Born at Copeland in June 1882 to William and Alice, Stanley was the younger brother to Herbert, who had already joined the 3rd Battalion on the 27th of August 1914.
Working as a shop assistant, Stanley enlisted on the 3rd of August 1915 joining the 7th Reinforcements 13th Battalion. From enlistment until the 12th of November Stanly was at the Training Depot before being transferred to the 18th Battalion the next day. On the 20th of December 1915 he embarked at Sydney with the 18th Battalion aboard the ‘HMAT A29 Suevic’ bound for Egypt. Between the 13th of November 1915 and the 13th of February, the 18th Battalion underwent military training. Stanley was included while waiting for his transfer to the 3rd Battalion at Tel el Kebir where he was taken on strength on the 14th of February joining his brother.
On the 22nd of March, Stanley, now with the 3rd Battalion departed Alexandria aboard the ‘Grampion’, arriving at Marseilles on the 28th. The battalion’s first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme valley in July 1916. Later the battalion fought at Ypres, in Flanders, before returning to the Somme for winter.
Succumbing to an abscess in Belgium, Stanley was taken to the 36th Casualty Clearing Station on the 13th of November 1916 in Belgium and the next day was put on an ambulance train to arrive at 1st Australian General Hospital, Rouen on the 18th. After treatment he was then transferred to the 1st Convalescent Hospital on the 19th and discharged to 1st ADBD Etaples on the 21st to be assessed. On the 24th he left Etaples to join his unit, where he arrived on the 2nd of December 1916. On the 26th of February 1917, Stanley was promoted to Lance Corporal.
The battalion participated in a short period of mobile operations following the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in early 1917. At the First Battle of Bullecourt Allied forces, including the 4th Australian Division, attacked the small, fortified town of Bullecourt on the 11th of April. The attack was a disaster for the 4th Division, which suffered some 3,300 casualties while 1,170 were taken prisoner. Despite the failure of the first battle, a second attempt to capture Bullecourt was planned for the 3rd of May 1917.
The Second Battle of Bullecourt was fought during the 3rd to the 17th of May. It was a major offensive as the Allies attempted to end the stalemate on the Western Front and break through the formidable German Hindenburg Line defences.
This time the 5th and 6th Brigades of the 2nd Australian Division were to follow in the footsteps of the 4th Australian Division to attack Bullecourt’s right flank and link up with the British who would attack the left flank. The 2nd Australian Division and the British 62nd Division attacked Bullecourt at 3:45 am on the 3rd of May 1917 and managed to gain a foothold in the German trenches but were unable to capture the village.
German counterattacks began the following morning and continued for a fortnight, resulting in some of the bloodiest trench battles of the First World War. Australian reinforcements from the 1st and 5th Australian Divisions joined the fight and repelled fierce German counterattacks while British troops managed to seize the eastern side of Bullecourt and link up with the Australians.
On the 5th of May 1917 Stanley was ‘Killed in Action’, aged 22 years 5 months. It was reported he was buried in vicinity of Yaricourt Wood, Syncsort Military Cemetery 1 ¼ miles SW of Passchendaele, 5 ¼ miles ENE of Ypres Villiers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, however a letter addressed to Alice dated the 3rd of June 1921 advised the burial details of Stan were mistaken for another soldier with the same name.
Stanley’s personal effects that were returned to Alice at Copeland were: wallet, I/D disk, Poems (The ANZACS) notebook key, photos, letters, Bible, Kit Bag Handle, Pair Mittens, Writing Wallet, 2 Face Cloths, Metal Drinking Cup.
Sadly, Stanley’s elder brother Herbert who had enlisted on the 24th of August 1914 with the 3rd Battalion was ‘Killed in Action’ at Fromelles on the 20th of July 1916. To add to the tragedy mother Alice died on the 1st of October 1917 at Stroud.
