MSM WINNER WW1 AUSTRALIAN MEDALS 65 W02 GEORGE ELLIOTT RAILWAY OPERATIONS UNIT

Offered is a British War and Victory Medal Group, impressed named 65 T-WO.2 G. ELLIOTT. RLY UNIT. A.I.F. Comes with copies of service papers and research & WW1 era collar badge. Warrant Officer Elliott is also entitled to the M.S.M. (not included).

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette October 1919: Meritorious Service Medal.

Warrant Officer Class 2 George Elliot was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1883, a railway engine driver he enlisted into the A.I.F 3/1/1917 with the A.B.G.R.O. Coy (Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company) with the rank of Sergeant and the service number 65. He departed Australia on the 7/2/1917 landing at Devon Port, England 11/4/1917 and on to France 15/5/1917 with the 1^st Railway Section 60^th Company. By 9/11/1917 he was promoted to Acting Company Sergeant Major. Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal with the 6^th Coy A.B.G.R.O. Returned to Australia 11/5/1919 for discharge 9/8/1919.

The 6th had several name changes during its existence: In January 1917 it formed as Railway Unit No. 1 Section. In April 1917 it was renamed 60th Company (Australian) Railway Operating Division RE. The ‘RE’ signified the unit was attached to the Royal Engineers. In August 1917 it was renamed 60th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company and in March 1918 was renamed the 6th Australian Broad Gauge Operating Company. Research by Trevor Edmonds.

M.S.M was probably awarded due to the work carried out by the unit in the German Spring Offensive and the Allied 100-day advance:

Major General Crookshank’s comments to Captain James again praised the Australians:

During the advance in the winter of 1918, I heard nothing but praise for the splendid way you and all ranks overcame the difficulties which resulted from a rapid advance over lines that were damaged by the enemy. The RCE has told me that he was able by the assistance given by all ranks under your command to keep to his scheduled time.

By 1916, the railways in France and Belgium struggled to keep up with the demands of the British forces. Men from the various British railway companies were recruited into the army to operate these railways as part of the newly created Railway Operating Division (the ROD). One strategy for dealing with this problem was an appeal to the Australian Government to recruit experienced railway men. Ultimately six Australian railway operating companies were raised. One of the companies, the 6th Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Company (6thABGROC), was made up of volunteers from the New South Wales Government Railways.

The 6thABGROC was formed in Sydney in December 1916. It was made up of three officers and 266 other ranks. In command was Captain William James, a locomotive inspector from Eveleigh Depot in Sydney. They sailed in February 1916 and after a period of training in Britain, arrived in France in May 1917. After a period working at the main ROD base at Audruicq (near Calais), in July 1917 they took control of the locomotive depot and exchange sidings at Bergues Exchange that was supporting the Ypres area.

Most trains arriving at Bergues Exchange from the west were hauled by French locomotives with French crews. The trains were placed into the sidings where they could be remarshalled before being worked forward by the 6thABGROC using their locomotives that had been borrowed from various British railway companies and the Belgian state railways. Numerous members of the 6thABGROC were trained to run trains over the French controlled lines and Australians could be found crewing trains over much of northern France.

The included history of the 6th ABGROC makes interesting reading about a little known unit.