Coo-ee March through Homebush, 1915

Image right: Coo-ee March in Geurie, NSW en route to Sydney, October 1915. Courtesy Australian War Memorial

As news reached home of the losses at Gallipoli during World War I, recruitment drives attempted to boost the number of Australian soldiers on the front line. In Gilgandra, 26 enlistees began their famous march to Sydney, 515 km away, on 10 October. At every town they were welcomed by the local residents and often joined by new recruits. 

Coo-ee recruitment poster, 1915. Courtesy Australian War Memorial

By 11 November, a date that three years later would be permanently etched into history as the Armistice was declared, the recruits approached Homebush along Parramatta Road. Sadly no images of the march through Homebush have been located. It was a Thursday so their route through Flemington also included the bustle of sale day at the Homebush Saleyards.

‘… they tramped through Auburn, dim with the soot of a hundred factories; Homebush reminiscent of the bush, the boys had left with its mobs of sheep, and wild-eyed bellowing cattle…’ [1]

Reaching Homebush itself at about lunch-time, they were welcomed by the Mayors of both Homebush and Strathfield Municipalities, crowds, flags and children from Homebush School. The recruits would have umbered about 241 by this time, their number growing later that day when the last 22 soldiers joined them at Ashfield. 

The Evening News of 11 November 1915 published an excellent article of the day’s progress and cannot be bettered for its account of the proceedings:

‘The Coo-ees struck the fringe of the metropolitan area this afternoon, when they crossed the boundary of the Homebush municipality. From an early hour, there were signs of unusual excitement about this quiet suburb. A string of flags fluttered across Parramatta road near the local Council Chambers, where the road was lined with benches for spectators. From 11 o’clock, residents in holiday dress and children of the Homebush School began to assemble, while multitudes of gay flags and sprigs of foliage were waving in the hands of the excited youngsters and their elders alike. Down the road the kerbing was fringed with people, and at the Horse and Jockey Hotel a dense crowd gathered, producing, with the gay bunting and music of bands an animated scene.

At a quarter past one, the news was flashed along the road – “They are coming” and five minutes later the watchers on the hill which commands an extensive view towards Lidcombe, caught their first sight of the Gilgandra recruits far down the long, dusty road. As the column drew nearer, the sound of a drum was heard, and soon, amid cheers and shouts of greeting, and a chorus of welcoming whistles, from the trains, sirens, and motor buses, the men halted opposite the Homebush Council Chambers, where the Mayor of Homebush (Alderman Austin) and the Acting Mayor of Strathfield (Alderman Firth) extended a welcome to which the recruits responded with three cheers and vigorous “coo-ees.” The Mayoress of Homebush presented Captain Hitchens and other officers with khaki handkerchiefs.

There were many interesting incidents. The first “Coo-ees” to arrive were on a baggage cart, and half a dozen girls rushed to be the first to grasp their hands. At the head of the procession rode two young ladies dressed in Union Jacks. Miniature amazons accompanied the big, rough men, whose faces were tanned a dark brown, and many of whom walked with a step that suggested that they would welcome the end of their long march. The ranks of blue dungaree and white hats, with here and there a khaki uniform, were covered with dust, and the men hot and begrimed, but they smiled gladly at their new-made friends. School girls passed letters to them eulogising their patriotism, and many a young soldier seemed delighted at the unexpected attention. They gave in return all they had to bestow, cigarette pictires and postcards, which the children eagerly accepted. On the baggage carts were such inscriptions as “1st stop, Berlin” and “Bathurst Boomerangs,” and to the music of the Burwood Band the contingent moved off again, to draw up at the Horse and Jockey among cheering crowds. Here the Burwood Rifle Reserves, in khaki, under Captain Budd, and the Burwood Cadets, under Lieutenant Stanley, lined the road, and the Mayor of Burwood (Alderman Reed), and all the local aldermen, met the Coo-ees, and after officially welcoming them, placed themselves at the head of the procession, which, thus augmented, started off for Burwood, where a big spread in Burwood Park had long been waiting. Scores of motor cars were drawn up, and their occupants added their cheers to those of the hundreds of men sitting on the high fences round the sale yards. To the latter, the Coo-ees shouted loud invitations to “Come and Join us” as they renewed their march.’ [2]

Homebush War Memorial 12 September 1921. It was originally unveiled in 1918 and had been built by the Homebush Patriotic Association. The Coo-ee marchers would have passed this corner during their march. Courtesy Museums of History NSW

The dusty stretch of Parramatta Road along which the Coo-ee marchers arrived in Homebush and were welcomed at the Homebush Council Chambers in 1915. Image dated 1921. Courtesy Museums of History NSW

By the time they reached Sydney on 12 November, their numbers had swelled to 263. Sadly, no official records list the names of all those who joined along the way [3] but researchers have managed to identify most of them and The Farmer and Settler of 16 November listed the numbers of recruits who joined in each town.  The excellent Coo-ee March 1915 website concludes that 41 of them were killed during their active service.[4]

[1] The Farmer and Settler 16 November 1915 p.3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116671136

[2] Evening News 11 November 1915 p.5 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115276098

[3] The Farmer and Settler 16 November 1915 p.3 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/116671136

[4] https://cooeemarch1915.com/category/honour-roll/

[5] https://cooeemarch2015reenactment.com/2015/11/10/holroyd-to-ashfield-tuesday-10th-november-2015/