DALY, Christina

The Daly brothers from Raglan Street in Ballarat had attended the Pleasant Street State School before James gained employment as a salesman and William as a laborer. James Fitzgibbon DALY (4643) declared himself to be 18 years of age when he enlisted on July 7^th, 1915. Six weeks later, 23-year-old William Warren DALY (4474) joined him and they both left Australia on January 28^th, 1916 on the HMAT ’Themistocles’.

Both were allotted to the 58^th Battalion and on July 19^th, 1916 they were involved in Australia’s first major action on the Western Front, the charge at Fromelles. In what became known as the blackest night in Australia’s history, James was killed in action and William was seriously wounded, dying three days later on July 22^nd.

Their mother, Christina, was informed first of the death of William and was so distressed that Ballarat’s Chaplain Snell requested that the army withhold news of the death of James because ‘it is feared that in her present condition of health, the news would prove fatal to her’.  Sadly, news of James’ death was published in ‘The Courier’ and in a subsequent letter of apology the Army regretted that due to 'a chain of unhappy circumstances, the request was inadvertently overlooked.’

Christina proved strong enough to survive the devastating news and to disclose that James had been just 17 years of age. The Daly brothers are commemorated in Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour, James at tree 1076 and William at tree 1900, and also on the grave of their parents in Ballarat’s Old Cemetery.

Ballarat Old Cemetery Section F1 Section 4 Row 1 Grave 8

Thank you to Garry Snowden for this information.