Daniel Poole
DCM
&
Bar
(21 April 1882 ? 13 August 1959) was an Australian soldier and sailor. On 15 April 1917, during the
battle of Lagnicourt
, Poole collected a party of men and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen
prisoners
. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
Early life
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]
Daniel Poole was born on 21 April 1882 at
Birkenhead
, England, son of Richard Poole,
baker
, and his wife Anne, nee Warburton.
[1]
Leaving home at age 11, he worked on a German sailing clipper. He arrived in
Sydney
in 1909, and subsequently worked as a marine stoker and served for five years with the
Royal Naval Reserve
.
[2]
On 13 August 1910, Poole married Mary O'Donnell, a
domestic servant
and together they had one son. Poole was described as 5 ft 8 ins (173 cm) tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes, fair hair and tattooed on both arms and shoulders. Before joining the army, he gave his trade as marine fireman.
[1]
[2]
First World War
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On 15 August 1914, Poole enlisted in the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force
to
German New Guinea
. Poole returned to Australia with that force and he was discharged on 5 March 1915. Like many other members of the expeditionary force, Poole subsequently enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force
on 13 May 1915.
[3]
Poole was posted to the
20th Battalion
, and that unit embarked from Sydney on 26 June 1915, on board
HMAT A35 Berrima
.
[3]
On 14 July 1915, he was promoted to
lance corporal
. The 20th Battalion
landed at Gallipoli
on 22 August and the unit took up a position at Russell's Top until evacuated on 20 December.
[1]
The battalion was taken to
Egypt
for further training and then moved to France, arriving at
Marseilles
on 25 March 1916.
[2]
He fought at the
Somme
and in July was involved in the heavy fighting at
Pozieres
. On 16 August 1916, Poole was promoted to temporary
sergeant
, later confirmed on 1 December.
[3]
On 15 April 1917, during the
battle of Lagnicourt
, Poole gathered a party of volunteers and led them forward under heavy fire, killing nine enemy and capturing fifteen others. For his leadership and bravery he was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal
.
[1]
[3]
[4]
Four days later, on 19 April, he was wounded and evacuated. The award was
gazetted
on 18 June 1917, with the citation:
[5]
1422 Sgt. D. Poole, Infy.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He collected a party of men and gallantly led them forward under heavy fire, inflicting many casualties on the enemy and capturing 15 prisoners.
Poole returned to his battalion on 7 September 1917 and he took part in the
battle of Menin Road
in
Belgium
. Near
Westhoek
on 20 September, as the barrage moved across the Hanabreek water course, machine guns in Hannabeek wood came into action and the front wave became slightly disorganised. Major A.K Hosking, M.C. quickly rallied the men in his immediate vicinity and was moving forward with them towards the wood when he was killed by a piece of shell. Many stirring deeds were of the order of the moment, but the berserk spirit of Sergt. D. Poole, D.C.M. appears to have stood out alone, no less than 5 machine guns in Hanabeek wood falling to him. He was the leading spirit in the clearing of the wood. Poole then noticed an enemy machine-gun which had come into action after the barrage and first wave had passed. He rushed the post single handed, captured the gun, killed the crew and took prisoner a large number of men emerging from the
pill-box
.
[1]
[4]
Although the battalion recommendation was for award of the
Victoria Cross
, for what was called "reckless leadership", Poole received a
Bar
to his Distinguished Conduct Medal.
[1]
[2]
[3]
On the same day Poole was wounded again and evacuated to Australia, arriving there on 11 January 1918.
[3]
The Bar was gazetted on 6 February 1918, the citation read:
[6]
1422 Sjt. D. Poole, Infy.
For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. This N.C.O. noticing an enemy machine gun which had come into action after the barrage and first wave had passed, immediately rushed the post single-handed, captured the gun, killed the crew, and took prisoners a large number of the enemy emerging from the pill-box. But for the action of this N.C.O., a large number of casualties would have been caused and the advance held up.
(D.C.M. gazetted 18th June, 1917.)
Post-war and later life
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Poole was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 10 August 1918.
[2]
He then returned to his work as a
seaman
working for
McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co
and from 1937, the
Adelaide Steamship Company
. On 25 October 1939, Poole reported for duty on mobilisation of the
Royal Australian Naval Reserve
in
World War II
. He was allocated to
HMAS
Manoora
, an armed merchant cruiser, as a
petty officer
stoker. After service in Australian, Papuan, New Guinea and
South-West Pacific
waters, Poole was discharged as medically unfit on 28 November 1941. He died in Sydney on 28 July 1959 and was
cremated
after an Anglican service. He was survived by his son.
[1]
References
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