26 Sergeant Sydney Coulson Elliott MM MiD
3rd Field Company Engineers, AIF
by Robert Simpson
Sydney Coulson Elliot was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 12th September 1874. He was the youngest of four children to Henry Herbert Elliott and Margaret Eliza Coulson. Henry had married Margaret on 18th December 1866 in Queensland but unfortunately died on 17th May 1887. Henry’s parents were James Elliott and Charlotte Job, and unfortunately with such common names, no other information is known about him or his parents. Margaret had been born in Queensland on 29th April 1841, a daughter to Robert Coulson and Margaret Cameron, who had been married in Sydney, New South Wales in 1833. No other details are known on them due to their common names as well. Margaret Eliza Elliott passed away on 6th May 1896, so the family was without parents. Sydney had one sister and two brothers, all were born in the early 1870’s. Nothing is known about their early life in Queensland. The other children had all married by the early 1900’s.
As Sydney Elliott, he joined up on 21st August 1914 at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane as Sapper 26 in the 1st Section of 3rd Field Company Engineers. In his enlistment form he stated he was born in Brisbane as a natural born British Subject and was 34 and 10/12ths years old. His occupation was a miner and his next of kin was his brother Mr. H. Elliott of Meatworks, Redbank Queensland. He had no previous service and his physical description was height 5 foot 6 inches, weight 10 stone 7 pounds, chest measurement 35.5 inches and he was of fair complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. His pay book number was 40481. A medical history form stated he was examined at Mt. Morgan on 26th August 1914 and he was 34 years and 300 days old. His range of chest expansion was 2.5 inches and his physical development was good. He was vaccinated in September 1914.
He departed on HMAT Geelong A2 as a Sapper on 22nd September 1914 with the 3rd Field Company Engineers from Melbourne. On 5th April 1915 at Alexandria, he proceeded to form with the MEF. At Anzac on 8th September 1915 he was promoted to 2nd Corporal and was appointed to Temporary Corporal on the 30th of the same month. A recommendation with no date on it was put forward for Sydney when he was Acting 2nd Corporal, which due to its faded state is hart to read but involved a period in September 1915 at Anzac and reads “Laying mines in close proximity to enemy, also good work in Lone Pine trench after its capture; repairing ? under heavy Artillery fire on frequent occasions.” He disembarked at Alexandria from the Caledonian on 27th December 1915. Sydney was mentioned in a despatch on 11th December 1915. He was promoted to Corporal on 9th December 1916. From Alexandria on 27th March 1916, he proceeded to join the BEF and arrived at Marseille on 3rd April on the Caledonian.
On 16th April 1916, Base Records sent a letter to Harry (his brother) advising him of the conspicuous service Sydney had rendered as No. 26, Acting 2nd Corporal S. Elliott, 3rd. Field Company Engineers with a Mentioned in Despatches “I have the honour to submit herewith the name of No. 26, Acting 2nd Corporal S. Elliott, whose services I wish to bring to your Lordship’s notice in connection with the operations described in my Despatch of 11th December 1915.”. The despatch was from General Sir Ian Hamilton G.C.B. This was promulgated in the London Gazette in Supplement No. 29455 of 25th January 1916. It was sent to Harry at the address listed on Sydney’s enlistment form. On 10th June 1916 he was recommended for a Military Medal with the citation reading that Corporal Elliott of 3rd Field Company was recommended for good “work in fixing obstacles in front of Cornfield trenches during August 1915. Also was in firing line at ANZAC for 28 weeks from 25th. April 1915. Mentioned in Despatches, London Gazette No. 29455 of 28th January 1915.”
On 27th July 1916 he was admitted to the Beaufort War Hospital in Bristol with a mild gunshot wound to the neck. Another comment in his service records also mentions shell shock. He was initially admitted to the 6th General Hospital at Rouen on the 23rd, after passing through the 45th Casualty Clearing Station and the 57th Field Ambulance, and was discharged on 18th August. At the Depot at Christchurch, he proceeded to France on 23rd September 1916. Arriving there on the 25th he proceeded down the chain to arrive back at the 3rd Field Company on 29th October in the field after being placed in the supernumerary list on 22nd October. He was recommended for a Meritorious Service Medal on 12th October 1916 with the action for which he was commended reading “Enlisted August 1914 as a Sapper, took part in the landing at GALLIPOLI April 25th. 1915, and remained with the Company the whole time they were on the Peninsula. Served with the Company while in FRANCE until the first battle of POZIERES where he was wounded. He has done very good work throughout.”
Harry received a notice from Base Records on 6th August 1916 that Sydney was wounded in action and anything further was received, he would be notified. Another letter on 6th September advised him that Sydney had been admitted to the 6th General Hospital on 23rd July with a gunshot wound to the neck which was classified as mild. They gave him a postal address as – No. 26 Corporal S. Elliott, Wounded, 3rd Australian Field Company Engineers, C/o Australian Imperial Forces Headquarters, 130 Horseferry Road, Westminster, London, S.W.
He was promoted to Sergeant on 10th February 1917 and had 4 days leave in Paris from 26th May to 30th May.
A notice was sent to Harry on 25th April 1917 relating to the conspicuous services rendered by Sydney as he was awarded the Military Medal and continued with “HIS MAJESTY THE KING has been graciously pleased to award the Military Medal for bravery in the Field to the undermentioned non-commissioned officer:- No. 26, Corporal SYDNEY ELLIOT”. It was a copy of the extract from the Second supplement No. 29794 to the London Gazette of 20th October 1916. It never reached him and was returned to Base records in June 1917. Base Records the sent a letter to the A.A.G. in Brisbane to find out what had happened to Harry, if he had changed address and if they did not know to put a notification in the local press for him to contact Base Records. This drew a reply from Margaret Atkinson (Sydney’s only sister) on 11th July 1918, giving her address and relation to Sydney. She was living at St. Lucia Road Toowong with her husband, who was a bank manager with the Bank of Queensland. A reply to her on 17th July from Base Records indicated they still wanted to get Harry’s address as he was the recorded next of kin. They wanted to send him the communication of him being awarded the Military Medal and also to let him know that Sydney was in Colchester Military Hospital, England with severe pneumonia. He was admitted on 18th June 1918 and as no other information was sent, it was assumed he was progressing favourably. His mail address was also stated. His hospital record shows he was in hospital from 18th June 1918 to 1st July with broncho-pneumonia following influenza and he was discharged to duty. The pneumonia was recorded as severe.
On 14th November 1917 he was sent on leave from the field to England and returned on 1st December. He was transferred to Engineers Training Depot and borne supernumerary to establishment on 29th December with the rank of Sergeant.
Sydney was admitted to the Military Hospital at Bulford with syphilis on 19th January 1918 and was there for 8 days before being discharged to C. T. Depot at Parkhouse with the same infection. He was there from 26th January 1918 to 7th March 1918 and his course of treatment consisted of 7 injections of 606 and mercury was given. The course was completed on 5th March and he was due for a blood test on 5th July. Apparently he contracted it in London from a prostitute 9 weeks before. His syphilis case sheet described the primary sore as a scar of indurated character and sited on the prepuce at 10 and 12 o’clock. The lymph glands under his arms and in his groin were double normal size and he had congestion in his nose. The Wasserman reaction was positive. While in hospital his urine was tested but was always normal and he was given a series of injections. There were intravenous injections of Neo-Salvarsan, an arsenical product, and intramuscular injections of mercury. He was discharged with no active signs of disease.
On 15th February 1918, while Sydney was convalescing at Parkhouse in England he committed an offence. While a Sergeant, without reasonable excuse he allowed to escape a person committed to his custody. He allowed 389 Sergeant Giles of the 21st Battalion to escape and was reprimanded by a Captain A McLennan about it. Sergeant Giles was reduced to the ranks and forfeited 17 days’ pay. It was not Private Giles only offence. On 17th June he was sent to the hospital at Colchester with pneumonia and was seriously ill.
An urgent telegram was sent to Base Records on 5th July 1918 stating Harry Elliott’s address was 26 Lunn St, Sandgate and the change of address was noted. Margaret followed that up with a letter to Base Records, thanking them for the information they sent her on Sydney and re-confirming Harry’s address. A letter was then sent from Base Records on 25th July letting him know of the returned mail, of the Military Medal award, that Sydney was in hospital with pneumonia and an address for correspondence to him. A note on 31st July to Harry stated Sydney was convalescing. Harry replied to Major Dean at Base Records and thanked him for the information on Sydney. Sydney the proceeded to France on 2nd October 1918 and arrived with his unit on the 10th. On 8th November he embarked at Havre for England on “1914 furlo”.
His dental record of 17th January 1919 showed him to be dentally fit. His medical report showed he was wounded at Pozieres on 19th July 1916 with a gunshot wound to the back of the neck, which was not showing any disability now. His present condition and progress was good and he was fit. Sydney was returned to Australia on H.T. Somerset and arrived 15th January 1919 and was sent onto Brisbane. He was discharged on 18th March 1919.
What happened to Sydney after the war is not known. He signed for his oak leaves, his Mention in Despatches emblems, on 20th November 1920. The certificate for his Mention in Despatches was sent to him, care of his brother Harry at Sandgate in August 1923. The return slip is not in his records, so it is not known if anyone signed for it. He appears in Western Australia in the two 1925 Electoral Rolls that were published, as a miner at Fenian Boarding House in Meekatharra on one roll and at Protheroe in the other. Both were mining towns in Western Australia. According to newspapers of the time, there was a strike in Protheroe against the price of beer that the pub was charging there. After that he vanished and does not appear in any more rolls. No other records appear for him, even his death. There are a couple of possibilities, but nothing that confirms it is him.
His sister Margaret passed away in 1954 and his brothers, Harry and Frank both died in 1940. All of them remained in Queensland, as did their families. One of Frank’s sons served in WW2 as Private Q 152118 Francis Herbert Elliott but was discharged after nearly a year in service. One of Margaret’s sons, Horace Reibey Elliott Atkinson served in the air force as 6174 Aircraftman 1, but on 31st May 1940 after complaining of feeling ill, he collapsed and died at the 1st Engineering school in Ascot Vale, Melbourne.
No newspapers have any information on Sydney in them, so it is not known what happened to him.
His medals are Military Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory medal with emblem attached.
ANZAC Biographies
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whose medals or other memorabilia form part of the collection on display at the
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