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including Burren Junction,Wee Waa, Narrabri, Merehula, Turrawan, Baan
Baa, Boggabri, Dubledah, Gunnedah, Curlewis, Breeza, Werris Creek,
Quirindi,Willow Tree, Murrurundi, Wingen, Scone, Aberdeen,
Muswellbrook, Liddell, Ravensworth, Camberwell, Glennies Creek,
Singleton, Branxton, Cessnock, Abermain, Weston, Kurri Kurri, East
Greta, Maitland, Morpeth, Minmi, West Wallsend, Wallsend, Lambton,
and Waratah. Then into Newcastle on 8th January 1916 with 263 recruits.
It was hard to miss or ignore the distinctive call of “Cooee” as the new
recruits passed through town. The march obviously generated a lot of
enthusiasm and it should be noted that a lot of the soldiers from the
Hunter and north west who fought and died in the war came from the
these small towns like Weston and Kurri Kurri.
David Dial summarizes these statistics in
Coal Miner Diggers
. Many of
the local soldiers enlisted at this time to support their mates. Many would
have felt the pressure of patriotic feelings to join up in front of friends in
your own regional areas. Many were single men without family
commitments whose friends would be encouraging them to enlist.
When the recruits reached Newcastle, rather than march on to Sydney it
was decided to harness the enthusiasm by forming a new locally formed
battalion. Camped at Maitland Showground they formed the basis of the
34
th
Battalion or “Maitland’s Own” Battalion.
A similar patriotic sentiment saw the formation of the 35
th
Battalion or
Newcastle’s Own Battalion.
If they didn’t join the 34
th
or 35
th
Battalions they were allocated as
reinforcements of the battalions in the first two divisions who had been so
badly affected by losses at Gallipoli and the losses suffered by France and
Britain. This meant that our local soldiers were allocated to a variety of
battalions. However, soldiers who enlisted together might be added to the
same unit. This was particularly the case with close family members.
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