lowest chevron will be midway between the seams and four inches above the bottom edge of the sleeve. The red chevron will be worn below the blue one. They will not be worn on greatcoats.

In the case of Australians, the first chevron was earned the date the individual left Australia. Additional chevrons were awarded for each successive aggregate period of 12 months service outside Australia.

[http://au.geocities.com/fortysecondbattalion/level2/reference/01nos-standards.htm]