2145 L/Corporal Gilbert Arthur Heasman MM, 11th Australian Imperial Force

Digital copies of Gilbert Heasman’s World War One service papers can be viewed on-line at The National Archives of Australia.  Although the photograph of him on the right is undated, the presence of lance-corporal’s stripes suggests that it must date from after September 1918.  A summary of his service history follows.

When he attested on 12th April 1915, Gilbert Heasman was 22 years old.  He had been born at Lewes in 1893, his birth registered there in the June quarter of that year.  He was the third son of Edric Owen Heasman and Annie Heasman (nee Message) whose marriage was registered at Uckfield, Sussex in the December quarter of 1887.

The 1901 census shows the Heasman family living at Whitehouse Number One, East Chiltington, Sussex.  Edric Heasman (aged 36 and born at Mayfield) is noted as “stockman on farm”.  His 35 year old wife Annie Heasman is recorded as having been born in London.  Children noted are: Albert Heasman (aged 12, born in Bodle Street, Sussex),  Frederick Heasman (aged 10, born East Chiltington), Gilbert Arthur Heasman (aged seven, born in East Chiltington according to the census)), Daisy May Heasman (aged five, born East Chiltington) and Grace Hilda Heasman (aged two and also born in East Chiltington).  A two year old boarder, John A Irquhart (possibly), born in Liverpool, is also living at the address, as is a 59 year old widower from Wivelsfield, George Mitchell.  Two further children would also be born: Beatrice Heasman in 1907 and Percival Heasman in 1910.

Gilbert emigrated to Western Australia in 1912, following his brother Albert who had emigrated early the previous year.  Frederick would join his brothers in 1913. Prior to enlisting in the AIF, Gilbert and Albert worked as fettlers, helping to lay the railway line from Geraldton to Mt Magnet, a gold mining town.  In 1915, Gilbert joined the Australian Imperial Force.

On attestation at Geraldton, Western Australia, Gilbert gave his trade as Fettler and his next of kin as his father, Edric Owen Heasman, now living at Tutts Farm, South Common, Chailey.  He was five feet, six and a half inches tall, had dark brown hair, dark eyes and a medium complexion.  Distinctive marks were noted as vaccination marks plus scars on his left shin and left wrist. 

He was given the number 2145 and, on 6th May 1915, posted to the 6th Reinforcements of the 11th Battalion AIF.  This battalion had originally been formed in Western Australia in August 1914.

On 7th June 1915 he embarked for Alexandria from Fremantle, Australia aboard Geelong.  Arriving in Egypt he then embarked for the Dardanelles aboard HMT Berrima on 31st July 1915.  Five days later at Gallipoli, he was taken on strength by the 11th AIF but it wasn’t long before he was reporting sick.  On 24th August he was admitted to hospital with diarrhoea and, a few days later, on 7th September, was admitted to the 25th Casualty Clearing Station at Imbros with a recurrence of diarrhoea.  Two days later he was admitted to hospital and then, on the 12th September, to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station.  He remained in hospital until 26th September, re-joining his unit the following day.

Gilbert then remained at Gallipoli until the evacuation was ordered, although the precise date of his departure from the peninsular is unclear.  He disembarked from HMT Lake Michigan at Alexandria on 6thJanuary but hadn’t been in Egypt long (27th January) before he was back in hospital (No 2 General Hospital, Cairo) with jaundice.  Further spells in hospital followed while he was in Egypt but on 23rd March 1916 he embarked at Alexandria for France, arriving at Marseilles on 5th April.

On 4th October Gilbert Heasman was awarded the Military Medal in the Field for gallantry at Pozieres. Chailey Parish Magazine and The London Gazette both noted this the following month.  He appears to have remained in France for the remainder of the war.  He was appointed lance-corporal in September 1918 and granted leave only after the Armistice had been signed, on 20th November 1918.  Between 22nd November and 7th December 1918 he was in the UK, presumably spending at least some of this time with his parents in Chailey.  He also took the opportunity, on 27th November, to marry Beatrice Ethel Weaver (born 1886 in East Chiltington).

Returning to France in early December, he then remained there until 5th February 1919 when he returned to the UK for embarkation to Australia on the 21st.  He was discharged there on 11th April 1919.  A medical board held on 10th June 1919 gave him a clean bill of health (despite his various hospital stays) and also noted that he had enlisted originally at Mount Magnet in March 1915.

After the war, for a short time, Albert and Gilbert ran a greengrocer’ shop in West Perth.  He had intended to settle in Australia with his wife but because of some difficulty in her settling there with him, he returned to England in 1920.  Two years later, their only child, Doris Heasman, was born at Lewes.

Gilbert remained in England for the rest of his life and died in 1965.  His medals are held at The Fremantle War Museum in Australia.

Gilbert’s brothers Albert and Frederick also served their King and Country during the First World War.

Lieutenant Albert Heasman MM,16th Australian Imperial Force

Digital copies of Albert Heasman’s World War One service papers can be viewed at The National Archives of Australia. The photograph, right, was taken after his commission as second lieutenant in January 1918.  A summary of Albert’s service history follows.

According to his attestation papers, Albert was born on 14th October 1888 in Hailsham, Sussex.  He was the oldest son of Edric Owen Heasman and Annie Heasman (nee Message) whose marriage was registered at Uckfield, Sussex in the December quarter of 1887.

Albert, born on the 14th October 1888, appears on the 1891 census as a two year old living with his parents and seven month old brother Frederick Heasman at White House, East Chiltington, Sussex.  His place of birth is noted as Bodle Street, Sussex.  Edric, 26 years old and working as an agricultural labourer, was born at Mayfield.  His 25 year old wife Annie was born in London.  Frederick was born at East Chiltington.

Ten years later, the 1901 census notes that the family is still living at the same address (reported as Whitehouse number one) with Edric’s trade now noted as “stockman on farm”.  There are also three more children: Gilbert Arthur Heasman (aged seven), Daisy May Heasman (aged five) and Grace Hilda Heasman (aged two).  A two year old boarder, John A Irquhart (possibly), born in Liverpool, is also living at the address, as is a 59 year old widower from Wivelsfield, George Mitchell.  Two further children would also be born: Beatrice Heasman in 1907 and Percival Heasman in 1910.

Albert emigrated to Western Australia in early 1911 followed by Gilbert in 1912 and Frederick in 1913.  Prior to enlisting in the AIF, Albert and Gilbert worked as fettlers, helping to lay the railway line from Geraldton to Mt Magnet, a gold mining town.  In 1914, war having been declared on Germany, Albert joined the Australian Imperial Force.

Albert’s records show that he attested on the 21st September 1914 with the 16th Battalion AIF.  He was given the number 595.  The 16th Infantry Battalion (Western Australia and South Australia) formed part of the 4th Infantry Brigade.  Albert gave his age as 25 years and 11 months, his trade or calling as labourer and his next of kin as W Heasman, Tutts Farm, South Common, Chailey.  He was five feet, eight and a half inches tall, weighed 142lbs, had a fair complexion and brown eyes and hair.

On 12th October he was appointed to C Company and the following day swore an oath of allegiance at Helena Vale, Western Australia.  He embarked at Melbourne aboard RMAT A40 “Ceramic” on 22nd December bound for Egypt.  After four months there he landed at Gallipoli on 25th April 1915 and was promoted lance-corporal the following month (13th).  Eleven days later, he was promoted to full corporal.

On 3rd October 1915 he was admitted to the 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital with influenza and then transferred to the 3rd General Hospital.   On the 18th he was transferred to the British Base, “Aquitania”.

On 22nd March 1916, whilst in Egypt, he was promoted sergeant and on 23rd October 1916 was awarded the Military Medal.

On 7th April 1917 he was Taken on Strength with the 70th Battalion and on the 29th April proceeded overseas to France via Folkestone as part of a draft to re-enforce the 16th Battalion.  The same day, Base Records Office AIF sent a letter to Mr Heasman at Tutts Farm stating, “I have much pleasure in forwarding hereunder copy of extract from Supplement No 29854 to The London Gazette of 8th December 1916 relating to the conspicuous services rendered by No 595 Sergeant A Heasman, 16th Bn… Promulgated in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 62 of 19th April 1917.”

Sergeant Heasman re-joined his battalion on 3rd May 1917, but the following month (26th June), joined the 4th Training Battalion.  On 2nd July 1917 he arrived at Codford for duty with the permanent cadre.  Between 31st August 1917 and 15th September 1917 he attended a course of instruction in the Lewis Gun and qualified 1st class (Sgt).

On 1st October 1917 he was discharged from the permanent cadre of the 4th Training Battalion on proceeding overseas (the following day).  He re-joined his battalion on the 6th October, attended a week-long infantry training course at Aveluy on the 18th November and then attended a further course at an Officer’s Training College on the 27th December.

On 4th January 1918 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant at No 6 Officers’ Cadet Battalion, Oxford.  A confidential report on 23rd May that year reported that he had “shown good sound common sense, worked well and made good sound satisfactory progress.”

On 19th August 1918, 2nd Lieutenant Heasman again proceeded overseas, joining his new unit (unclear on his surviving papers) eight days later. He remained in France until 16th June 1919 when he returned to Australia aboard “Ormonde”.

Although no longer a native of Chailey, the Parish Magazine had also mentioned him during the First World War.  Under “Distinctions’ it recorded his name for the first time in November 1916 stating simply, Sergt A Heasman, MM, Australian Imp Forces, France.  This information was repeated up to and including the final published roll in July 1919.

After the war, for a short time, Albert and Gilbert ran a greengrocer’ shop in West Perth.  When Gilbert returned to England in 1920, Albert spent some time, in the words of one of his ancestors, “roaming around the north of Western Australia on horseback”.  He married Minnie Olive Griffiths in 1923 and in 1932 was granted a conditional purchase block of 1,000 acres of land at Moorine Rock.  He then began a career as a sheep farmer, buying up neighbouring land as the years progressed.  Albert and Minnie had three children: Edric John Frederick Heasman (born January 1925), Albert Charles Heasman (born May 1926) and Ronald Keith Heasman (born April 1928).  A fourth son, Robert, died shortly after birth in 1931.

In October 1968, still living at Moorine Rock, Albert wrote to the officer in charge at the Central Army Base Records requesting a Gallipoli Medallion.  It was acknowledged that he was eligible and he was duly sent it (to complement his Military Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal). 

Albert Heasman died in 1974 after a long and eventful life.  His medals are held at The Fremantle War Museum in Australia.