Fords of Katandra

Victoria Australia

Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzhawthorn BATEY
1895-1916

9th child of Eliza Ann FORD & Thomas Place BATEY
grandchild of Thomas FORD & Eliza Ann BATE

Photo below
Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzhawthorn Batey

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 Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzhawthorn BATEY
War Service
Enlistment Date   13 July 1915
Enlistment Place Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 
Enlistment Rank  Private
Unit Name 29th Battalion, A Company 
Embarkment Date  10 November 1915 
Embarkment Place Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 
Embarkment Ship HMAT A11 Ascanuis 
Fate Killed in Action 
Date of Death 19-20 July 1916 
Place of Death Fromelles FRANCE 
Age at Death  21.5 years 
Place of Burial  No known Grave
Commemoration

V.C. Corner (Panel 1)
Australian Cemetery, FROMELLES France.
Australian War Memorial,
Roll of Honour, Panel No. 115

Medals 

1914-1915 Star,
Britsh War Medal,
Victory Medal.

NAME Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzhawthorn BATEY
FATHER Thomas Place BATEY
MOTHER Eliza Ann BATEY (nee FORD) 
BIRTH DATE 11 February 1895
BIRTH PLACE Katandra, Victoria, Australia
SIBLINGS         Martin 1878-1948
Thomas Place 1880-1940
Edward Theodore 1882-1949
Francis Arthur 1884-1951 
Lilian Victoria 1886-1888
Lauristina May 1888-1975
George Robson 1890-1920
Isaac Lloyd 1893-1974
Camelia Evelyn 1897-1977 
EDUCATION Name of School
OCCUPATION Occupations
MILITARY  WW1- AIF, Service No. 166 Private, 29th Battalion, A Company,
13 July 1915 - 20 July 1916
DEATH DATE 19 - 20 July 1916
DEATH PLACE Fromelles, FRANCE
BURIAL DATE 22 July 1916
BURIAL PLACE No known Grave. (buried in vicinity of Fleurbaix sh 36)
CAUSE OF DEATH Killed in Action
KNOWN RESIDENCES   00 Name Street Town State yyyy-yyyy
HMAT Ascanius

Place: Australia: Victoria, Melbourne, Port Melbourne
Date: 10 November 1915
Description: Troops on board HMAT Ascanius (A11) prior to departure . Another ship (far left) is moored ahead of A11.
Photographer: Josiah Barnes
 
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War Service
EGYPT & WESTERN FRONT.
Embarked - HMAT Ascanius-Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10th November 1915
Disembarked - Suez , 7th December 1915
Embarked -Tunisian- Alexandria, 18th June 1916 to join the British Expeditionary Force.
Disembarked - Marseilles, France, 23rd June 1916

Reported Missing 19-20 July 1916
Court of Enquiry, held in Field, 23rd August 1917 pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 20th July 1916'

RED CROSS RECORDS (from file No. 0280101C)
Informant: Cpl F Webster - 356, A Company 29th Bn
Informant states that all the mentioned men -
Batey L.R. -166
Brunn M.L . -1470

Farlow S.  -80
Gill R.  -2033 ( Died at C.C.S)
 
Higgins S.L  -2030
Parry F.  -320
Westmorland H.J.  -361
Wilkin E.F.  -1314
Woodcock F.S.  -1262
were in the No. 3 Platoon along with himself and his brother. He knew them by Regimental No. and name well, but could not describe each on individually. the 9 mentioned men were killed on the afternoon of July 19. or in the morning of 20 July, 1916. All the named were killed either by Shellfire or Machine gun and were buried at the left hand of the sap which runs into the back of water farm (POZIERS). This was a very large grave and contained about 20 or 30 bodies, and is marked by 1 big cross. They were all buried by a fatigue party from D. Company and some bandsmen. Informant was at the burial on the 22 July and saw the remains of the 9 men (named), properly buried. The informant and his brother were the only 2 men left alive out of the platoon, his brother was in charge at the time. 


Informant: Pte F.J Buckland - 380, A Company 29th Bn.
At Fromelles on the 19 July, I saw Batey wounded slightly in the shoulder. I wanted to bind him up but he said he was alright. This was the last time I saw him. We had taken the third German trench: it was in the first trench that Batey was wounded. We had to eventually evacuate the trenches.
5th December 1916 ( patient, No. 2 General Hospital Calais.)

I saw him in the German front line on July 19 at Fleurbaix with a wound in his shoulder. he was working his way up the trench at this time, trying to get back to our line. I knew he was missing afterwards, but know nothing further of him.
15th January 1917.

Informant Pte J.H. Moore. - 2092 A. 4 Plat.
Informant knew Batey who was in his Plat. He says his 1st Initial should be "L" not "S". On the 20 July during the attack at Fromelles, Informant saw Batey wounded in the shoulder and both legs. It was between the German 1st and 2nd Lines, and was later we retired to our original position and Batey, was, Informant believes, left. informant added that Batey was a very fine fellow and one of the most popular men in the coy.
6th December 1916.

  
Informant: Cpl W. Braden. - 413, A Company 29th Bn.
formant says he knew a man in A Co. who was called .... Batey

The last seen of him was in the Fromelles Attack of 19 July when he was left in No Man's Land with his shoulder shattered.  Offered help, he replied "Never mind me, I'll be all right, go on" He was not seen again.
6th December 1916 (Patient, No.11 Stationary Hospital Rouen).

 

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About the 29th Battalion (Australia) from Wikipedia, during time Lemuel Batey Served

*Infantry Battalion was originally formed during WW1, being raised in Victoria as part of the A.I.F. on 10th August 1915.
*Initial training at Seymour then Broadmeadows Camp
*Nov 1915 embarked upon HMAT Ascanius in Port Melbourne disembarking Port Suez, Egypt on 7th December 1915, too late to take part at Gallipoli undertook defensive duties to protect Suez Canal from Turkish forces. Completed comphenesive training by time orders to transfer to Europe arrived.
* Embarked  troopship Tunisian in Alexandria bound for France 14th June 1916.
*Battalion arrived Marseilles 23rd June and transported by rail to Hazebrouck. then a 2 day march (29 Miles over cobbled roads with loads up to 32-34 kg) before arriving at the front on the night of 10th/11th July
*52 men killed in action, 164 men wounded
 

Photo to the left:
Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzhawthorn Batey
Date : October 1915  at Broadmeadows.
Description: Studio portrait of 166 Private (Pte) Lemuel Reginald Valentine Fitzanthorne Batey, A Company, 29th Battalion, of Katandra, Vic. This is one of a series of photographs taken by the Darge Photographic Company which had the concession to take photographs at the Broadmeadows and Seymour army camps during the First World War. In the 1930s, the Australian War Memorial purchased the original glass negatives from Algernon Darge.

References:
Australian Red Cross Society Wounded & Missing Enquiry Bureau Files 1914-1918 War 1DRL/0428 File No# 0280101C
National Archives of Australia. Item No# 3057058 (B2455, BATEY LRVF)
Australian War Memorial website. http://awm.gov.au/research/people/roll_of_honour/person.asp?p=484045 
Wikipedia.