Daniel Poole
Encyclopedia
Daniel Poole DCM
& Bar
(21 April 1882 – 13 August 1959) was a seaman and soldier of the Australian Army
. On 15 April 1917, during the battle of Lagnicourt
, Poole collected a party of men and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen prisoners
. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
.
, Cheshire
, England
, son of Richard Poole, baker
, and his wife Anne, née Warburton. Leaving home at age 11, he worked on a German sailing clipper. He arrived in Sydney
in 1909, and subsequently worked as a marine stoker and served for five years with the Royal Naval Reserve
. Poole was described as 5 ft 8 ins (173 cm) tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair and tattooed on both arms and shoulders. Before joining the army, he gave his trade as marine fireman.
to German New Guinea
. Poole returned to Australia with that force and he was discharged on 5 March 1915. Like many other members of the expeditionary force, Poole subsequently enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
on 13 May 1915. Poole was posted to the 20th Battalion, and that unit embarked from Sydney on 26 June 1915, on board HMAT A35 Berrima
. On 14 July 1915, he was promoted to lance corporal
. The 20th Battalion landed at Gallipoli
on 22 August and the unit took up a position at Russell's Top until evacuated on 20 December. The battalion was taken to Egypt
for further training and then moved to France, arriving at Marseilles on 25 March 1916. He fought at the Somme and in July was involved in the heavy fighting at Pozières
. On 16 August 1916, Poole was promoted to temporary sergeant
, later confirmed on 1 December. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 10 August 1918.
On 25 October 1939, Poole reported for duty on mobilization of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve
. He was allocated to HMAS Manoora
, an armed merchant cruiser, as a petty officer
stoker. After service in Australian, Papuan, New Guinea and South-West Pacific
waters, Poole was discharged as medically unfit on 28 November 1941.
. Four days later, on 19 April, he was wounded and evacuated. The award was gazetted
on 18 June 1917, with the citation:
Poole returned to his battalion on 7 September 1917 and he took part in the battle of Menin Road in Belgium
. Near Westhoek
on 20 September, Poole noticed an enemy machine-gun which had come into action after the barrage and first wave had passed. He rushed the post single handed, captured the gun, killed the crew and took prisoner a large number of men emerging from the pill-box. Although the battalion recommendation was for award of the Victoria Cross
, for what was called "reckless leadership", Poole received a Bar
to his Distinguished Conduct Medal. On the same day Poole was wounded again and evacuated to Australia, arriving there on 11 January 1918. The Bar was gazetted on 6 February 1918, the citation read:
and together they had one son. After his discharge from the AIF, Poole returned to his work as a seaman
working for McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co
and from 1937, the Adelaide Steamship Company
. Poole died in Sydney on 28 July 1959 and was cremated after an Anglican service. He was survived by his son.
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
(21 April 1882 – 13 August 1959) was a seaman and soldier of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. On 15 April 1917, during the battle of Lagnicourt
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
, Poole collected a party of men and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen prisoners
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
.
Early life
Daniel Poole was born on 21 April 1882 at BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, son of Richard Poole, baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
, and his wife Anne, née Warburton. Leaving home at age 11, he worked on a German sailing clipper. He arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1909, and subsequently worked as a marine stoker and served for five years with the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
. Poole was described as 5 ft 8 ins (173 cm) tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair and tattooed on both arms and shoulders. Before joining the army, he gave his trade as marine fireman.
Military career
On 15 August 1914, Poole enlisted in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary ForceAustralian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of the First World War to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guinea in the south-west Pacific...
to German New Guinea
German New Guinea
German New Guinea was the first part of the German colonial empire. It was a protectorate from 1884 until 1914 when it fell to Australia following the outbreak of the First World War. It consisted of the northeastern part of New Guinea and several nearby island groups...
. Poole returned to Australia with that force and he was discharged on 5 March 1915. Like many other members of the expeditionary force, Poole subsequently enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
on 13 May 1915. Poole was posted to the 20th Battalion, and that unit embarked from Sydney on 26 June 1915, on board HMAT A35 Berrima
HMAS Berrima
HMAS Berrima was an Armed Merchant Cruiser which served in the Royal Australian Navy during World War I.The P&O passenger liner SS Berrima was requisitioned for use by the Navy, refitted and armed at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard and commissioned into the RAN as the auxiliary cruiser HMAS...
. On 14 July 1915, he was promoted to lance corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
. The 20th Battalion landed at Gallipoli
Landing at Anzac Cove
The landing at Anzac Cove was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915. The landing, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast of the Peninsula, was made by soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was the first...
on 22 August and the unit took up a position at Russell's Top until evacuated on 20 December. The battalion was taken to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for further training and then moved to France, arriving at Marseilles on 25 March 1916. He fought at the Somme and in July was involved in the heavy fighting at Pozières
Battle of Pozières
The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
. On 16 August 1916, Poole was promoted to temporary sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, later confirmed on 1 December. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 10 August 1918.
On 25 October 1939, Poole reported for duty on mobilization of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve
Royal Australian Naval Reserve
The Royal Australian Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy in Australia.The current Royal Australian Naval Reserve was formed in June 1973 by merging the former RANR and the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve....
. He was allocated to HMAS Manoora
HMAS Manoora (1935)
HMAS Manoora was a motor vessel laid down for the Adelaide Steamship Company by Alex Stephen and Son at Govan in Scotland in July 1934, launched on 25 October 1935 and completed in 1935....
, an armed merchant cruiser, as a petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
stoker. After service in Australian, Papuan, New Guinea and South-West Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
waters, Poole was discharged as medically unfit on 28 November 1941.
Acts of gallantry
On 15 April 1917, during the battle of Lagnicourt, Poole gathered a party of volunteers and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen others. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct MedalDistinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
. Four days later, on 19 April, he was wounded and evacuated. The award was gazetted
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
on 18 June 1917, with the citation:
Poole returned to his battalion on 7 September 1917 and he took part in the battle of Menin Road in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Near Westhoek
Westhoek (region)
Westhoek or Maritime Flanders is a region in Belgium and France and includes the following areas:#Belgian Westhoek including the West Flanders arrondissements of Diksmuide, Ypres, and Veurne including the cities of Veurne, Poperinge, Wervik, Ypres, De Panne, Langemark-Poelkapelle, and Diksmuide...
on 20 September, Poole noticed an enemy machine-gun which had come into action after the barrage and first wave had passed. He rushed the post single handed, captured the gun, killed the crew and took prisoner a large number of men emerging from the pill-box. Although the battalion recommendation was for award of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, for what was called "reckless leadership", Poole received a Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his Distinguished Conduct Medal. On the same day Poole was wounded again and evacuated to Australia, arriving there on 11 January 1918. The Bar was gazetted on 6 February 1918, the citation read:
Personal life
On 13 August 1910, Poole married Mary O'Donnell, a domestic servantDomestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
and together they had one son. After his discharge from the AIF, Poole returned to his work as a seaman
Able seaman
An able seaman is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles.-Watchstander:...
working for McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co
Malcolm McEacharn
Sir Malcolm Donald McEacharn was Mayor of Melbourne from 1897 to 1900. He was a well-known Australian shipping magnate in the early part of the twentieth century and successfully stood for the Division of Melbourne at the inaugural federal election, held in 1901.- Early life :McEacharn was born in...
and from 1937, the Adelaide Steamship Company
Adelaide Steamship Company
The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
. Poole died in Sydney on 28 July 1959 and was cremated after an Anglican service. He was survived by his son.