Three friends of the 24th Battalion: Australians in World War I

John Austin Mahony – 'Austin' to friends and family – and John Harry Fletcher, known as 'Harry', met in a Melbourne boarding house before the First World War and became close friends. Austin was working in the public service, having graduated as dux of his school, excelling in French, and was an all-round athlete. Harry was a school teacher and was also studying for an arts degree. They were 21 years old when they enlisted together in the Australian Imperial Force on the 8th of March 1915, and were posted as privates to the 24th Battalion, where they became friends with Joseph Scales, age 19. All 3 served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, but only one would survive the war. Austin and Harry embarked for overseas service together aboard HMAT Euripides on the 10th of May 1915. Joe followed in July aboard HMAT Demosthenes. After training in Egypt, the 3 served at Gallipoli from September 1915. The 24th Battalion had to take its turn holding the dangerous and swallowed Lone Pine trenches. The intensity of the fighting and conditions meant the battalions were rotated on a daily basis. Danger at Gallipoli was ever-present. In late November, Harry was buried alive when artillery fire collapsed the side of a trench. He was pulled free in time but suffered a fatal wound. After Gallipoli, the men of the 24th Battalion were sent to the Western Front. Arriving in 1916, they went on to fight in some of the war's most terrible battles, including Pozières, Mouquet Farm and Mont St Quentin. Austin wrote many letters home sharing what he could of his experiences with his family. In one, written in early August, he described leaving a trench and charging towards the enemy. 'After getting over the top, I remember getting the boys spread out in a straight line in no man's land. Then came the gallop. About 250 yards in the course of which I went head over heels into four different shell holes. This was about 10 o'clock at night. Of course, the usual shells were falling and bursting all over the place, and we had some great dodging and ducking and jumping. I did not seem to notice the bullets that were flying all round. The next day when I went to have a drink of water, I discovered a bullet and drilled the water bottle clean through. I must have been lying down at the time to have a breather as we carried the water bottles on our backs but that wasn't the narrowest escape I had. Many times I've thought of saying goodbye to this old world, but as you know, I have a good guardian angel. The worst part of the business is holding the trenches after we get them, as the Germans have their exact range, and pound them to pieces with their big guns, and all we can do is sit down and wait like wombat's in a hole. And all the time, we are unable to do anything in return. This is when the casualties occur unless we dig ourselves in at once, though we are dog-tired when we arrive. We have to get to work and dig like porcupines til we are comparatively safe, and can't our boys dig! One of the inventions of this war is the barrage of fire. It is like a fence of bursting shells and shrapnel put behind the front lines to prevent reinforcements from coming in and also the men in the trenches from going out. We had to get through the barrage going in, and as it is kept up continuously, we had to face it again coming out. That is where we have to dodge and duck. For you have to pass through a hail of shells and shrapnel. A couple of us set out together coming out. By going a long way round, we escaped most of the shells. But weren't we tired when our journey was ended? I don't think I was ever so weary in my life. I'm so much relieved.' Only a few weeks after he wrote this letter, Austin was commanding a work party digging trenches close to the enemy at Mouquet Farm. He heard another battalion was in desperate need of bombs and went to their aid, bombing 3 enemy dugouts on the way. For this act of conspicuous gallantry, he was awarded the Military Cross. Joe Scales also won distinction on the Western Front in 1916. He was recommended for a Mention in Dispatches 'for gallantry in action and untiring energy at Fromelles (Fleurbaix), Armentières and Pozieres. In March the following year, he led a daylight patrol through a shallow sap very close to enemy trenches on the Bapaume–Grévillers Ridge, gathering information which helped in planning an attack carried out hours later. For this, he was awarded a Military Medal. Joe was wounded in the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May 1917 and evacuated to a hospital in London. He returned to the front in August. In the latter part of 1917, the 24th Battalion was sent into the quagmire that was the Third Battle of Ypres. Joe again distinguished himself – this time at Broodseinde Ridge, where, under fire, he crawled through the mud from shell hole to shell hole to destroy an enemy machine-gun post that was holding up the advance. He was recommended for the Victoria Cross but ultimately received the Distinguished Service Order. By 1918, Harry, Joe and Austin were all experienced soldiers and had risen through the ranks. They were among a dwindling number who had served at Gallipoli and were still in the fighting. They had enjoyed the horrors of the trenches, and were about to take part in the much more open warfare that followed the German Spring Offensive that year. It had been a long war, and the end was not yet in sight. All 3 must have been relieved to spend any time away from the front. More so when they were safe in England. For most of 1918, Joe was posted to training brigades in England, safe from the firing line. In September, Harry and Austin spent a weekend together in London, staying with a British family before returning to France. Joe remained in England but Harry and Austin were back with the 24th Battalion by the beginning of October. A few nights later, as they waited to go into battle at Montbrehain, Austin and Harry joined in a sing-along with other officers in an old German dugout. The battalion began its advanced on the village at 6 am on the 5th of October 1918, just as the sun was rising. Artillery shells burst in front of them in a creeping barrage, the gunners moving their shots forward as the infantry followed behind the curtain of fire until they reached the German line. The Australians fought their way into the village. Harry was killed by a German shell aimed at a nearby tank that was helping the Australian advance. As he was organising his troops, Austin stood up to give his orders, and a bullet hit him in the head. He fell, unconscious, and was taken back to a hospital, where he died 4 days later. Austin is buried in Tincourt New British Cemetery, Harry in Calvaire Cemetery, Montbrehain. By the time Joe Scales returned to the Western Front, the war was over, and Harry and Austin were gone. Joe took part in the Inter-Allied games in Paris in the summer of 1919. This passion for athletics continued when he returned home and opened a physical training and boxing school. Joe served again in the Second World War, but not overseas. He was in his 40s by then. We don't know how often Joe's thoughts turned to Harry and Austin over the years, but their families grieved their loss deeply. In 1919, a tribute published in the Argus, written by Harry's parents and siblings, revealed how much those at home cherished the memories of both men and the friendship they had shared. 'In proud and loving remembrance of Captain John Harry Fletcher, 24th Battalion, our dear Harry who, in his brigade's final battle at Montbrehain, 5th of October 1918, after three and a half years' active service, foremost fighting fell. Also of his bosom friend Captain Austin Mahoney, who fell with him. Gone to the Home Eternal.'