Wednesday 20 April 2011

A Simple Cross - Tribute to Private Leonard Frank Trigwell 1893 - 1916



A simple wooden cross returned from Poziers,
the marker of a fallen Australian son
Private Leonard Frank Trigwell
16th Battalion


It has survived nearly 100 years to date, possibly the only one that came back to Australia.
My father has in his care this wooden cross which marked the burial site of his uncle, Private Leonard Frank Trigwell (16th Battallion), killed at Pozieres and buried in the British Cemetery there. A treasured memento of the sacrifice made by his and so many other families in those dark years.
The story goes that toward the end of 1919 Elizabeth Trigwell (sister to Leonard) travelled by Ocean Liner for France to visit her brothers grave. When she arrived at the British Cemetery workmen were busy replacing the wooden crosses with permanent headstones, the crosses being burnt as they went. Elizabeth was able to save her brothers cross and on returning home to Australia, presented it to her mother.
Private Leonard Frank Trigwell (born 1893) - was the youngest son (and 1 of 13 children) to John and Ellen Trigwell of Donnybrook, a small town in the south of Western Australia - they were proprietors of the Anchor and Hope Inn (which still stands today).
Len was very active in the district socially and participated in many sporting activities, he was a founding member of the Donnybrook shooting club and became a crack shot.
Being a country boy who could shoot and ride Len naturally enlisted in the light horse and was assigned to the 10th battalion.
Unfortunately an officer took a liking to Len’s horse and its loss upset him so much he applied for a transfer to the infantry. It is often speculated that this decision may indeed have cost him his life.
He was posted to the 16th Infantry battalion and after completing his training sailed from Fremantle for Egypt on the 1st of November 1915.
After training in Egypt the battalion was posted to France in May 1916.
On the 23rd of July the battalion faced their baptism of fire in the Battle of the Somme, the first attack being the Battle of Pozieres in which the 16th Battallion was part of the 4th Australian division. The fighting raged on until the third of September but it was on the night of 12th of August that Private Leonard Trigwell was reported missing and later, killed in action after just 20 days at the front.

The cross is simply fashioned, like thousands of others that dotted the battlefields of Turkey, Egypt and Europe, marking the last resting place of those who gave their lives in service of their country.

My father is now 84 and attends the Anzac Service at Bundeena RSL (NSW) each year in memory of his uncle and his father, who was also an Anzac (& survived, just) and of course for his own Service years in the Navy.

I remember my Grandfather fondly, a man of principles, strong & immensely proud of his country and of his service to that country. Unfortunately the country that he served so completely did not serve him in return and that lack of support led to many health issues throughout the remainder of his life. But he was a stubborn bugger, and managed to live on to the ripe old age of 86.
I find it difficult to imagine the horrors of what he and thousands of other young men endured and the suffering that continued long after the war was over.

My father has recently had the Cross framed to keep it safe and it also enables him to display it and see it every day.
The Cross is certainly a unique piece of Anzac Memorabilia and I feel it truly should be shared with others.

Lest We Forget.


In Memory of my Son - the Wooden Cross
Leonard Frank Trigwell - as display at his home, Donnybrook Western Australia

Private Leonard Frank Trigwell
1893 - 1916

Back l-r: Eric Duce, Robert Raymond, (Dick) Hurst, William Bill) Eccletone
Front l-r: Percy Smith, Leonard Frank Trigwell,Thomas (Tom) Fowler

The John Trigwell Family
Back l-r: Eva Ellen, Elizabeth Agnes, John (jnr), Ethel, Ellen Corcas
Centre l-r: JOHN holding Hilda Ivy, ELLEN holding Ida Constance, Edward Preston
Front l-r: Thomas Frederick, William Henry, Leonard Frank
Circa 1889/1890
 John Trigwell Descendants
1979 Trigwell Family Reunion
Egan Park, Donnybrook. Western Australia