ANZAC Day is set aside for us to remember those, including our rifle club members, who have served our country in all conflicts, to reflect upon their unselfish service and to embrace the history that has defined our country.
After the Sunday club shoot on 24th April 2022, nineteen Townsville Marksmen Rifle Club (TMRC) members assembled at the NQRA Memorial and remembered fallen shooters from the Townsville and Herbert River districts. A brief ceremony included the reading of the Roll of Honour, wreath laying and a minute’s silence.
ROLL OF HONOUR
THE GREAT WAR
Townsville Rifle Club
- 102 Lieutenant Hutton Perkins ARMSTRONG, 15 Battalion – Died at Quinn’s Post at Gallipoli on 10 May 1915. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
- 1200 Company Quartermaster Sergeant Duncan BAXTER, 42 Battalion – Died of wounds received at the battle of Ploegstreet Wood, France, on 31 March 1917.
- 1308 Private Neil BAXTER, 15 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 26 April 1915.
- 114 Private Roderick Malcolm Livingstone BRUCE, 15 Battalion – Died of wounds at Cachy, France, on 13 April 1918. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
- 900 Private Edward Augustine CAHILL, 9 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915.
- 732 Private John Thomas CARROLL, 15 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 8 August 1915.
- 1789 Private John CLARKE – Date of death unknown. Likely died at Pozieres in France between 25 July and 7 August 1917.
- 5064 Private Charles Stuart CRAIES, 49 Battalion – Died at Mouquet Farm at Pozieres, France on 1 September 1916.
- 10063 Private Matthew DOYLE, 7 Field Ambulance – Died of wounds in France on 25 September 1917.
- 244 Trooper Alexander Madden FOOT, 5 Light Horse – Died at Gallipoli on 22 November 1915.
- 135/1652 Lance Corporal Henry Daintree FOOT, 15 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 1 May 1915. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
- 6062 Private Wylie Norman GORDON, 9 Battalion – Died of disease at Le Havre, France on 3 May 1918.
- 4691 Lieutenant James Mark HIRST, 10 & 38 Field Artillery Brigades – Died at Ypres, Belguim, on 21 September 1917.
- 151 Lance Corporal Maximillian Samuel HOWITZ, 15 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 7 August 1915. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
- 194 Corporal William Henry O’CONNOR, 25 Battalion – Died of wounds in France on 30 July 1916.
- 881 Sergeant Ernest Arthur POTTS, 3 Pioneer Battalion – Died of wounds at the Somme, France, on 22 August 1918.
- 795 Lance Corporal Harry Mercer SMITH, 9 Battalion – Wounded at Gallipoli and died at Malta on 17 June 1915.
- 4900 Lieutenant William James SPENCER, 15 Battalion – Killed in action in France on 4 July 1918.
Halifax Rifle Club
- 3122 Private John Ellenduff BEATTS, 49 Battalion – Died at Polygon Wood, Ypres, Belgium on 27 September 1917.
- 739 Private George Roderick SKINNER, 41 Battalion – Died at Templeux le Guerard, France on 29 September 1918.
Herbert River Rifle Club
- 5056 Private Patrick CHRISTIE, 15 Battalion – Died at Passchendaele 12 October 1917.
(Note: Patrick was Eric Christie’s Great Uncle.)
Kennedy Regiment Rifle Club
- 2115 Private James Thomas BRAY, 25 Battalion – Died at Pozieres in France, on 29 July 1916.
- 113 2nd Lieutenant William Abercrombie BROOKS, 15 Battalion – Died of disease at Cairo on 2 March 1916. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
- 205 Sergeant George Thomas CLARKE, 1 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 4 May 1915.
- 3361 Private John NIGRO, 42 Battalion – Died of wounds near Albert, France, on 16 September 1918.
- Major Hugh QUINN, 15 Battalion – Died at Gallipoli on 29 May 1915. One of the ‘Dirty 500’.
SECOND WORLD WAR
Townsville Railway Rifle Club
- QX11481 Sergeant Thomas James Matthew CORCORAN, 2/26 Infantry Battalion – Died 27 July 1943 (POW in Thailand).
Townsville Military Rifle Club
- 405991 Pilot Officer Eric BALL, 4 Sqn, Indian Air Force – Died 14 Aug 1944.
- QX1838 Warrant Officer Class 2 Thomas Cowie COOPER, 2/10 Field Regiment – Died 13 Sep 1944 at sea on the sinking of the Japanese POW ship Rakuyo Maru.
- 404470 Sergeant Malcolm Edward KENT, 20 Operational Training RAF – Died 4 December 1941 (accidental death in Scotland).
- 414312 Warrant Officer (Pilot) Eric Ronald Fergus MacLEOD, 158 Sqn RAAF – Died 31 March 1944 over Hanover, Germany.
- QX2089 Corporal Keith Armstrong MacLEOD, 2/12 Battalion – Died 18 May 1941 at Tobruk.
- 404862 Flight Sergeant Robert David POWELL, 458 Sqn RAAF – Died 15 Jun 1942 in a flying battle in the Middle East.
- QX6222 Major Bruce Dowsett STRANGE, DSO, 2/15 Battalion – Died by ‘military’ accident in North Queensland 1944.
Herbert River Rifle Club
- QX6230 Captain Eric MacNaughton CHRISTIE, MID, 2/15 Infantry Battalion – Killed in action on 24th September 1943 in New Guinea. (Note: Captain Christie was Eric Christie’s Uncle.)
Anzac Day is one of our most significant and sacred national days. It is the day our nation remembers it owes an enormous debt of gratitude to all those who have served our nation, and those who have given their lives in defence of Australia, our freedoms and our values.
LEST WE FORGET
