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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-07-20 Daily Xml
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Adjournment Debate

FROMELLES

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (16:35): It has been an important day in Europe today and Australia yesterday. In Europe 94 years ago the Battle of Fromelles was fought. It has received a great deal of media coverage over the last few days, particularly on the television today and no doubt tonight. The Battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 took place 19 days after the opening of the Somme campaign.

British forces had been in action in France and Belgium since 1914; however, the first major battle on the Western Front involving Australian troops was in Fromelles. Shortly, I would like to turn to a local South Australian person, who was involved. It is worth noting that in this battle the 5th Australian Division suffered losses of 5,533 people, who were killed, wounded, taken prisoner or missing. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records suggest that between 19 and 20 July 1916 the Australian dead at Fromelles amounted to 1,780; the British, 503, and German casualties were over 1,000.

Over 5,500 Australians became casualties. Nearly 2,000 were killed, died or were wounded and some 400 were captured. This is believed to be the greatest loss by a single division in 24 hours during the entire First World War, the war to end all wars. Some consider Fromelles as the most tragic event in Australia's history. It is significant today that I rise in this place to talk about that battle of so long ago, which is still so fresh in our minds through the wonders of the modern media—television—and particularly through the fact that DNA has been used to identify many of those who were killed. Families' minds have been put to rest in many cases where possible on both the Australian and British sides.

This succession of battles during World War I, largely led by incompetent British generals, etc., was an absolute disaster for the flower of Australian youth, and it was a sad day indeed for our country. I am unsure of how many South Australians served. I am unsure of how many members of my own electorate of Finniss served in Fromelles. I really do not know; however, what I do know is that one South Australian who served there, with very strong connections to my electorate, was a Private called Alfred Victor Momplhait, more commonly known by the family as Vic or Uncle Vic. He still has a nephew, Lindsay Howard, who is 92, and I am unsure of how many of Lindsay's siblings still survive.

Some of Lindsay's family connections were in France this morning, about 11 kilometres from the Belgian border. David and Mandy Wilson of Macgillivray in Kangaroo Island were there today—David is the great nephew of Victor Momplhait—and Terry and Ros Howard from Penneshaw also attended. Terry is also a great nephew of Vic Momplhait. They were proudly able to be there today. I imagine that they have had a terrifically emotional time.

Vic Momplhait was born in Alberton in South Australia, and he went to school at Alberton. He was a clerk in Port Adelaide, and he was only 28 when he embarked. He was 5' 4". These days, with nutrition, people are much taller. He and his brother went overseas. His brother returned, but he did not. His brother never had children. I am unsure of whether his brother married, but they never had children, so the descendents of the family have come down through the mother's side. Indeed, Lindsay Howard, is Lindsay Momplhait Howard. Lindsay is also a Second World War veteran. He is 92 years old and is a retired farmer on Kangaroo Island. He had another brother, the late Bill Howard, and a number of sisters. For the life of me, I cannot recall how many are still alive, but it was a big family.

It was also interesting that their father was Jean Gustav Momplhait, who came from Mauritius. The family has an Indian background, and they are intensely proud of that. They are a proud family on Kangaroo Island. The connections to Alfred Victor Momplhait on Kangaroo Island are the Howards, the Willsons and the Northcotts. They are all very well known Kangaroo Island families, they are highly respected and have played a long and interesting part in the island's history.

Even more interesting still was that one of Private Momplhait's forebears, his great-great-grandmother, Mary Thomas, and her husband Robert Thomas, were on board the Africaine, which was one of the first ships to come to South Australia. As you may recall, next week is the 174th anniversary of the first landing in South Australia by the ships at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island. So, there is a long connection.

This family is an amazing family. Lindsay Howard's son, Alan, played for North Adelaide. They are entrenched farmers on the island and they have been there for a long time. I find this of great interest. I have a great deal of respect for veterans, as I am sure that everybody does. I am sure that some members, if not everybody, in this place who were born in this country have ancestors who served for Australia either in the Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, Vietnam, Korea, or wherever it may be.

It would have been an intensely emotional experience to have been there today. Just a few minutes ago I saw a grab on the television in the Members' Bar when I was having a cup of coffee, and it captivates people. It is absolutely amazing that we can go back so long after the event and identify these people and give them the rest that they truly deserve, have members of their families there to observe the reinterment of the bodies, to be part of it and to give closure to many families for what has been an intensely difficult ordeal for a long time.

I understand, from information from Mr Lindsay Howard, that his mother and their family always talked about Uncle Vic and the legend was handed down. So, to find that someone was so intensely interested, as the gentleman in Victoria who pushed this, for them to be disinterred, to be identified by DNA, to link up 94 years later and to have members of their families there, I think, is wonderful. I would dearly like to go to Europe and visit some of these battlefields and to observe the way these wonderful war cemeteries are kept. I know that the French and the Belgians take a great interest in Australia and what Australian service personnel have done for them over generations.

It is an important day and it is most important that it is recognised. It is most important that the families have the opportunity to go. I note that Prince Charles spoke and that the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, was there, and that it was done with great ceremony. Whatever we criticise the British for, which they are a bit open to from time to time, they certainly know how to do these things properly when they introduce the pomp and ceremony. Everything would have been done to the letter. The Australian Army component that was there would have done their job admirably.

It is terrific that we can take the time in this place to make note of what took place in the last 24 hours in Europe, but, more particularly, of the horror that occurred at Fromelles 94 years ago on 19 and 20 July 1916.

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