The Campigli Brothers

The Herald of November 23, 1916 (see here) published an article on Donald Campigli and his Distinguished Conduct Medal, which was presented to him on Wednesday, November 22 1916 by the Governor General, Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson. Donald has a local connection because he was born in 1896 whilst his father was stationed at the Bunyip Railway Station.

His father, James, was the Station Master at Bunyip from February 1901 to May 1904 but the family had been in Bunyip for around five years before he received this appointment.  As with many families where the father was employed by the Victorian Railways, they moved frequently.  This is a quick look at the birth years and birth registration places of the children of James and Catherine (nee Murray) Campigli, who were married in 1887  - Marion Helena - 1888, Williamstown; Mary Ann - 1889 Frankston; George Murray - 1890 Inglewood; Louis - 1893 Cranbourne, died aged seven months; Francis Louis - 1894 Rocky Lead (now Rocklyn); Donald Hugh - 1896 Bunyip South; John Murray - 1898,  Bunyip South; Christine Louise - 1900, Bunyip South; William Robert Gordon - 1903, Heywood; Sydney McIntosh - 1904, Port Albert. 

This is the report from The Herald - 

PRIVATE CAMPIGLI, D.C.M. HOW THE MEDAL WAS WON.

WATER FOR THE WOUNDED.

Private Donald H. Campigli, D.C M, who Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, the Governor-General, presented with his medal at South Melbourne yesterday, was one of those who with the 8th (Victorian) Battalion, took part in the famous landing in Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. He was a member of B Company and his story of how he won the medal is, briefly as follows:—

"We were occupying Shrapnel Gully and were getting into the Turks hot and strong. They we're doing the same to us. We were in a recently used trench, from which we had driven the Turks. Some of our killed and wounded were in front and we heard the men cry for water. I did not know at the time who they were. Some of the boys said they would go out but our commanding officer, Captain L. R. Hartland (afterwards killed in action) gave orders that no man should leave the trenches because it would mean further loss of life. I was not satisfied, and asked him if I could go. He said 'No.' "He turned away, and while he was doing something a few yards away, I jumped over the parapet, and went out I got hold of one of the men, who was not seriously wounded. I don't know who he was - he belonged to some other battalion. I brought him back into the trench where he was fixed up. Then I went out a second time, and a fellow asked me for a drink of water. I gave him my bottle. He was shot through the back and could not move. I got him on my back and brought him within five or six yards of the trench, where he was shot a second time. He was a man of 13st. or more, and I found him no light burden. I was taking him further to the rear when he was again shot and this time the wound was fatal."

Private Campigli afterwards took part in the gallant charge of the 2nd Brigade under Brigadier-General J. W. McCay, at Cape Helles and celebrated his 19th birthday while in the Gallipoli trenches. His brothers,  George and Frank, are now on active service in Europe.

The father of the three soldiers is a relieving station master living at Williamstown. For some years he was resident of Scarsdale where Donald went to the school so lovingly honored by the Scarsdale Old Boys. His portrait, handsomely framed, looks down from the wall on the younger generation of scholars, an ever-present incentive to the faithful accomplishment of lessons nobly learned. It was given to the school by Mr W. H. Rogers, of Nar Nar Goon, an enthusiastic member of the Old Boys' Association.

The article mentions the fact that his two brothers, George and Frank, were serving and a fourth brother, John, enlisted after this article was published. This is a brief summary of their war service. 

Campigli, Donald Hugh (SN 7460)  Donald  enlisted on December 11, 1914 at the age of 19, and served in Gallipoli where he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, was later at Dardenelles, and was discharged February 1916 but then rejoined  on July 16, 1917 and Returned to Australia April 1920.   On his second enlistment he was  one of the 'Sportsmen's Thousand' a 1917 campaign to encourage sportsmen to join the AIF. Donald is listed on the Bunyip Methodist Church Honour Board (see here).  Donald married Doris Isabella Taylor in 1921 and they had two sons Donald and Keith. Young Donald served in the RAAF in World War Two.  Donald died December 21, 1952, aged 56.

Death notice of Donald Campigni

The Argus December 22, 1952  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23198038

Campigli, John Murray (SN 3930). John, known as Jack, was a 22 year old Clerk with the Railways when he enlisted on December 8, 1917. He Died of Disease - pneumonia and malaria - in Palestine on November 21, 1918. 

The Campigli family were living in Williamstown when Donald, Frank and George enlisted, so because they had that Williamstown connection Jack is listed on their Honour Board which hangs in the Williamstown Town Hall. The Honor Board commemorates the 256 men from Williamstown, Newport and Spotswood who did not return. 

The Honour Board photos are reproduced on the 

Sons of Williamstown: a Labour of Love website. 

It is a beautiful  website

Image: http://sonsofwilliamstown.com.au/portfolio/jm-campigli/

Death notice of John Murray Campigli

The Herald, November 26, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242672738

Campigli, Francis Louis (SN 3634) Frank was 21 years old and a Clerk, when he enlisted on July 13, 1915. He Returned to Australia October 6, 1919. Frank married Jessie May Adsett in 1922.  They lived in the Camberwell area after their marriage and had a daughter, Margaret. Frank died October 28, 1976, aged 82. He was cremated at Springvale Crematorium. Jessie moved to Sydney after Frank's death and passed away March 20, 1978,

Death notice of Frank's wife, Jessie May.

Sydney Morning Herald, March 22, 1978

Campigli, George Murray (SN 237). George enlisted on August 20, 1914 at the age of 24, He was a Clerk with the Victorian Railways. He was discharged from the A.I.F on July 11, 1916 and joined the Imperial Army or British Expeditionary Forces. George rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and received the Military Cross.  After the War he remained in Palestine to organise their railways on a commercial basis. He married Edna May Phillips, the daughter of William Henry Phillips, who also stayed in Palestine after the War and worked with the railways. The marriage took place at Port Said on December 20, 1922. Read a report in the Northam Advertiser, here. You can read the obituary of W.H. Phillips in the  Northam Advertiser  here. The article, below, tells us that George and Edna had five children. Their son, Bruce Campigli, was Killed in Action on July 11, 1944 at the age of 18. He was in the Royal Navy on the H.M.S. Pembroke. 

This article tells us about George's career after the War.

The Age, November 25, 1933 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11695470

There was an interesting interview with George Campigli published in the Perth Listening Post on February 24, 1933. He talked about his War experience and gave an overview of the  economy and infrastructure of Palestine. Read it here and here. George died in Camberwell on August 23, 1951, aged 61. He is buried at Burwood Cemetery with his wife, Edna.

Death notice of George Campigli.

The Age August 30, 1951 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205346696

Mrs Lineham receives a letter from her son

In February 1917, Mrs Lineham of  Yannathan received a letter from her son, William, who was serving overseas. William James Lineham was born in 1894 in Clyde to Benjamin and Eliza Maria Agnes (nee Knott) Lineham. They later moved to Yannathan. William (Service Number 2711) enlisted on July 19, 1915 at the age of 20 and he Returned to Australia April 13, 1919.  In  1927, William married Ellen May Gilchrist and the couple farmed at Yannathan. William had been granted a Soldier Settler farm, you can read his file, here, on the Battle to Farm website.  He died June 30, 1974, aged 79. William is listed on the Yannathan State School Honour Board, see here.

The letter to Mrs Lineham was published in the Lang Lang Guardian on February 28, 1917 (see here)

Letters From Our Boys

Mrs B. Lineham, of Yannathan, has received the following letter from her son, Driver W. J. Lineham, who has been ill for some time -

Dear Mother and Father,

Just a few  lines to let you know I am about well again. I had a touch of bronchitis, but it was not very severe, also a septic toe, but it is quite well again. I am in the British Red Cross Hospital at Netly [sic] near Southampton. I have been in four Hospitals, and have had no letters from you for over two months, so I expect the letters are still chasing me from one Hospital to another. I expect to be back in France by the time you receive this letter. I had a letter from father's cousin in England this morning, and was pleased to have one. We are very busy to-night decorating our ward and have nearly finished. I am very lucky, I think, to be in England for Christmas, and have had a real good time in every Hospital, being treated real well. 

Netley Hospital, where William was a patient for a time.

Image:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35998766

There are only three Australians in the hut, and nearly every day someone comes in to see us. In the Hospital I was in at Rouen, France, there was one Australian nurse, and there are a few here. One came in to see us last night. On the way over from Le Havre to Southampton our boat ran into the mud twice, and the second time it took two days to pull us off. The boat had a hole knocked into front of her, but it could not have been very large as we got to port safely. It was very foggy, so I suppose that accounted for it.

A Soldier's letter

The Lang Lang Guardian published this letter in their April 4, 1917 issue (see here).  It was written to J. Smethurst of Yannathan.  The Electoral Roll lists a James Thomas Smethurst,  a John Samuel Smethurst and a Joseph Richard Smethurst all living at  Yannthan in 1917, so one of these men was the recipient of this letter. The paper actually fails to tell us who sent the letter. In spite of the fact we don't know the author, it is an interesting letter about life on the Front, how Christmas was celebrated and also mentions a few other local lads, so it is well worth publishing here.

Soldier's Letter

The following extracts are taken from a letter written to J. Smethurst, Yannathan.

France,
Jan. 1, 1917.

Just a few lines in answer to your ever welcome and interesting letters which I received a few weeks ago dated 30th October and 18th November, and also to thank you for the parcel of sox and cigarettes I received last night. The sox are very acceptable as we are continually in the mud and slush. I suppose you have heard that report of me being wounded was only a slight wound in the hand hardly worth reporting, they told me at the hospital it would not be sent in so I did not bother. I sent the cable after I came back from the hospital, I only had ten days spell with it, and have had nothing worse since than a cold, but am quite alright now and going strong. We were in the trenches when I got your letters, so have not had a chance to write before, but you will see I have started early in the new year. 

Xmas is over once more, this is my second away, I hope, to be back in Australia for the next. We had a nice quiet time for Xmas we were lucky enough to be reserve Division and well out of the firing line, just within hearing of the guns to remind us there is a war on. Xmas morning we had a Church Parade, but it was a beastly cold windy day quite unsuitable for an open air service. The chaplain was very disappointed as it was the first parade, he had for some time. He is a fine man. We had nineteen days in the trenches last time, and had very bad weather, it was either blowing, snowing, raining or frosty.

We worked in relays, some of us in the front line, and some in supports (about 700 yards behind the front line) we changed over every four days, as one could not stand more in the front line exposed to the cold and wet, and not able to have anything hot: back in supports we were lucky enough to find some German dugouts about thirty feet under ground, needless to say we occupied them and were fairly comfortable, we were able to light a fire and have a hot meal, and go to sleep and feel safe from the shells. Fritz made himself very comfortable with his dugouts, some of them are sixty feet deep, floored and lined, bunks rigged up in them and even pictures on the walls. It must have been a sore point for them to have to leave in a hurry and know that we are now occupying their dugouts.

I witnessed several aeroplane duels, in fact every clear day they are at it. It is a great sight to see as many as sixty planes all up at once, but rather horrible to see them brought down, sometimes in flames and other times I have seen observer fall out of his machine while hundreds of feet in the air.

I suppose you heard that Mat Doran was killed in action about the end of October. I'm not sure of the date as I did not hear till some time after. I went to see Gordon Burton after we came out of action, but he had gone away sick, I haven't heard anything of him since. I just heard yesterday that Chris Keighery and Alan Whelan are about here somewhere.

The author of the letter mentions four other men - 

Doran, Matthew John (Service Number 1376) Matthew, a labourer, enlisted on August 3, 1915 at the age of 22.  He was born in 1892 in Trentham to Denis Doran and Mary Cranny. Mary was subsequently widowed and married John Scanlon in 1902. His address on the Embarkation Roll is Heathcote, the same as his mother's address. He did, however, undertake his medical examination in Warragul and has a connection to Modella, see here. Matthew was Killed in Action in France on October 23, 1916.

Burton, Gordon Frederick (SN 184) Gordon was born in Yannathan, enlisted on July 5 1915 at the age of 23. He was grocer and his next of kin were his parents, Frederick and  Elizabeth (nee Smith) Burton, of Wonthaggi.  Gordon Returned to Australia  April 13, 1919. 

Gordon came back to Yannathan after the War and was listed in the Electoral Rolls as a driver. In the 1936 Roll his occupation had changed to grocer and the next year he had moved to Northcote, where he was also in the Grocery trade. Gordon married Rita Priestley in 1943 and he died on September 18, 1946 at the age of 51. Gordon is listed on the Yannathan Honor Board, here.

Keighery, Christopher (SN 340)  Christopher was born in Dandenong and enlisted on May 13, 1916, Chris was 26 years old and a saddler and his next of kin was his father, Edward, of Lang Lang.  He Returned to Australia July 5, 1919. 

Whelan, Herbert Allan (SN 341)  Allan (as he was known) enlisted on May 18, 1916. He was 23 years old, born in Lang Lang and his next of kin was his father, Thomas, of Rutherglen. His mother, Sarah (nee Pell) had died in 1906.  Allan's occupation on his Enlistment papers was a Hairdresser, although he was listed in the Electoral Rolls at Lang Lang at this time as a Teamster. Allan was taken Prisoner of War on April 15, 1917 and repatriated back to England on Christmas Day, 1918. He Returned to Australia February 7, 1919.  After the War, Allan moved to Maryborough, and his occupation was a Motor Proprietor.  He married Margaret Elizabeth Nicholls in 1927, who sadly died September 7, 1928. In 1930 he married Helena Sarah Neyland. Allan and Helena lived in Carisbrook, where he was a Motor Mechanic. Allan died in 1965, aged 72. 

A report about Chris and Frank Keighery

Lang Lang Guardian, May 11, 1918 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119515432

I came across this interesting article about Chris and Frank Keighery. Frank (SN 445) was Killed in Action at Gallipoli, but before the War contributed Nature Notes to The Argus, under the pen name Heron and was the first man to volunteer from Lang Lang.

Chris and Frank were the sons of Edward and Annie (nee Elliott) Keighery. Edward and Annie moved to Lang Lang in 1903 where Edward had a Bootmakers shop. In 1920, Chris married Eva Emily Misson and they lived in Koo Wee Rup where he operated a saddlers and bicycle shop.  (Source: Protector's Plains: history of Lang Lang Primary School No.2899, 1888-1988 and district compiled by Barbara Coghlan in 1988.