George Mudie Larnach: The soldier who deserted to join the fight.

(Excerpts from a forthcoming book)

George Mudie Larnach pictured prior to enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force. Image: Australian War Memorial.

George Mudie Larnach arrived at the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) enlistment office in Narrabri, NSW, on 3 August 1915, four days short of his twenty-fourth birthday.[1] With his occupation stated as shorthand typist, he would be assigned as a Depot Signaller, a role that resulted in being attached to a training camp or base depot, not a front-line unit. He would be sent to the AIF training camp at Liverpool. By 15 October, 1915, George had deserted his post at Liverpool, but just over two months later,[2] he had re-enlisted in the AIF under the name of George Abbott (16432). This time George listed his occupation as labourer, a job that was more likely to result in a frontline posting.[3] 

What made this young man enlist, desert and then enlist again? While it is difficult to recreate George’s story completely after a century has passed, research, including visiting the site where George was wounded in Belgium on 8 June 1917, has led to a point where I can write in some detail about his service in the AIF, and the emotional turmoil that followed his decisions in 1915. Tragically, George would succumb to those wounds, and die late on the night of 8 June.

Social Expectation and a Sense of Duty

At five feet and ten inches tall, with brown hair and grey eyes, George could be described as well-presented.[4] George’s father, Darach Larnach, descended from a wealthy family. He was a stock broker and then secretary of the Civic Club in Sydney, and had seen enough success in business to move his family from the inner Sydney suburb of Petersham to the more affluent area of Woollahra.[5] George’s stated occupation of short-hand typist on his attestation form would appear to be an unusual occupation for a male in the early twentieth century: it may also indicate that he was training as a journalist. Another possibility, is that coming from a family who had a history in mining and other commercial ventures, he may have been learning business from the ground up. Whatever the situation was, his nominated profession resulted in him being assigned as a ‘depot signaller’ at Liverpool, New South Wales.[6] As a depot signaller, Larnach would be assigned to a base or training depot, not the frontline service that many young men of the time linked with the persona of being a strong male figure.

At the outbreak of the First World War, the response from Australians to enlist in the recently formed AIF had been overwhelming, but an explicit physical criterion for active service resulted in many men being turned away from enlistment offices.[7] When George Larnach enlisted in 1915, the standards had been somewhat relaxed, and it resulted in the highest enlistment period of the entire war, with 165,912 Australians signing attestation papers.[8] This period was one of transformation for Australia that would endure for decades to come. It was a time of identity building, as patriotic reports flooded back as early as 26 April from the Anzac landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April. The Brisbane Courier printed a short paragraph, titled: “Decisive Action, The Fight For The Dardanelles”.[9] 

Similar, but more extensive, reports would continue in the Australian press, creating a wave of pride and sense of duty that most certainly would have affected Larnach. Historian Jeffrey Grey argues that in the early 1900s, Australians were convinced that the only way to nationhood was through military deeds. Many reasons have been put forward by academics and popular historians as to why there was a euphoric response by Australians to enlist. The five shillings a day offered to privates was one, but Larnach already had steady employment.[10] A chance to see the world was also widely promoted in pamphlets, but the apparent wealth of the Larnach family would not exclude him for travel, if he so desired. Adventure, and a sense of social duty are two other reasons often discussed in this context, and it is here where Larnach’s motivation may have stemmed from.

 As a nation that had only been federated thirteen-years prior to the outbreak of the First World War, Australia did not have the military history that other nations possessed. The colony of NSW had sent a contingent to the Sudan in 1885; a relative of George, the banker and financier Donald Larnach, had helped fund that expedition,[11] but the unit was not engaged in battle. Australians had fought in the Boer War as colonial entities and also as a Commonwealth force after January 1901, but that conflict did not engage the public’s attention as the conflict of 1914-1918 would.[12] In 1914, and 1915 to an extent, the notion of military engagement was one based on romantic ideals: gallantry and honour were the order of the day. Looking at the way Larnach dressed, his father’s membership in the Pioneers Club, a history of family wealth and his relative’s Imperialistic gesture to assist the campaign in Sudan, it points to the likelihood of George Mudie Larnach possessing the characteristics that would respond to social expectation and national duty. This assessment of Larnach’s motivations could well be corroborated by the strangest of allies, desertion.

The Maribyrnong artillery training camp in 1915. George Abbott (Larnach) would learn to be a gunner here prior to sailing for the England and then the Western Front. Image: Victorian Collections, H. McGeehan.

On 15 October 1915, Larnach was reported as a deserter from his post as depot signaller at Liverpool.[13] A warrant would be issued for his arrest on 20 January 1916, but the young man had already re-enlisted. Larnach had fled from his base at Liverpool, west of Sydney, and eventually made his way to the Victorian town of Echuca, before travelling on to Melbourne. It was here that he would sign his second attestation form, this time as George Abbott; private, number 16432. (For the sake of clarity, any reference to George Abbott will be written as variations of his true legal name of George Mudie Larnach, except for when one name needs to be distinguished from the other, and quotations).

George would be originally assigned to the 24^th Depot Battalion, and then transferred to the 106th Battery in the 6^th Field Artillery Brigade (FAB) at the Maribyrnong Artillery Camp, on 4 February 1916 as part of the 6^th reinforcements. The 6th FAB would later become the 6th AFAB.[14]

 There are several reasons why a man might desert from the military. A family crisis could be one such cause. George’s father, Darach Larnach, does appear in the NSW Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime, dated 31 December, 1915,[15] but this is for a burglary committed at the Larnach’s house, not for anything George’s father had done. A Statutory Declaration from Major F. C. Timothy in 1917 does state the reason for George’s re-enlistment under the name Abbott, as a “family one”,[16] but the Major does not expand on that. Another reason for desertion is cowardice, but if this was the motivation for Larnach, it appears odd that he would desert from a desk job, and then re-enlist. Moreover, when Larnach re-enlisted in Melbourne he stated his occupation as ‘labourer’; a job that doesn’t require qualifications other than being physically fit, and one that would almost certainly see a recruit assigned to a frontline unit.

While George went to great lengths to re-enlist, it is not clear how much his family knew of his whereabouts. The mention of personal letters from George to his family in Major Timothy’s statutory declaration does raise some questions, which will be looked at shortly. It does appear that George may have been assisted by a friend by the name of Anthony Adams, whom he lists on the attestation form as being his next of kin. That name also appears on documents from Red Cross reports. The attesting officer has written that both of Larnach’s parents, under his pseudonym of George Abbott, are dead. This is a strong indication that the depot signaller that had deserted was determined to get to the front by not being able to be linked to immediate family. In a sad twist that further illustrates the emotional turmoil that comes with social expectation and the acknowledgment of decisions, George Abbott, changed his next of kin to read: “Darach Larnach, friend”, on the 6^th FAB (6^th-13^th Reinforcements) Embarkation Nominal Roll.[17]

The HMAT Berrima left the Port of Melbourne on 4 July, 1916.[18] Larnach would leave his life in Australia, and the warrant that pursued him, far in the distance as the troop ship sailed for England. In early February of 1917, Larnach disembarked with the 6^th Reinforcements in England, eventually departing for France on 21 April aboard the Invictus.[19] It was perhaps at this point, or even earlier, that Darach Larnach and other family members received letters from George. Major Timothy’s declaration referenced earlier, also bore witness to personal letters to Darach Larnach, signed: “Your affectionate son, George”. Also, to his younger brother Jack, a student at Sydney’s Barker College; “Your loving brother, George (Dad will give you my address)”. It is this second letter, and the words: “Dad will give you my address,” that adds further speculation to when George’s family knew of his intentions to get to the front. Was it as far back as his time in Echuca, prior to his Melbourne enlistment, or once he had reached England?

To the Front

 At Etaples (France), the young soldier underwent further training; he was also disciplined for being absent without leave (AWL), on the dates of 25 March to 26 March. Etaples was home of the infamous ‘Bullring’, a training establishment for British forces with a reputation for brutal conditions. On 8 April 1917 George was “Taken on Strength” and marched out to the 6^th AFAB and posted to the 106^th Battery. Larnach joined the 106^th howitzer battery just outside of Albert, near the Bellevue Farm. The 106^th had gone through a restructuring on 5 April, with a section of the 105^th Battery marching in to make the 106^th a six-howitzer battery.[20]  

By the 24 April, the 106^th were at Hermies, near Havrincourt, on the Hindenburg Line with four of their six guns. The Hindenburg Line was a German defensive position that stretched from Arras to Soissons. The unit diary reports German artillery fire in response to the 6^th Bde fire upon their lines, and at 10.20am a German NCO surrendered and walked into the 6^th Bde line. On 25 April, Anzac Day, the 106^th fired sixty-rounds at enemy positions, and a general comment noted that there was “…a great deal of enemy…movement behind the Hindenburg Line.” On 12 May, the 6^th AFAB were relived by the 1^st AFAB. The brigade would now get some well-earned rest.

Pictured: A 4.5" Howitzer from the 111th Battery. George Larnach's 106th Battery would have used the same type of gun in June of 1917. Note the dug-in defensive position, a precaution not always available when artillery batteries were moving constantly. Image Australian War Memorial

Artillery posed a huge threat to stagnate positions and advancing infantry during the First World War. As a result, life for an artillery man was particularly dangerous, because the gun placements were often the first thing that the enemy looked to eliminate.[21] As part of a six-man gun crew in the 6^th AFAB, George Larnach would have been trained in the use of the 18 pounder howitzers and also trench mortars. A further four men in the team would be responsible for driving and resupply of rounds. In an artillery battery, usually 200-rounds would be available at the gun, while a store of 1000-rounds would be kept close by.

Apart from the destruction wrought by explosive artillery shells, infantry and artillery men alike were also faced with the prospect of gas. On 28 April, the 6^th AFAB diary states that George’s 106^th battery fired 120 gas shells. While the horrors of gas warfare are well documented, it is difficult for a person living outside of that era to comment on the morality of using such ordinance. The men from both sides of the conflict were under orders, and extreme day-to-day pressure. They lived in constant fear for their lives, but it is hard not to contemplate how individual soldiers may have felt about the use of chemical weapons. Corporal Arthur Thomas of the AIF 6^th Battalion, said in regards to the use of gas: “…it is the cruellest method of warfare of the lot.”[22]

Larnach’s introduction to war was brutal, and far removed from the idealistic viewpoint of some people back in Australia. The press was heavily censored, and although casualty lists had brought untold grieving, it only relayed a part of the real story to the civilian citizens. The carnage that visited all aspects of nature and man-made structure had never been witnessed on such a scale. Bodies were torn apart and landscapes became temporary; their contours levelled and then raised by guns like the one George Larnach worked frantically on. Within these moments of madness, came fragments of respite. Between 14 and 17 May Larnach’s unit was given relief at Bavelincourt. A sports committee was quickly arranged and a football game organised, while leave was granted in the city of Amiens to allotted groups of twenty per battery. One can only imagine how a soldier would feel at the chance to move away from the lines, all-the-while knowing that a return to combat was imminent.

On 20 May 1917, Larnach detrained in the northern French town of Bailleul. Monotonous tasks are a part of military life, and the 6^th AFAB spent the next few days cleaning and checking equipment, and perhaps taking the chance to write a letter, before being deployed to the area around Ploegsteert in southern Belgium. This posting would see an intense period of bombardment in the lead up to the Battle of Messines, which was one of the most successful allied operations of the First World War. The 106^th battery was under intense pressure on 5-6 June, with Ploegsteert being heavily shelled by German artillery. On 7 June, Larnach would bear witness to one of the most incredible sights of the entire war. At 3am, Larnach’s 6^th AFAB had opened fire on German positions around Messines Ridge.[23] 

At 3.10am, and after almost two years of tunnelling and months of allied planning, nineteen mines armed with over 1,000,000 tonnes of ammonite exploded across the Messine-Wytshaete Ridge.[24] George Larnach would have felt the earth shake, as a mushroom-shaped reddish glow rose from beneath the German lines, while Australian, British and New Zealand troops dashed to secure enemy positions.

A 1917 map of the area where George Larnach’s gun placement (red flag) was located as part of the 106^th Battery, 6^th Australian Field Artillery Brigade. Ploegsteert Wood can be seen at the top centre-right of the page, beyond that is Messines Ridge. (Map courtesy of David Moore).

The following day, on 8 June, George Mudie Larnach was dead. The 6^th AFAB had fired over 1620 rounds at German positions, but had also taken shell fire themselves. One enemy shell struck a supply of howitzer ammunition and exploded, wounding seven men[25], including Larnach. Writing on 12 November 1917, D. McPherson, the Sister-in-charge at 2^nd Casualty clearing Station, wrote: “…Gnr G. Abbott admitted 8.6.17…very critical condition…and although everything that could possibly be done, alas of no avail. He died peacefully a few hours later.”[26] 

The loss of a son or loved one was a torture that so many families went through during 1914-1918 war. What made George Larnach’s death more heart-wrenching was that his father would have endured the agonising process of firstly finding out what had happened to his son, and then proving that George Abbott was in fact, George Larnach.[27] A clipping in a Melbourne newspaper would be brought to his attention by a friend, and it would start a process which included a statuary declaration.[28] One can't help but think of Jack Larnach, George's younger brother, and a student at Sydney's Barker College. How would a boy of fifteen, who no-doubt looked up to his brother, cope with such news.

Correspondence between AIF Base Records and Larnach’s family continued after his death, with an investigation being conducted during the war to provide the family with as much evidence as possible. The enquiry came to a conclusion, and all military records were amended to state that George Abbott was in fact George Mudie Larnach. The warrant for his arrest was rescinded on 30 January 1919.[29]

Based on the evidence available at this time, it is within reason to suggest that George Mudie Larnach enlisted in the AIF in order to serve his country and the greater British Empire in line with what was a level of social expectation and duty at that time. Moreover, his desire to serve can be corroborated by the fact that after being assigned to a desk job, he deserted, not to escape the dangers of war, but to seek it. Within weeks of leaving his Liverpool post, Larnach was in Melbourne and re-enlisting under the name of George Abbott. This would suggest that Larnach was a not a deserter in the true sense of the word, but a young man desperate to prove his worth under the contemporary conventions. His stated occupation as labourer when signing as George Abbott strengthens this argument by eliminating his skill as a short-hand typist, greatly increasing his chances of being assigned to a fighting unit. Continued research may uncover further evidence to strengthen or challenge these claims.

Authors Note

George Mudie Larnach was the brother of my great grandmother, Mona Larnach (1891).

During a trip to France and Belgium in 2018, I was able to visit the site where George Larnach’s gun placement was on 8 June 1917, thanks to the help and guidance of David Moore (Royal Navy Falklands War veteran, historian and battle-field guide). Along with paying our respects at the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing, and George’s gravesite at Bailleul Cemetery, it was a poignant reminder of his sacrifice and the loss felt by his family and friends.

Many of the details that I came to learn about George Larnach, and my other relatives that served in the AIF, originated through the research of Kevin and Jo Murrell from Beyond the Frontline (see link).

Through researching my family’s military history I have been very fortunate to meet some wonderful people; individuals who share an interest, a passion, for commemorating those who have served their country. These relationships continue to this day, as colleagues and friends.

In the book that I am currently writing, I will explore the connection between service, memorial and commemoration, and specifically how a trip to Europe in 2018 was linked to the devastating events of 1914-1918, not just by names, places and statistics, but by ties that transcend generations.

Michael J. Murphy

Footnotes

[1] Attestation Paper of Person Enlisted for Service Abroad, Australian Imperial Force document, 1915, ‘George Mudie Larnach’, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[2] Attestation, George Larnach, National Archives of Australia.

[3] Attestation Paper of Person Enlisted for Service Abroad, Australian Imperial Force document, 1915, ‘George Abbott’, National Archives of Australia.

[4] George Mudie Larnach, photograph, Australian War Memorial, H05857; Medical Examination, Australian Imperial Force Document, 1915, George Mudie Larnach, National Archives of Australia.

[5] Birth Notice, Evening News, Sydney, 4 October 1892, p. 4; Pioneer Club, Daily Telegraph, Launceston, 27 August 1910, p. 6; Brevities, Evening News, Sydney, 13 September 1905.

[6] Certificate of Commanding Officer, Australian Imperial Force document, 1915, George Mudie Larnach, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[7] C.E.W. Bean, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, 11^th ed, Canberra, 1941, p. 59.

[8] Bean, Official History, p. 59; Jeffrey Grey, A Military History of Australia, Cambridge, 2008, p. 91.

[9] Decisive Action, The Brisbane Courier, 26 April 1915, p. 7; Romain Fathi, Our Corner of the Somme, Cambridge, 2019, p. 27.

[10] Attestation Paper, document, National Archives of Australia; Bean, Official History, p.45; N. Wise, Anzac Labour: Workplace Cultures in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, Hampshire, 2014, p. 8.

[11] G. P. Walsh, Australian Dictionary of Biography, ‘Donald Larnach’, https://www.adb.anu.edu.au/biography/larnach-donald-3995.

[12] Grey, A Military History, pp. 58-89.

[13] Report of a deserter, Australian Imperial Force document, 1915, ‘George Mudie Larnach’, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[14] Statement of Service, Australian Imperial Force document, 1915, ‘George Abbott’, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[15] Anon, New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime, 31 December, 1915, p. 33.

[16] Major F. C. Timothy, Statutory Declaration, 30 July 1917, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[17] Embarkation Roll, Australian Imperial Force document, 1916, ‘6^th Field Artillery Brigade-6^th to 13^th Reinforcements’, Australian War Memorial, AWM 8: 13/34/3.

[18] Embarkation Roll, document, 1916.

[19] Casualty Form-Active Service, Army Form B103, ‘George Abbott’, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

[20] Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries 1914-1918 war, ‘6^th Australian Field Artillery Brigade’, April 1917, Australian War Memorial, item number: 13/34/20.

[21] Able Seaman (Gunner) David Moore, ‘Notes on artillery in First World War’, Nottingham, 2023.

[22] Arthur Thomas, Australian War Memorial, ‘Anzac Voices’, 19 March 1918, https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/anzac-voices/gas.

[23] Unit war diaries, ‘6^th Australian Field Artillery Brigade’, June 1917.

[24] C. E. W. Bean, Official History, pp. 592-593.

[25] Unit war diaries, 6^th Australian Field Artillery brigade’, June 1917.

[26] D. McPherson to Secretary of Wounded Missing Enquiry Bureau A. R. C. S, letter, 29 October 1917, D. McPherson, Australian War Memorial, 1DRL/0428.

[27] Larnach to Officer in Charge, letter, 29 October 1917.

[28] Department of Defence to ‘The Press’, telegram, Department of Defence, 5 July 1917, NAA: B2455; Major F. C. Timothy to Major M. C. Lean, letter, 30 July 1917, F. C. Timothy.

[29] Statement of Service, Australian Imperial Force document, 30 January 1920, ‘George Mudie Larnach’, National Archives of Australia, NAA: B2455.

Bibliography

Primary source

6^th Australian Field Artillery Brigade unit war diary, original held by Australian War memorial, Canberra, ACT.

Australian War Memorial, 1DRL/0428

Australian War Memorial, JO6713

Australian War Memorial, RCO2289

Bean, C. E. W., Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18, 11^th ed, Canberra, 1941.

Daily Telegraph, Sydney.

Byrne, Rachel, Confirmation of Jack Larnach's enrolement at Barker College, Barker College Archives.

Evening News, Sydney.

Larnach, George, Mudie, photograph portrait, Australian War Memorial, HO5857.

Map of area surrounding Ploegsteert, Belgium, highlighting military positions, 1917, supplied by David Moore, Nottingham, UK.

Moore, David, research, observations and recollections, oral and written 1918-2026, Nottingham, UK.

Murrell, Kevin, research, observations and recollections, oral and written 1918-2026, Beyond The Frontline, Batlow, Australia.

National Archives of Australia, B2455.

New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime, Sydney.

The Brisbane Courier.

The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Sydney Stock and Station Journal.

The Tamworth Daily Advertiser.

Thomas, Arthur, Australian War Memorial, ‘Anzac Voices’, 19 March 1918, https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/anzac-voices/gas.

Secondary source

Fathi, Romain, Our Corner of the Somme, Cambridge, 2019.

Jeffrey Grey, A Military History of Australia, Cambridge, 2008.

Moore, David, Able Seaman (Gunner), ‘Notes on artillery in First World War’, Nottingham, 2023.

Murrell, Kevin, Military Historian, Beyond the Frontline, Batlow, NSW, Australia.

Aaron O’Neill, ‘Number of military and civilian deaths per country in the First World War 1914-1918’, Statista, ‘Statistics’, http://www.statista.com/statistics/1208625/first-world-war-fatalities-per-country/

Walsh, G. P. Australian Dictionary of Biography, ‘Donald Larnach’, https://www.adb.anu.edu.au/biography/larnach-donald-3995.

Wise, N. Anzac Labour: Workplace Cultures in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, Hampshire, 2014.