Allan Eldridge, Ernest Hopkinson and Justin Breguet were all 18 years old when, with parental permission, they enlisted in the AIF in July 1915. They embarked together aboard HMAT Ballarat from Melbourne on 18 February 1916 as members of the 3rd Reinforcements, 29th Battalion. Only two would return to Australia at the conclusion of the war.
Photo: Private Ernest Charles Hopkinson No2059, Private Allan James Eldridge No2017 and Private Justin Hercules Breguet No1983 – their positions in this picture are unknown.
This photo have been reproduced with the permission of the Australian War Memorial
Private Hopkinson, originally of Hertfordshire, England survived the war to be discharged in England in 1919, later returning to Australia in 1921. Private Allan Eldridge was wounded at the Battle of Fromelles and recovered to serve again on the Western Front. Lance Corporal Eldridge returned to Australia as a member of 31st Battalion in July 1919.
Private Breguet is one of the 19 members of the 29th Battalion Diggers listed in the Missing Diggers of Fromelles. Breguet’s Service Record, which is available on line from the National Archives of Australia, includes the original letter of consent for enlistment signed by his father John Breguet of Anderson St, West Geelong, Victoria.
The Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau File on Private Breguet contain many of the examples of documents which provided Lambis Englezos with vital clues to the fate of 173 soldiers who were unaccounted for nearly 92 years. These include copies of the German ‘death vouchers’ completed by the Bavarian soldiers before burying the fallen Australian soldiers adjacent to Pheasant Wood near Fromelles, France; documents stating that the soldier’s identity disk had been returned by the German army through the Red Cross to the British army; translations of German documents received by the British Army in November 1919, which were provided by Captain Mills, who himself was captured at the Battle of Fromelles; and references in official documents to the ‘German death list dated 4-11-16′.
The file also contains copies of statements taken by the Red Cross from soldiers who had information about the fate of Private Breguet. As was often the case some of the reports gave conflicting accounts including a statement saying that Private Breguet was in hospital in England. The most plausible explanation and the one accepted by the Australian army was that after occupying German trenches with other members of the 29th Battalion, and after coming under heavy shelling while withdrawing, Private Breguet was killed by shell fire and not seen again.
Private Breguet and Private Eldridge were counted amongst the 5,533 casualties of the Battle of Fromelles.
FROMELLES IS NOT HONOURED ON THE NATIONAL OR ANY STATE MEMORIAL IN AUSTRALIA.
FFFAIF SUPPORTS ALL EFFORTS TO RECOGNISE FROMELLES ON OR AT THE NATIONAL AND ALL STATE MEMORIALS THAT PRESENTLY LIST BATTLES BY NAME.
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