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WW1
Newman, Ernest Walter
Born 19th April 1894 Sheffield Tasmania to Lewis and Florence Marion Newman (nee Coope) a farmer who embarked Melbourne 22nd December 1914 on board “HMAT Ceramic” with the 15th Infantry Battalion. He was killed in action 2nd May 1915 on the Gallipoli Peninsula and buried in Popes Hill Cemetery. His remains were later relocated to Quinn's Post Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey. Mrs. L. Newman, of Paradise, has received a letter from Captain Good sympathising with her in the death of her son, Private E. W. Newman, as the result of wounds received at Gallipoli. Captain J. A. Good writes under date 1st Australian G. Hospital, Heliopolis, Oct. 21.-I sincerely sympathise with you in your loss, for he was a son of whom any mother might well be proud. He was under fire from the time we landed on the first day until his death, and the test was very severe. The men all behaved splendidly and deserve the admiration that has been so generally expressed and one of the greatest tributes possible to pay your son is to say that his conduct and courage throughout were equal to any. For the first five days we were out of the trenches for only a few hours and changing from one position to another. The day following the landing we took up a position in what is called Shrapnel Valley, so named because of the number of shells that fall there, and it seemed that all the Turkish guns in Gallipoli were concentrated on this post. Our casualties were heavy, but we had to hold the spot, and during that time your son was ever ready to expose himself to perform his duty, never knowing when a shell spreading death in all directions would come along. Snipers were hidden all around our position, but the work had to go on, and when he was not engaged looking out for the enemy he was performing other and perhaps more dangerous work, in assisting a wounded comrade, or obtaining supplies, but was cheerful, and I believe as content as possible under the awful conditions existing during the opening days of the war, for one is naturally depressed when comrades are dead or badly wounded close by. On the fourth day we left Shrapnel Valley and took up a position on Popes Hill. This was a very difficult matter, as we were exposed to very heavy fire the whole time. The position was, if anything, worse than the previous one, for my company was allotted the extreme left flank, and was in such a position that the Turks could come to within about 20 yards of our trenches without being visible to us. My battalion was in a position in front of the amix line, and to a certain extent isolated, with the Turks in front and on the right and left flanks, with snipers on a hill in the rear. The Turkish plans were to advance close to our trenches under cover, and try to rush them, while the machine guns on both flanks opened a heavy fire on our men, who were so bravely holding the line. It was during one of these attacks that your son was killed. He bravely stood up to defend the position so expensively won, knowing at the time that he was exposed to fire from the four points, and was shot through the right side of the head. He suffered no pain and did not speak after being hit, but died about half an hour later. I need hardly say his comrades did all they possibly could, but, unfortunately in trench warfare, the wounds are generally in the head. Knowing the risk he ran, he gave his life in the performance of his duty-truly a noble end for one of Tasmania's best, and was buried that night on the hill he so gallantly assisted to hold. Loved and respected by his comrades, many hearts were sad at his death, and I trust that the manner in which he met his end will tend to lessen your sorrow. The Examiner Launceston 10th December 1915
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