Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918
Taylor H R Sapper 1799 Hermann Richard 2 Pioneer Bn 24 Clerk Single C of E
Address: Essendon, McCarron Pde, 57
Next of Kin: Taylor, George, father 57 McCarron Pde, Essendon
Enlisted: 2 Aug 1915
Embarked: A60 Aeneas 8 Apr 1916
Date of Death: 12/11/1916 Corporal
CWGC: "Son of G. and Laura F. Taylor, of 57, McCarron Parade, Essendon, Victoria, Australia.
Born at Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
CAIRO WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY
Temporary Corporal Hermann Richard Taylor
by Rod Martin
Twenty-four year-old Hermann Taylor of 57 McCarron Parade, Essendon, was a slight man, weighing only fifty-seven kilos and standing 137 centimetres tall. However, proof that he was fairly representative of the size of Australian men in 1915 is provided by the fact that, with a chest measurement of almost eighty-eight centimetres, he would have made the cut if he had attempted to enlist at the outbreak of war in August 1914. He just made the minimum standards at a time when recruiters were swamped with applications from men of all ages across the nation and could pick and choose. However, there is no evidence that Hermann tried to enlist at that time. Instead, perhaps concerned about reports of high casualties at Gallipoli, and the influence of a new propaganda campaign by the federal government, he joined up on 2 August 1915.
(www.abc.net.au)
Hermann was probably trained as a infantryman at Broadmeadows Army Camp. He was initially assigned to 37 Battalion in February 1916, then to the reinforcements of 4 Battalion, and then to 2 Reinforcements of 58 Battalion. Three days later, Hermann was transferred to 2 Reinforcements of 2 Pioneer Battalion and made a sapper. Just why all these changes occurred is not known. Perhaps he did not like the idea of being an infantryman and requested a transfer.
Recruits training at Broadmeadows Army Camp 1915 (collections.museumsvictoria.com.au)
On 8 April 1916, Hermann and his new comrades sailed from Port Melbourne on A60 HMAT Aeneas, destination Egypt.
(www.birtwhistlewiki.com.au)
Very soon after arriving in Egypt, Hermann was attached to the headquarters of the Australian Imperial Force in Cairo. No reason for this is given in his war record. Perhaps the AIF was in need of an experienced clerk, and he fitted the bill. Whatever the full reason, his very short career as a sapper was effectively over. He may never even have dug a practice sap or constructed a temporary building.
(AWM C00508)
We must presume that Hermann remained at the AIF Headquarters, as he was promoted to the position of temporary corporal on 19 August 1916. Nothing more is recorded in his documents until 7 November that same year. On that date, he was diagnosed with enteric fever (typhoid), and a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit and taken to Choubra Military Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Exterior of the Military Infectious Diseases Hospital. Formerly a civilian hospital, it was taken over
for military use in August 1915. The hospital's Commanding Officer and nursing staff were all
Australians. Choubra, Egypt, Nov 1915. Taylor may well have been there at the time the photo was taken.
Photographer: Pearl Corkhill. (AWM P01850.001)
Two days later, he was reported as being dangerously ill. At 5.00 pm on the eleventh, he was reported as dying. Pneumonia had developed and typhus (a separate illness, mainly spread by lice) was discovered in a blood sample. A similar report was issued at 12.15 am on the twelfth, detailing that typhoid had been discovered in his small intestine, and he finally died at 2.00 am. Just how Hermann contracted typhoid is unknown. However, the bacillus is often carried in contaminated food or water. A vaccine for it was available by the beginning of the war and his medical record indicated that he received three vaccinations - two beginning with the letter ‘T’ - in July 1916. Vaccines are not foolproof or one hundred per cent effective, however, and Hermann’s very slight stature may not have given him much strength with which to fight off the diseases.
Hermann was buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery later in the day on 12 November. His war and life were over. He never fired a shot in anger.
Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, © The War Graves Photographic Project
Sources
Australian War Memorial
National Archives Australia
En.wikipedia.org
https://www.badseysociety.uk/
http://www.birtwhistlewiki.com.au
Museum Victoria
http://www.abc.net.au
War Service Commemorated
Essendon Town Hall R-Y
Christ Church Roll of Honour*
ANZAC Hon dead 29/10/1915
Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour DOW
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