A RARE & HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT "AUSTRALIAN"
1914-15 Star Trio & Plaque "CASUALTY".
To:
2001. L/Cpl R. QUILTER. 9th Bn AIF:
Wounded POZIERES RIDGE 27/3/16
then
DIED OF WOUNDS from THE CHARGE at LE BARQUE. 26/2/17
(DURING the JOHN LEAK V.C. ACTION)

[BIOGRAPHY] Richard's first enlistment was at Rosebery Park. N.S.W. Into 13th Bn AIF as 668 on 10.9.1914 ( age 25)
He was born in Aberdovey, Wales in 1889 and moved to London with his parents some time later. He attended school at St Michaels, Paddington, England. Upon leaving full time education he trained as an apprentice plumber for 5 years in London.

RICHARD QUILTER, "A WELSHMAN" WHO EMIGRATED TO AUSTRALIA (Sydney) in 1910 AT THE AGE OF 21.

On 28th January 1915 he is seen attesting again, this time, at age 25.8 into the 9th Battalion AIF, (5th Reinforcement) and he embarked from Brisbane, Queensland on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on 16 April 1915

He enlisted on the same day as Pte John Leak who was to become the 9th Battalion's famous V.C. winner at Pozieres. Leak's service number of '2053' is only 52 away from Quilter's '2001' so it's a safe bet that as John Leak was also an ex-pat Brit that they knew each other as they certainly joined up on the same day !

At the time of his 2nd enlistment he is described as being: 5ft 71/2" ...12 stone....Blue Eyes....Fair Hair....and of the Church of England.

Richard Quiliter's papers then confirm that he had become hospitalised with V.D. In Lemnos on 26/6/15. From there he was transfered to Forest hospital in Malta, arriving on 25/7/15 and from there to Ricasoli on 28/8/15. His records confirm that he was "Absent from duty. 69 days with V.D." Until 28/8/15

He is next seen in Alexandria.(Ionia) on 9/9/15 and then back to Lemnos with cellulitis and a septic face on 24/12/15.
THEN
Murdros. 4/1/16. (Lowland CCS)
Asturias 11/1/16. (Erysyplas)
Cairo. 26/1/16
THE 9th BATTALION AIF SEEN WITH THEIR KANGAROO MASCOT BY THE PYRAMIDS at Cairo.

23/2/16 (discharged to duty) Ghezireh
Alexandria.

He then embarked from Alexandria on the SAXONIA on his way to France on 27/3/1916 and arrived in France at Marsaillies (France) on 3rd April 1916


[THE FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN ACTION AT POZIERES] The 9th battalion then took part in one of the classic Australian actions at the Battle of Pozieres Ridge (Somme) where Richard sustained a Gunshot Wound to his Right Shoulder on 23rd July 1916.



JOHN LEAK V.C. 9th Bn AIF
(NOTE) It was during this same action on 23rd July 1916 that 2053 Pte John Leak also of 9th Bn won his Victoria Cross.

Richard was then treated at 1st Can' Gen Hospital on 26/7/16 and subsequently transferred to No.6 convalescent depot at Etaples on 30th July 1916. He was then marched from Etaples on 6/8/16 , and finally rejoined the 9th Bn from being wounded in the shoulder on 1st September 1916.

He was then promoted to L/Cpl on 8th January 1917.

A RUINED HOUSE AT LE BARQUE.
On 25 February, in the dark, the 18th and 20th Battalions (New South Wales) advanced through thick fog on either side of the Butte, meeting minimal resistance. Across the fields to the left (as one looks back towards Le Sars), The 9th Battalion (Queensland) and the 10th Battalion (South Australia) were ordered to advance in the fog towards the village of Le Barque. As they moved off at a quick marching pace down the slope, the fog lifted and shells burst all around them on the muddy ground. Between them the 9th & 10th lost thirty men killed in that day’s charge at Le Barque,Richard Quilter who was shot in the head was one of those men who fell mortally wounded by German machine gun fire. The German rearguard moved quickly away into a small wood fringing the village.

Richard was then Seriously Wounded in action during THE CHARGE at LE BARQUE on this day. The wound was a fatal bullet wound to the head and Richard sadly died in the 45th CCS ambulance car on the way to hospital the next day 26th February 1917.

Richard is commemorated with eternal honour and is buried at DERNANCOURT communal cemetery extension 2.5 miles S.S/W of Albert:

Place of burial: (Plot V, Row D, Grave No. 6), France.

His grave inscription reads:
"HE FOUGHT THE FIGHT.....THE VICTORY WON....AND ENTERED INTO REST"

(Epitaph was comprised by the Late Mr J. Quilter & Mary Quilter of 33 Market Street, Paddington, London. W2 ) AN EXCELLENT & VERY EMOTIVE TRIO & PLAQUE TO A YOUNG LAD WHO HAD LEFT ENGLAND FOR A NEW LIFE IN AUSTRALIA, BUT WHO's LIFE WAS GIVEN IN DEFENCE OF LIBERTY WHILST PROUDLY SERVING WITH HIS AUSTRALIAN MATES. MEDALS, PLAQUE & ORIGINAL RIBBONS PRACTICALLY "MINT" . Comes with plaque cover & King's Letter. Richard has 58 pages of surviving research documentation on the Australian Memorial website from where the above service details were extracted. Also an Australian "RISING SUN" infantry Hat badge & two matching collar dogs are included. A valiant display item for an Australian office. There were 60,000 Australian casualties during WW1 compared with almost 980,000 UK losses, so Australian groups such as this are always going to be very difficult to locate.

£1550 with part exchanges very welcome.

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(As a side note here below is John Leak's Victoria cross citation, earned in the same spot and on the same day that Richard Quilter received the gunshot wound to his shoulder....23rd July 1916. Could it be that Richard Quilter was with the group of men who accompanied John Leak at POZIERES during their attack on the enemy strong point. It may well also be the case that L/ Cpl Richard Quilter was one of a group of men who perished when they captured a front line German trench at Le Barque .....we may now never know.

(VICTORIA CROSS CITATION)
No. 2053 Pte. John Leak, 9th Bn Aus. Infy.

For most conspicuous bravery. He was one of a party which finally captured an enemy strong point. At one assault, when the enemy's bombs were outranging ours, Private Leak jumped out of the trench, ran forward under heavy machine-gun fire at close range, and threw three bombs into the enemy's bombing post. He then jumped into the post and bayonetted three unwounded enemy bombers. Later, when the enemy in overwhelming numbers was driving his party back, he was always the last to withdraw at each stage, and kept on throwing bombs. His courage and energy had such an effect on the enemy that, on the arrival of reinforcements, the whole trench was recaptured.