Herbert Daniel Schultz
Herbert Daniel Schultz

In Memory of

Private

Herbert Daniel Schultz

3118 13th Light Trench Mortar Battery
who died age 19
on 02 September 1916

Brother of Mrs M. McKenney, (his NOK) living at Oakey (later Texas) Queensland

Remembered with honour
Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France

Herbert Daniel Schultz

The full name of this soldier was Herbert Daniel Schultz, though his first name was hardly ever used by himself or family. He wrote his name in full on his enlistment papers but his signature was simply “D. Schultz”.  Daniel was born in Toowoomba, one of six adult children in his family at the outbreak of war. His parents had died some time before the war. The Schultz siblings were scattered, with a married sister in South Africa and another married (Mrs M. McKenney, his NOK) and living at Oakey (later Texas, Qld). A single third sister also lived at Oakey, near Toowoomba.  Brother George also served in the AIF and post-war settled at Winton. Eldest brother John William Schultz resided at “Marivillis”, North Street, Toowoomba. Daniel enlisted in Brisbane on 23 June 1915.

Daniel was a 23-year-old labourer, and his religion was Church of England.  He was almost 5’7” tall, weighed 157 pounds, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. At Enoggera he was posted to the 9th Battalion reinforcements. The battalion was one of the first ashore at Gallipoli and when Daniel sailed for overseas, on 5 October 1915, the 9th was still fighting on the Peninsula. He left Brisbane as part of the 10/9th aboard A69 Wardilla.  As soon as he arrived in Egypt he was admitted to hospital with mumps.

In Egypt in early 1916 the thousands of new recruits from Australia, like Daniel Schultz, were mixed with the Gallipoli veterans in both the older units, like the 9th, but also in new units created for the war in France. Daniel joined the 49th Battalion, the “daughter” battalion of the 9th, at Harbeita camp.  He set out for France on 5 June, arriving at Marseilles a week later. The men travelled north to the Western Front by train, enjoying the lush French countryside after the endless sands of Egypt.

In July the British Army was concentrated in the Somme Valley where the great offensive continued for over four months. The Australians took their turn at Pozieres from 23 July when the 1st Division seized the village. Three weeks prior to this attack Daniel was transferred to his brigade’s light trench mortar battery. When the 4th Division was called on to attack at Mouquet Farm, the 13th Brigade assaulted the strongest German position, known as the Fabeck Graben.  In several days of fighting that the official historian Charles Bean described as “one of the bitterest fights in the history of the AIF” the brigade took possession of part of the German positions. In doing so it suffered 1345 casualties. One of these was Daniel Schultz who was killed in action on 2 September. His body was never recovered.

After the war Daniel’s name was recorded on the Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. His brother John ultimately received his medals and mementoes. His sisters were the beneficiaries of his will. His brother George, five years his senior, served with the 9th Battalion and the artillery from Pozieres onwards; he was promoted to sergeant and returned to Australia in May 1919.

Toowoomba Grammar School Archive Records state that he started at the school on 1st February 1903 and left on 26th June 1908.

External Links:

CWGC

Australian National Archives Military Records

Australian War Memorial Honour Roll

https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/444

Schultz HD on panel at Australian War Memorial, Villers Bretoneux – photo by Ann Hallam

Toowoomba Grammar School Cadets on Parade 1907

Toowoomba Grammar School Cadet Unit Mounted Troops 1907

13th Light Trench Battery courtesy of RSL Virtual Memory                                                                                                       

Pozieres 4th August to 5th September 1916

Pozieres Ridge 3-8 September 1916


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