Image right: Henry Talbot Hammond during World War I. Courtesy Virtual War Memorial
The Battle of Fromelles, during World War I, began at 6 pm on 19 July 1916 after a day of artillery bombardment by the Allies, which deprived the offensive of any element of surprise. The goal was the Sugar Loaf salient, held by the Germans. It was to be a disaster. Although some gains were initially made, Allied troops were forced to withdraw under heavy German machine gun fire. By 8 am the following morning it was all over. The losses were devastating. Of the 7500 men of the 5th Division, 5533 had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner. To this day, Fromelles remains the most catastrophic 24 hours suffered by Australian troops.
The remains of a farm extensively damaged during the fighting at Fromelles on 19 July 1916. Photographed 11 November 1918. Courtesy Australian War Memorial
Lance Corporal Henry Talbot Hammond (SERN: 4506), a motor mechanic from Lindisfarne 56 Churchill Avenue (formerly 44 The Avenue), Strathfield was with the 54th Battalion at Fromelles. The 54th’s casualties amounted to 73 killed, 288 wounded and 173 missing, after just one night of fighting.
Badly wounded, Hammond wrote home from hospital in Birmingham, England describing the scene. His letter was published in the Evening News of 18 September 1916:
‘I went down to it about the fifteen yards mark with one nearly through my steel helmet, which made a bit of a scalp wound, a piece of shell in the neck and two shrapnel bullets in the right leg. I also got a tremendous punch on the right jaw with a clod of clay from a shell burst. Nearly all our men were killed or wounded, and not an officer was left.’
Hammond’s war was eventful, indeed. He had enlisted in 1915 but a bout of measles prevented his initial embarkation and he missed the Gallipoli campaign entirely. An only child who had attended Sydney Grammar School, his parents had not wanted him to enlist at all.
In 1917, after he had recovered from his injuries sustained at Fromelles, he joined the Royal Flying Corps, serving in the same squadron as a young Charles Kingsford-Smith and engaging with the Red Baron. Hammond recalled:
‘I remember once getting mixed up with the Richthofen Circus, this was at the time they were flying Albatros Scouts. There was terrific turmoil in these dog fights, it was hard to know where you were or what was going on. You had to be always alert to avoid collisions. You would be doing stall turns and suddenly you would see an enemy aircraft flash past, you would fire your guns and have a crack at it. Then you would see an aircraft going down, perhaps in flames. After a dog fight, the machines would reassemble for the return flight if possible. Otherwise they would fly back individually.’
Clausthal prisoner of war camp, Germany which was covered in snow for seven months per year. No fires were permitted. Courtesy Australian War Memorial
Hammond was taken prisoner of war (POW) during September 1917 after his plane crashed behind enemy lines. He was imprisoned in Germany, mostly at Clausthal. Here, with nine other POWs, he dug a tunnel with a frying pan handle in preparation for an escape attempt. However the tunnel was discovered and the prisoners were punished with solitary confinement. The incident gave him the nickname ‘Bunny’ which stayed with him for the remainder of his life. Escape attempts were common and POWs were sometimes supplied with contraband maps and compasses smuggled into Red Cross parcels. Hammond recalled compasses packed in fish tins sent from England.
After the war, Bunny Hammond continued to work in the aviation industry and rejoined the Air Force in 1925.
By 1928 he was senior manager and chief flying instructor of the NSW Aero Club. He believed that anyone could learn to fly in just five weeks. You can see some 1928 footage of the planes being maintained at Mascot Aerodrome at: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/98229-henry-talbot-bunny-hammond-flying-school
Footage of Hammond’s barnstorming visits to the far west of NSW in 1928 is also available at:
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/98228-henry-talbot-bunny-hammond-barnstorming
Hammond and Follett's Adastra De Havilland Moth at air show, Bathurst c1930 by Sam Hood. Courtesy State Library of NSW
Hammond founded Adastra Airways Ltd with Captain Frank William Follett (who had also served in the Australian Flying Corp) and his sister, Evelyn Mary Follett, during the Depression in August 1930. The business soon became the Adastra Flying School but was also well-known for its aerial photography. However, the Depression meant that the business could not support both Hammond and Follett so Hammond left to become manager of Holden’s Aerial Transport Service in New Guinea. In 1951 Hammond returned to Adastra as general manager. Adastra was purchased by East-West Airlines in 1973 and moved to Tamworth, NSW. You can read more about Adastra at: https://www.adastra.adastron.com/company/adastra.htm
Adastra Flying School plane at Mascot, 1931 by Sam Hood. Courtesy State Library of NSW
Adastra hangar at Mascot Aerodrome, 11 November 1934 by Sam Hood. Courtesy State Library of NSW
Hammond served with the RAAF during World War II, having been called up on the second day of the war. He gave flying instruction as a Group Captain in Richmond, NSW, Laverton, Victoria and in the Pacific in New Guinea. As Wing Commander, Hammond received an OBE in 1944.
In 1974 Hammond was interviewed about his remarkable life and his oral history is in the collection of the National Library of Australia at: https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-214893317/listen
Henry Talbot Hammond died in 1982.
A remarkable life.
By J.J. MacRitchie
Local Studies Advisor