Today’s Last Post Ceremony commemorated the service and sacrifice of Captain Pockley who was killed at Bita Paka, 100 years ago today. When the First World War began in August, Pockley volunteered to join the Australian Army Medical Corps and volunteered for duty with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force or ANMEF On 18 August, he sailed with the force aboard the Transport ship Berrima, bound for New Britain. During the journey, Pockley and a colleague were transferred along with 50 sailors to the HMAS Sydney. It was this small force that would make the initial landings at Kabakaul and Herbertshohe, New Britain, their objectives were to knock out German communications towers on the island. Pockley’s college motto “God first, Country next and self, last of all” described the way he lived his life and the way he died. At 7am on 11 September 1914, Pockley accompanied 25 sailors, led by Lieutenant R G Bowen, when they made the initial landing at Kabakaul, New Britain. As a skirmish erupted, Able Seaman Billy Williams was wounded. Pockley was called forward. Seeing that Williams’ wound was mortal, he called another sailor to carry his wounded comrade back to the beach. For safe passage, Pockley took off his Red Cross brassard and tied it to the sailor’s helmet. Shortly after, while moving to attend another wounded sailor, Pockley was shot through the stomach, the bullet tearing a fist–sized hole in his back and shattering one of his lower vertebrae. Pockley was carried back to the beach and taken by boat to the Berrima. He was given morphine by one of his colleagues and despite his injuries, talked quietly until he lapsed into unconsciousness. He died from his wounds a little before 2pm that day. His body was taken ashore and at 5pm, was laid to rest at Kabakaul. Following the end of the First World War, his body was relocated to the Bita Paka War Cemetery, Rabaul. Read more about the action at Bita Paka awm.gov.au/blog/2014/09/10/first-fight/ And the ANMEF awm.gov.au/blog/2014/09/10/australian-naval-and-military-expeditionary-force-100-years/
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 07:49:56 +0000
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