COLONEL ROBERT RANKINE DSO 1868-1941
Robert Rankine was the great-grandson of William Symington's eldest daughter Elizabeth. Born 26 July 1868 in New Brompton, Kent, he was the only child of William Henry Rankine and Helen Dobbie of Falkirk. [1] He was educated at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, Rochester, Kent.
On 15th June 1890 he married Annie Christina Mildred Polden at Saint Martin in the Fields. Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Polden. Thomas Polden was an Army Schoolmaster at Chatham Barracks, according to the 1871 census. She was born in Canada about 1865 and died on 10th August 1944. Their only child was Kenneth Carruthers Rankine, born on 11th September 1890 at Aldershot.
Mr and Mrs Rankine and their son departed Southampton 16 January 1899 in the Prinz Regent Luitpold for Melbourne. [2]
Trade directories record him as a printer and stationer in 1906 and as an importer in 1914. In partnership with Campbell Craven Dobbie, he formed the company of Rankine and Dobbie, publishers and military outfitters.
MILITARY SERVICE
Robert Rankine served in the 1st. Volunteer Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment at Aldershot. In Melbourne, he qualified for his appointment as a second lieutenant in the Militia in December 1901. [3] As a lieutenant of the sixth Infantry Regiment of the Commonwealth Military Forces of Victoria, he presented for an examination of officers to confirm their appointment as militia adjutant and passed with distinction. His appointment as acting adjutant was confirmed on 10 May 1906. [4]
Militia Appointments:
1901 2nd Lieutenant 2nd Battalion Infantry, Melbourne
1906 Lieutenant 6th A. I. R. Appointed as Militia Acting Adjutant
1908 Captain Scottish Regiment; major 1911
With the Kitchener reforms commencing in 1910, “Captain Robert Rankine of the Victorian Scottish Regiment, 1st Battalion was appointed to Victoria area Number 46B for the region of Balaclava with the rank of Captain while holding Temporary Appointment as Area Officer.”
1912 Major, 57th Infantry
1905-1908 Militia adjutant Victorian Scottish Regiment
1910-1914 Area officer, Elsternwick
He enlisted in the A.I.F. on 28 November 1914, at Melbourne. On enlistment, his previous military service was recorded as a Major with the 52nd Infantry. His application for a commission in the A.I.F. states that he had qualified at a competitive examination for first appointment as 2nd Lieutenant on December 1901; he was aged 46 years and 4 months; he was 5 foot 7 inches tall, had a chest measurement of 38 inches and weighed 11 stone 12 pounds.
Major Rankine kept a pocket war diary in which he carefully recorded the events for the whole of the year 1915. In meticulous script, he made an entry for each day from 21 December 1914, where he writes "left Broadmeadows camp commanding advance Coy. Bivouaced in Sturt Street, very wet" through until Tuesday 21 December 1915 "Passed inwards through Heads 6am exactly one year from date of leaving fine day". In his diary he records the loss of his comrades at Gallipoli, notably Captains Crabbe, Gillison and Hoggart, who showed unbelievable heroism in action. The popular chaplain Andrew Gillison was mortally wounded on the bullet-swept slopes of Hill 60 on 21st August 1915. Gillison heard a man groaning in the scrub as he was about to read a burial service. As he attempted to drag the wounded man from the exposed ridge, Gillison was fatally wounded by a Turkish sniper. [5]
On 9th October 1914 he was appointed to the 14th Battalion (A Company) with the rank of Major. The 14th Battalion entrained at Broadmeadows for Port Melbourne on 22nd December 1914 and then embarked on the HMAT Ulysses A38 for Egypt. In Egypt, all the battalions were reduced from eight companies A to H, to four. Major Rankine was appointed Commander of the reformed A Company. The 14th departed Alexandria for Gallipoli on 12th April 1915 on the troop carrier SS Seeang Choon. The soldiers of the 14th were not involved in the initial dawn landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April but they had a grandstand view of the fighting from the Seeang Choon which had transported them to the Peninsula from the harbour at Mudros. According to Wanliss, the troops had a panoramic view of the onslaught, with the whole peninsula an inferno with columns of dirt and dust thrown hundreds of feet into the air by the shelling. [6] The hospital ships were soon overloaded with casualties and before long the decks of the Seeang Choon were awash with the blood of the wounded who had been hauled aboard. Under shrapnel fire, Robert Rankine landed on shore with his battalion on the morning of the 26th April. The battalion waited in reserve at Anzac all that day. On 27th April, Rankine marched A company up shrapnel gully to reinforce the garrison at Quinn's Post, the most forward of the ANZAC positions. During the three days and nights they held the post, the 14th lost nearly one third of its men, mostly struck down by machine gun fire as they tried to dig in. [7]
Rankine's diary entry reads – “Turned out of our dug outs at daylight & formed up, started up the high hills in single file on narrow path winding through low scrub 2 ft high, terrific fire the whole morning. My company pushed forward up a jungle covered ridge 1000 feet; very difficult & trying. Entrenched under heavy fire from within 500 yards & had many casualties before noon. At 12.15 Turks brought up machine gun and in 3 minutes had given me 23 casualties, panic followed but lasted very short time. Could not hear yourself speak for din of firing, naval ships all joined in, cries & screams of wounded most distressing. Afternoon brought many more casualties, enemy was badly knocked about, stretcher parties were kept busy. Hung on to our trenches all night & repulsed Turks attack at dawn, no food all day, a little muddy water to drink. Capt. Hoggart killed instantly, Lieut. Hanby severely wounded.”
They held the post until relieved on the 29th April by which time the Battalion had lost nearly one third of its men.
QUINN’S POST
Carlyon wrote of Quinn's Post: [8] "Quinn's was an affront to military logic, a fortress built by desperates. The Australian and Turkish lines were only yards apart; the Turks knew Captain Quinn's name and imitated some of his common commands. Behind Quinn's and Pope's, the East wall of Monash Valley is a cliff. Troops climbed it at night by hanging onto a rope. Someone said that one looked up at Quinn's as one might look at a haunted house."
Newton Wanliss gave a graphic account of Quinn's Post, as follows: [9] "As approached from the gully in the rear, it rose abruptly and precipitously to a height of about 150 feet, but the surrounding country was rugged and hilly and the summit is commanded by some higher ground in the vicinity. The summit was crescent shaped with one arm pointing to the gully between Quinn's and Pope's, known as the Bloody Angle, whilst the surface of the hill was not level but saucer shaped, wit the result that the right flank of the position was dangerously open to the fire of snipers located in the high and difficult ground in the front of Pope's. The steep and slippery slopes facing the gully made difficult climbing for men who had already undergone a gruelling march in the heat, and all arrived exhausted at the summit. Many dead and wounded men were passed during the ascent. At the summit conditions were found to be critical. A handful of men from different A.I.F. battalions, under a Lance-Corporal, exhausted and fought to a standstill, were slowly retiring before the Turks who were pressing them strongly.
A few rounds of rapid fire from the new-comers drove the pursuing Turks to cover and the party on the hill joined up with the 14th in the defence of the post. An attempt was immediately made to consolidate the position. Few pickaxes and shovels were available, most of them having been left with the packs in the gully, but with the aid of entrenching tools, rough head cover was improvised and some kind of protection obtained. During these operations at Quinn's, Battalion Headquarters was at the foot of Courtney's Post; Major Rankine's dugout was at the back of Quinn's, whilst Capt. Wright was in charge of the actual firing line and was also responsible for the distribution of stores, water and ammunition."
At Gallipoli, Major Rankine was appointed temporarily as commanding officer of the 14th and was elevated to the rank of Lieut. Colonel. He was mentioned in despatches on 29 May. [10]
Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Edmond Courtney CB VD, a Melbourne solicitor, was Commanding Officer of the 14th Battalion. He served at Gallipoli in command of Courtney’s Post. The following extract is from Courtney's letter, dated Blue Sisters Hospital, St. Julians, Malta 15 June 1915, to his brother, Brigadier-General Thomas John Courtney, describing an action at Courtney’s Post and the landing at Gallipoli: “Two officers stand out in my mind – Bobby Rankine and Tommy Steel – products of the good old Scottish Regiment – and for years real good pals of mine. Jack Adams did his job but met his bullet too soon, but Rankine had Quinn’s and Steel Courtney’s Post and my admiration of them amounts almost to worship.” [11]
Major Rankine was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his acts of gallantry and distinguished service at the Dardanelles. [12] He was decorated with the D.S.O. on 14th October 1915 at Buckingham Palace by H.M. King George V for “gallantly leading an assault in the capture of a most important post on the night of 26th to 27th April 1915 during operations near Gaba Tepe and subsequently holding that position against repeated attacks for five days without relief.” [13] He was also mentioned in Despatches by General Sir Ian Hamilton. [14]
He assumed command of his unit 21st July 1915 when Lt. Col. J. Adams was sick and was granted the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel on 19 august; on 25th August he 1915 reverted to rank of major. He was later invalided to England and subsequently returned to Australia. He departed England on the Runic on 17 November, 1915, arriving in Australia on 21 December. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed Commanding Officer of the 39th Battalion, 10th Brigade AIF for service in France in 1916.
He was evacuated sick from Flanders in November 1916. In December 1916 he was again evacuated sick and did not rejoin his battalion. In April 1917 he was transferred to the 67th Battalion. On 18th December 1919 he returned to Australia on the SS Konigin Luise.
He was never wounded but had had suffered from influenza and amoebic dysentery at Gallipoli in 1915 and his hearing was affected. Thereafter he continued to suffer myalgia and debility and was diagnosed with “Neurasthenia.” On the Somme he had to withdraw from service when he again suffered from severe myalgia.
Robert Rankine died at St. Kilda on 6 June 1941, aged 72 years
FUNERAL
Argus, Monday 9 June 1941, page 5
COL. RANKINE’S FUNERAL The funeral of Col. Robert Rankine, who died at his home at Avoca av., St. Kilda, on Friday, took place at Springvale Crematorium on Saturday, and was largely attended by military men. Brig. Gen. J. P. McGlinn, Capt. S. Ornstien, and several officers of the original 14th Batt., A.I.F., to which Col. Rankine belonged, acted as pallbearers. Mr. H. King, of the St. Kilda R.S.L., delivered the soldiers’ ritual. Rev. H. Clark, Presbyterian minister, of Alma rd., St. Kilda, officiated. Apps and Sons Pty. Ltd. had charge of the funeral arrangements.
OBITUARY
Melbourne Age, Saturday 7 June 1941, page 22
Colonel R. Rankine
Colonel Robert Rankine, whose death occurred yesterday at his home, Avoca-avenue, St. Kilda, at the age of 73 years, left Australia in the last war as senior major of the 14th Battalion. He saw service on Gallipoli, and was awarded the D.S.O. and gazetted to the rank of colonel. He was later invalided back to Melbourne. Subsequently he went abroad again as colonel of the 39th Battalion (Ballarat), and served in France for nearly a year before being invalided to England. While in England he was appointed commander of the Portland clearing station, and after the armistice returned to Australia and resumed his association as an executive of Peacock Bros. Pty. Ltd., Bourke-street, city. The funeral will leave his home at 2 p.m. today for Spring Vale Crematorium. W. G. Apps and Sons have charge of the arrangements.
RANKINE'S ACCOUNTS OF GALLIPOLI
LETTER FROM GALLIPOLI
Argus, Wednesday 7 July 1915, page 7
SOLDIERS’ LETTERS.
AUSTRALIAN HEROES.
STORY OF BRAVERY.
A most graphic account of the fighting at Gallipoli has been received from Major R. Rankine, whose bravery, which earned him the D.S.O., was described in “The Argus” in an official cable message on Monday. Major Rankine was senior company commander of the 14th Battalion (Victoria), 4th Infantry Brigade. Writing to a friend in Melbourne from “Gallipoli Peninsula, the west of Maidos,” on May 15, he stated that he was acting as chief censor in trenches where the shells and bullets had never ceased for 10 minutes in three weeks. After describing the landing of himself and his men, under a storm of shells, in which he received a slight cut on the finger from a fragment, he goes on to tell how he and his men held a trench against continuous attacks, and almost without food, for 76 hours before relief came. When the strain was lifted, the second in command went mad. The story is told simply and without egotism, but the bravery of the deed thrills one. The letter reads as follows - “At daylight the West Australians were trying to make good a position about 600ft. high, a ridge about half a mile long but they were being cut up and reinforcements were urgently called for, and I was sent with my company (now complete again) to try and get them out. We could only go in single file through the bush track and the climb in the heat was most exhausting. All the way we met dead and wounded and men urging us to come, as they were done. We struggled on and I took up a position on the right (now known as Hell’s Gate), not more than 100 yards from the Turks. It was now about 11 o’clock and we fought on steadily, losing a man or two every now and again, but we managed to relieve our neighbours, and by 2 o’clock they were well dug in and had more reinforcements. At this stage I was occupying a line boomerang in shape, which formed the apex of the position and was being pretty hard pushed, when without any warning the Turks got a maxim on to me and in a minute and a half I had 23 casualties; the shrieks, groans, and yells of dying men were beyond all description, and I say that it is not to their discredit that for a moment they turned tail; but a few words steadied them, and we went at it again. Poor Hanby was badly shot through the chest and the arm and my faithful Cohen was shot in both legs and arms, and most of my non-coms were either killed or wounded. I looked round for Crabbe and was pleased to find him all right and rallying his platoon. We fought until dusk, and the Turks drew off a bit, so that the stretcher bearers were able to work all night getting the wounded men away down the hillside. The dead we laid out as well as we could, but before we could bury them the Turks came at us with a night attack but we drove them off and stood to arms until daylight.
It seemed ages before it came and several men were wandering in their minds. In one day’s fight I had lost 69 killed and wounded and my poor company was but a shadow. We had no food and little water and with daylight came brother Turk again, and we fought right through the next day, hanging on to what was the key of the position. I got messages during the day that they hoped to send me help the night of the following day, and meantime try and hang on. Friday morning broke with rain, and it was a sorry, broken company that stood to arms for the last day. The brigadier sent a message to whoever was in charge that a party would be up to take Major Rankine’s body down to the valley as soon as it was dark (they heard that I had been killed in the first fight). I sent word that D. V. I would bring my own body down. At 3 p.m. three companies of the 13th arrived to relieve us. We had fought continuously and been almost without food (only biscuit and water) for 76 hours. As we left our simple trench we buried our dead, 39 of them and tip-top fellows. I put in a couple of Turks and dished out as much of the service as I could remember, and gave them all alike.
This painful job over, we trekked down to the valley, and had almost reached the bottom when my “second,” Captain Wright, went off his head, and had to be strapped to a stretcher and taken off to the hospital ship. The strain had been too much, poor chap, but I hope to get him back in a few weeks. The brigadier sent for me and said some very nice things, and told me that I had been mentioned in despatches, which would appear in due course but I did nothing to deserve anything, it was the good chaps I had, and If there was credit in it they earned it.
The days are not so bad, but the nights are very trying, for the Turks are trenched up to within 30 yards of us, and heave grenades into our trenches, and, needless to say, we repay with much interest. All outside our trenches the Turkish dead are lying in heaps, and about sundown our trenches are almost unbearable, for the stench is awful. I don't think we are callous, but Crabbe and I made some tea in an old bully beef tin and had a ration biscuit with it, sitting within 2 ft. of five of our own dead. All our kit has been lost, and we have not even a handkerchief. There is no spare water, so we have a wash every week or so and we have not had our boots or putties off for 10 days. I have not slept more than an hour at a time, and then only during the day. The snipers are terrible, and you see men drop without knowing who has shot them. Don’t think that it is all going one way; we give them a proper pasting every day or so, and they are good fighters. There is not one of us but will welcome the declaration of peace, and oh, let it be soon! War is a sordid filthy business, with hardship and privations unnameable. I am very fortunate in not having gone under yet, but if we had enough senior officers I would apply for a 24 hours sleep leave, for I am very weary, and my ‘grey stuff’ is not working well.”
Ballarat Courier, Monday 12 July 1915, page 4
SOLDIERS’ LETTERS
LATE LIEUT W. H. HAMILTON.
HOW HE FELL.
Mr Robert Hamilton, of Drummond street south, is in receipt of a letter from Mrs Rankine, who quotes portion of a letter she received from her husband, Major Rankine, of the 14th Battalion, dated 20th May, in which he refers to the death in the operations at the Gallipoli Peninsula of Mr Hamilton’s son, Lt. Wm. H. Hamilton. Major Rankine wrote: — “The day before yesterday we received a terrific bombardment from the Turks, which lasted nearly all day. They showered shells 200lb weight over and around us, which made holes bigger than our house (Melbourne), throwing, on bursting, stones and lumps of earth of great size into the air. It was really terrible, but only two or three men were killed. The shells were quite easy to see coming, and when they struck the earth it was blinding. In addition to this, they shelled our trenches with shrapnel, and knocked them about very badly, but did not kill anyone. This, with the continuous rifle fire, made a din which beggars description. That night the Turks, under the command of a German general, came on with three divisions against our trenches, and we fought like mad until 6 in the morning. The 14th lost only about 86, and the Turks are said to have lost over 1600. All I know is that their dead lay three deep in front of our trenches when daylight broke. It was a terrible night, and the hordes of Turks, shouting “Allah! Allah!” seemed overwhelming; but we stuck it out. The crash and din were beyond description. About 3 o’clock there was a fierce rush, and seven Turks got into our trenches. A very dear chap named Hamilton, a Duntroon lieutenant, ran up, and was immediately shot through the brain. Crabbe with a few men followed up and shot and bayonetted the lot, so none got out alive. We lost three officers, one killed and two wounded and at the present moment we have 11 officers out of the 34 we had when we started from Egypt. To make a long story short, our night of horror ended about 7.30 a.m., and we were all very exhausted.”
[1] Biographic details from McCallum, M. M., Ballarat and District Citizens and Sports at Home and Abroad 1916
[2] Chronicle (Adelaide) Saturday 25 February 1899 page 13
[3] From McCallum, M. M., Ballarat and District “Citizens and Sports” at Home and Abroad 1916
[4] NA Australia, Series B, item 1906/2507
[5] Bean, C.E.W., Official History of Australia in the War of 1914/18, Volume 2, page 735
[6] Wanliss, Newton, The History of the 14th Battalion A.I.F. Melbourne 1929
[7] Bean, C.E.W., Official History of Australia in the War of 1914/1918, Volume 1, page 579
[8] Carlyon, Les, Gallipoli. Pan McMillan Australia 2001, page 237
[9] Wanliss, Newton, The History of the 14th Battalion A.I.F. Melbourne 1929
[10] London Gazette 1915, Tuesday 3 August, number 113, page 7669
[11] SLNSW Letters written on active service, A-L, 1914-1919, page 200
[12] London Gazette 1915. Supplement. 3 June, page 5331
[13] London Gazette 3/7/1915 199 folio 6540
[14] London Gazette No. 29251