Prescot Roll of Honour

Service Details

Rhys Webb had migrated to Australia sometime around 1911. He enlisted into the Australian army at Port Melbourne, Victoria on the 18th January 1915. At the time, he lived in Sunny Hills, Victoria. His medical reported that he was aged 21 years and 7 months, that he stood 5 ft 7 in tall and weighed 10st 2 lb. He had a fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. His religion was Church of England. He trained at the depot until 2nd March, when he was assigned to the 5th Reinforcements of the 14th Battalion, Australian Infantry.

The 14th Battalion had been formed in Melbourne in September 1914. On 1 October it relocated to Broadmeadows Camp where the battalion's recruits, principally from Melbourne and its suburbs, were taken on strength and trained. With the 13th, 15th and 16th Battalions, the 14th formed the 4th Brigade commanded by Colonel John Monash. The Battalion initially sailed for Europe in December 1914.

A series of reinforcement drafts followed, the 5th of which included Rhys Webb and left Melbourne on board the Hororata on 17th April 1915. The Nominal Rolls for the embarkation show that he was a single man, aged 24 and worked as a Labourer. He listed his mother as his next of kin. Prior to embarkation, he wrote his will, reproduced below, on 16th April 1915 from the Church of England tent at Broadmeadows.

The 4th Brigade originally landed at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli, on the afternoon of 25 April 1915, and on 19 May the Turks launched a massive counter-attack. From May to August 1915 the battalion, which now included reinforcement drafts, was heavily involved in establishing and defending the ANZAC front line.

In August, the 4th Brigade attacked Hill 971. The attack from the Anzac perimeter was directed against two peaks of the Sari Bair range; Chunuk Bair and Hill 971. Under the overall command of Major-General Alexander Godley, the attacking force included the New Zealand and Australian Division, the British 13th Division plus a couple of extra infantry brigades.

The plan was for two assaulting columns to march out of Anzac on the night of 6 August. The right-hand column, comprising the New Zealand Infantry Brigade under Brigadier-General Francis Johnston, would head for Chunuk Bair. The left-hand column, commanded by Major-General Vaughn Cox, heading for Hill 971 and neighbouring Hill Q, contained the Australian 4th Infantry Brigade of Brigadier-General John Monash and Cox's 29th Indian Brigade. Rhys Webb was part of the left-hand column. Both objectives were expected to be captured by dawn.

The left column's journey through the tangled ravines was doomed to failure and, having become lost and confused, it never got close to the objective of Hill 971. By the morning of 8 August Cox's forces were sufficiently organised to attempt an attack on their original objectives of Hill 971 and Hill Q. However Monash's brigade was still mistaken about its position relative to Hill 971. In fact, by the end of the day's advance Monash's troops had actually reached the position they had believed they had been starting from. Meanwhile Hill 971 was more unreachable than ever. The three Australian battalions that had made the assault (14th, 15th and 16th) suffered 765 casualties

The divisional war diary, written contemporaneously, reported the day as follows:-

“03.00 a.m.

14th Bn moved out in single file in the rear of 15th Bn and crossed KAIAJIK DERE and then deployed into lines of platoons in field on ridge north of KAIAJIK DERE. Here, Major R Rankine fainted and Maj. C.M.M Dare assumed command of 14th Bn. and an advance was made under heavy rifle and machine gun fire and consequently casualties were very heavy. After the 15th Bn. on our immediate had practically withered away, the 14th continued to advance suffering heavily and the Turks were met in great force on our front and left. As we drove them back they counter attacked on our left flank several times. The Bn. thus got very split up and it is impossible to say exactly what happened. Orders were then given to dog in and consolidate the position gained and prolonging the line held by the 29th Indian Brigade to the left. A Sikh machine gun detachment took up position to protect our left and rear from attack. Here the enemy shrapnel opened up on our shallow fire pits and considerable damage was done. No reply whatever was made by our artillery and our men continued to suffer from shrapnel. The 16th Bn. successfully drove off a determined counter attack made by the enemy on our left.

07.30 a.m.

Order received from Colonel Pope commanding 16th Bn. to retire. A reply was dispatched asking if were not possible to hold the ridge running from our left down over Knoll 60 towards the sea, stating that we could hold what we had gained.

08.30 a.m.

Another order to retire received from Col. Pope and stating that the whole Brigade was retiring. Orders were immediately issued to collect all wounded, arms and equipment and take same behind our lines. The 14th Bn. then retired by platoons down the Kaiaijak Dere in shell formation together with a few details of the 15th and 16th Bns. A rearguard was left under Captains Henry and Giles. The 4th Brigade machine gun sections under Capt. Rose also protected the retirement and gave good covering fire.

10.00 a.m.

Retirement complete and all “get at-able” wounded and arms brought back. Battalion then bivouacked in Australia Gully for the remainder of the day and night.”

Casualty reports state “Strength 14 officers, 560 others. Killed 3 Officers 33 others. Wounded 3 officers, 90 others. Missing 2 officers 126 others”.





Private Webb was one of the casualties of this attack. His record shows that he was originally reported as Missing in Action in the Dardanelles on 8th August 1915, and that on 26th February 1916 this was changed to Killed in Action.

The stores reported on 24th July 1916 that his effects were a single packet containing an aluminium cup, a stud, necklace, leather belt and boot brush.

The Family Circular completed after his death showed that he had attended Whiston Church School, that he had also worked as a clerk and that he had originally travelled to Australia at the age of 21.

On 23rd August 1916, his war pension claim was completed, with a result of a £2 per fortnight payment to his mother, commencing on 8th October 1915.

The Red Cross forms completed in London on 22nd October 1919 confirm that he was officially reported as Killed In Action on 8th August 1915 and that he had no burial. His body was never identified, even if found, and for that reason he is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial.

Rhys Webb’s Will

Rhys Webb's Casualty Sheet

On the first anniversary of Rhys Webb's death, a friend in Australia placed an entry (shown below) in the "In Memorium" column of the Melboure Argos.